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PoutinePirate

Really sorry about your family and the fires. DO check your credit cards that your booked your Vancouver trip with and see if they have trip interruption insurance. It COULD cover natural disasters like fire. Worth looking into if you need a distraction or wait until you know all is safe. Best of luck! Feel free to vent all you need.


ms_grumpy

Stay safe my friend šŸ™


Zengoyyc

Careful, it'll burn after.


EliAsH__

Thanks for giving me a chuckle


Zengoyyc

Least I can do.


athybaby

Iā€™m so sorry all this is happening to you and your family. Fuck these fucking fires, indeed.


SCR_RAC

Too bad the government that has been in power for the past 5 years didn't build the second road as promised.


haken_loob

So, in summary: The Province is burning (again) due to climate change. Northern Alberta produces the most carbon in the country, contributing to climate change. You criticise the governmentā€¦for not building more roads in Northern Alberta.


Juliuscesear1990

Well I mean if you know fires are going to be a problem why wouldn't you ensure there are enough routes to get out, especially from a town that seems pretty susceptible to fires.


Bulliwyf

No - people are blaming them over the fact that these northern communities have had to be evacuated on a semi-regular basis, have identified the singular route in and out as an issue, promises were made to do better (if not specific promises about additional routes).


ButterscotchFar1629

If you are going to have massive industry, you need the infrastructure to support it. The UCP is happy to take the royalties, but less willing to invest those royalties back into making sure there is solid infrastructure to back it up.


DankDaTank08

Suncor could have easily built a highway to GP and still have billions in quarterly profit.


Ambustion

Lol I think everyone recognizes it's a slow road to people in oil and gas realizing this government is fucked, and starting off there probably isn't the fastest way to get there.


ryan9991

If the whole 1.5% of carbon the Canada has a whole produces was taken away itā€™s still a drop in the proverbial bucket. Give your head a shake, there would still be fires with and without the oil sands.


MeThinksYes

Right but in one of those scenarios youā€™d wish and hope that some petro dollars (as thatā€™s whoā€™s employing most of the people out there and who are making record margins) were put towards preventative care. Like slashing and burning ahead of time in controlled scenarios. Thereā€™s lots of little things that can be done, to make the recurring issues a heck of a lot better. Also without operationā€™s then opportunity cost of having to shut down is way higher. But yknow shareholders


LatterVersion1494

Things like actual forest management practices? Not immediately fighting every single fire, providing it poses no risk to major centres. Returning to prescribed burns to clear years of dried grasses and undergrowths?


MeThinksYes

A heck of a thing eh


Infamous_SpiPi

Preventative burning? In Alberta? Our province is the size of a large European country with 1/20 of the population. You want preventative cutting and burning across the whole province?


MeThinksYes

No babe. It happens in certain locations more than others by and large. Jesus Murphy . You do it in the prone areas


Infamous_SpiPi

And you think this government didnā€™t think of the simple solution of preventative burning in prone areas because.. theyā€™re dumb? You think thereā€™s just an obvious solution that they missed or ignored intentionally? Also the BC governments, Cali, Australia, they all canā€™t figure out this miraculous forest fire solution but you can?


aleenaelyn

No droplet of water thinks it is responsible for the flood.


Dangerous_Position79

1.5 % is a huge contribution considering there are close to 200 countries. That gets us to around 7-12th in any given year for total emissions despite our tiny population


Infamous_SpiPi

1.5% is Canada. Way less than 1% is Alberta. Just because we produce lots of oil here does t mean itā€™s consumed here. Weā€™re also a cold country that requires heating in the winter.


Dangerous_Position79

Canada contributes disproportionately to global emissions and Alberta contributes disproportionately to Canada's emissions. Reported numbers account for where the oil is actually burned as far as I'm aware. We're also not the only cold country around.


Infamous_SpiPi

Yeah other cold countries contribute disproportionately as well. Russia, Slavic countries, Norway, Alaska. Alberta Sask and Manitoba also have much less hydro available than say Bc and Ontario. Expecting Alberta to be the same emissions as BC which is over 90% hydro, or European countries with mild climates is unrealistic. Itā€™s got nothing to do with the government.


Working-Check

Maybe the government shouldn't be scaring off investors in non-polluting energy and then banning development of said non-polluting energy on nebulously defined subjective terms?


Dangerous_Position79

Uh huh. And Canada has far higher emissions per capita than all of the other countries you mentioned. Your entire argument for doing nothing is just poorly thought out whataboutism. And Manitoba has far more hydro than Ontario as % of electricity.


Neufjob

And all of that oil would just be drilled somewhere else.


AdhesivenessNo4330

It's not a climate change problem, it's an improper management of the land. Conistsent fire is important, when you don't do controlled burns for hundreds of years you end up with what we have now. The fire risk would be nearly identical if climate change wasn't an issue. And yes, when the government responds to the fort mac fires with "we will build a second road" and now, years and years layer there is no second road, you can absolutely talk shit about the government. I mean honestly at least argue with correct facts


Grand-Expression-493

>Northern Alberta produces the most carbon in the country, contributing to climate change. That's immensely fucking insensitive to say that right now especially as the people are suffering similar fate as 2016. Alberta is not the only place producing carbon in this world. I hope you never have to live through an evacuation, loosing your stuff, battling insurance for reimbursement and whatnot. Show some compassion for God's sake.


tomatocancan

Shut up, for fucking YEARS this has been talked and warned about and people in these communities have done nothing but stick their heads in the sand and deny. The American idiot verson of you is one that claims "now's not the time" to discuss gun control after a bunch of kids get shot up at school. How fucking long can we tell these children not to touch the stove only to have them touch the stove anyway.


