A long way from home, but loving it
CARRIE KELLY
Even a 45-minute commute may be too long for some, but for many who work in the oil sands, four- to seven-hour drives are considered normal, with still others commuting from across the country.
Jory Maccan has worked as a mechanic for an oil sands contractor for 10 years. Although the Syncrude site where he works is just 40 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Maccan has no plans to take up permanent residence there. Instead, he commutes from an acreage in the Camrose area, more than 500 kilometres from his worksite.
Acreages are a rarity along the borders of Fort McMurray and in order to get a similar home in the area with far less land, Maccan would have to pay much more. The Fort McMurray Real Estate Board lists the average price of a single-family home there at $768,827 as of October 2012.
A decade ago, Maccan was living in Calgary when he applied for a job as a heavy equipment technician with Finning.
“I applied in Calgary and they asked if I was willing to work elsewhere. Fort McMurray was where there was an opening,” he says.
He accepted and began a shift of 12 days on, followed by 12 days off. It worked well for him but now that he is married with three children and one more on the way, 12 days away from home would be too much of a stretch.
“I now work seven days in, seven days out. It’s more travelling but it’s better for my family,” he explains.
He has the option of staying in camp but has chosen to rent a room in Fort McMurray instead. He’s not there much since he gets on the bus at 6 a.m. each morning to go to site and doesn’t return home until after 8:30 p.m.
12 THE WESTERN CANADIAN PIPELINE | WINTER 2013
When he first started working 12-hour days, 12 days in a row, he felt like he could never get enough sleep. But now that he’s used to it, he loves the freedom it provides for those long stretches of time off. He believes he is able to have more family time than those who work a regular 9 to 5 job.
“I get more time with the kids when I spend the whole day with them on my seven days off. I’m not home every bedtime but when I am home I get to spend a lot of time with them,” Maccan says.
He has had to travel through a few snowstorms but usually doesn’t mind driving the long distance.
“The four-and-a-half hour drive home gives me time to wind down,” he says. “It allows me to change gears.”
For many who decide to work in the oil sands, yet not relocate, camp life is the way to go. More like modern hotels than true camps, workers like Scott Doege find they put on a few pounds during the first camp rotation.
“The food is unbelievable,” he says of the meals, providing examples of steak, salmon, endless choices of sandwiches to pack for lunch and wall-to-wall coolers with all the variety of beverages that one would find at a convenience store.
And after working long days, having someone clean your room and cook your meals can be enticing.
For Doege, who works as a scaffolder for Cornerstone Industrial, a contractor company at the Foster Creek project, returning to camp life after 18 years away from it was a pleasant surprise.
“I absolutely love the camp. You get to eat like a king and you don’t have to pay for anything,” he says.
There is a flat-screen television in every room, along with WiFi to make it easy to connect with loved ones back home. A recreation room and gymnasium are available for socializing and staying in shape.
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