The effect of Oil Sands money.

[Atomb]

This is what happens when rig labour and welders are making hundreds of thousands of dollars working on oil sands these days! We saw many examples of this on a recent trip to Vancouver....many Alberta plates on some stunning vehicles.From here: http://autos.canada.com/news/s...e933bQuote »Calgary’s open roads tempt driversSports cars seen going 200 km/hCalgary HeraldFive luxury-car drivers are under investigation for speeding and dangerous driving after people reported seeing several Ferraris and a Lamborghini racing along rural highways Sunday.The first complaint to High River RCMP came in around 7 a.m. when a motorist reported seeing a number of luxury cars driving at speeds reportedly greater than 200 km/h, Sgt. Larry Marzinzik said. By the time an officer was able to respond, only one vehicle fitting the description could be found. The driver was interviewed.Around noon, another motorist called in saying cars were speeding and passing unsafely on Highway 22 south of Longview.Three Ferraris and one Lamborghini were located and all four drivers were questioned by police.Marzinzik said police are still trying to confirm the connection between the complaints and the drivers who were interviewed.The people making the complaints had described seeing Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but could give little more information.The cars, Marzinzik said, would certainly attract attention."They are not the norm on the highways. When you see a high-end Ferrari or Lamborghini being operated even at a normal speed, it'll grab your attention," he said.No charges have been laid against any of the drivers.Late last fall, Marzinzik said, police learned people had been racing on the rural highways."We have had previous information that people have been in or close to our area and have had time trials," he said, adding videos of these races are then posted on YouTube.Anyone who can provide details about the incidents Sunday, such as descriptions of drivers or licence plates of vehicles, is asked to call the High River RCMP.

[engineertwin2]

Is it based on the location that your assuming it's rig welders doing this? I'm not being defensive, just not familiar with the geography of the area......pretty crazy though.

[Raven]

My wife's nephew (23 years old) works the oil patch. He bought a house for $345,000 and 10 days later the real estate agent told him he had an offer of $385,000 to buy it from him. Ooooh to be young again!

[djb383]

Lot's of drilling activity and production here in Texas but no rig hands or welders driving Lambo's or Ferraris. Either you guys are paying labor way too much or sports cars are dirt cheap. LOL

[chevelle_lover]

I have seen this from some of the people that I know out there. From what they tell me that McDonalds and Tim Hortons are paying $16/hr. This is a huge labour shortage out there. The worst part is that they will hire anyone out there and they are keeping even the guys who are not suited for the job.

[Atomb]

with my last job we lost a welder that went out there and he got offered about 3 times what we could pay him in ontario!sorry engineeringtwin...you're right, the location. It's become the norm to hear about nice cars in places called High River, Alberta these days!interesting short article from Macleans about this:Quote »Fort McMurray, Alta.: Job HeavenWork and wages abound in this job paradiseNICHOLAS KÖHLER | June 4, 2007 |Not long ago, a class of Grade 8 students on an outing to a Fort McMurray, Alta., youth employment office marvelled at how much they could make busing tables or stocking shelves at the local grocery: $14.45 -- over double the $7 minimum wage. Not bad for a 12-year-old. "They're pretty excited," says Danielle Comeau, of the Service Canada Centre for Youth. "They're trying to add it all up -- $15 for four hours ... what would that be?"In a province where the minimum working age is 12 (compared, say, to 14 in Ontario and 16 in Manitoba), local Fort Mac youths, with free room and board courtesy of their parents, are the chosen. And for university students liberated from their studies and looking for summer employment, Fort Mac is beguiling, a place of plentiful work, abundant bonuses, and inordinately high, rocketing wages -- $12.25 an hour in 2005, $13.50 last year, $14.45 now. A construction worker makes $22, a welder or carpenter $40. Keep to a three-month commitment and you can collect a bonus as high as $500. Such promise attracts youngsters from across the country. In March, 300 French-speaking job-seekers from as far away as Quebec and New Brunswick showed up at Fort Mac's Franco Job employment centre, 400 the month following. Most found quick work. Of employer demand, Franco Job's Angelina Gionet says: "We can't keep up with that."Yet despite high wages, life is tough. The average bachelor costs $1,050 a month -- $1,314 for a one bedroom. While some businesses offer housing or hefty subsidies, many student workers kip in tents or their cars. Sharing a room with three or four people is common. Sherrill McAuley, director of YMCA Youth Connections, recently teased one client with a four-bed camper van that he could rent the extra beds. "Don't worry," he said -- "I'm thinking about it."is it any wonder that Air Canada now has daily flights direct from Toronto to Fort Mac?