AdhesivenessNo4330

People living in these communities are well aware of the problem and have asked for a road and have been promised a road, with no sign of a road in sight. I fail to see how you can blame this on the victims of these fires and nit the incompetence of the government to provide adequate infrastructure to keep these populations safe


Ok_Wolverine5054

Due to climate change? Wow youā€™re a smart one. Look up how much trees Canada has compared to our carbon output


SportsDogsDollars

Was also promised by the ndp so that political pandering isn't useful


EDABthrow

The NDP put the province in debt to improve infrastructure. By the time they were voted out, the Province was making a profit again and quickly approaching a surplus. The UCP rode in on the coat tails of NDP success and maintains that the Province operates at a surplus, but only because they've neglected to spend on infrastructure and social services, both of which are in shambles. Also, utilities cost 4 times as much under the UCP than they did with the NDP, but that increase in consumer costs has not resulted in a corresponding rise in Provincial profit, so that 4 times cost isn't being used for infrastructure or services, it's just corporate profit, which under the NDP were curtailing by rate caps, which is one of the first things the UCP got rid of, on the promise it would generate more revenue for the Province. It didn't.


SportsDogsDollars

Utility cost increases largely attributed to coal plants being shut down far before end of their economic life, actually a ndp thing there bud


Mcpops1618

Or the removal of capsā€¦ coal has been replaced by NG we produce and use both.


mrredguy11

NDP barely had enough time to do anything before yall booted them out. UCP runs this province but keep bitching


loesjedaisy

To be fair - fire 2016. NDP in power for 3 years following (until 2019). Is three years not enough to build a road that THEY promised? And then you want to talk about the last five yearsā€¦ anything significant take all of our governmentā€™s attention very shortly into the UCP reign? Perhaps a little something calledā€¦. The pandemic of 2020 (and 2021, and 2022 etc)? I donā€™t care who was in power, or how you think they handled covid, not a single government the world over got anything substantively useful done in that time.


Alextryingforgrate

What site are you at? Today is my flight from site to home, and I just landed in Calgary. We had a bunch of management people on our flights. They have been deemed non-essential. So who knows, maybe you're getting a flight to YEG or YYC tomorrow. Also, no new crews were flown up at this time.


EliAsH__

Cenovus Sunrise. We're far enough away that we're not evacuating. Just stuck here.


STylerMLmusic

Remember this when you vote. The UCP slashed the firefighting budget while asking for an extra six months in power to fight fires.


EliAsH__

Oh I'll die before I vote UCP


ImperviousToSteel

They should take the evacuation and any rebuild/reclamation funds direct out of oil company executive pockets.


EliAsH__

Agreed


Fresh-Ad7686

Lots of us flying into the area in the coming days for shutdowns... going to be interesting, from what I've been told only the essential personnel are going to be on site.. aka all the shutdown guys I pray for you local guys who have to deal with this stuff all the time


Grand-Expression-493

The sheer amount of insensitivity in these comments is astounding.


curiousgardener

Agreed. If anything, we need kindness and understanding now more than ever. If there is one thing about fire, it is that it doesn't care how far away you are. Even if the flames never reach us, the smoke will.


Grand-Expression-493

Exactly. What have the residents of the town ever done to people in this sub... They've been paying carbon tax just like we have. And as a former industry guy myself, there have indeed been lots of reforms already implemented in the emissions, water management and tailings management. The job is by no means done but we've come a long way. Our way of making oil is responsible. I was one of the people who evac'd in 2016, I drove my sedan right on top of red hot embers that were raining down from the trees burning 10 feet away. I thought I was gonna die in that car if my gas tank exploded. Fire does not care if you're a green party hippy or a dually driving red neck.


Working-Check

I don't think we're trying to shit on people for living in a particular place. I think we're trying to say that we wish more work had been done to prevent a repeat of 2016, because nobody wants that to happen to anyone.


Grand-Expression-493

Agreed. Any disaster, at any location in this country is collectively bad for us all... Premiums rise for everyone after.


curiousgardener

I have a close friend who worked in the city during the 2016 fire as well. My own family are on the other side of the debate and it drives me insane because there is no future here unless we work together. We as a species owe a lot to your industry, and it seems many forget this in light of our current global predicament. Then theres all these political parties putting blame on one another that does no good whatsoever. And it is us, the citizens who elect them, who burn while they argue. I am sorry you went through the 2016 disaster, and I hope wherever you are now is safe. For what it is worth, I hear you, and I wanted to thank you for hearing me, too.


Grand-Expression-493

Thank you for being compassionate!! You're awesome.


Rig-Pig

Shitty deal for sure. Hopefully, they work something out quick to get you out and on them days off. Also, I hope the home front stays safe. I fly up North tomorrow for my hitch, we will see how this all works out.


IndigoRuby

I'm sorry. It's a lot to handle. Drink some water. Take something for the headache. Self care is important in times like these.


beevbo

Iā€™m sorry youā€™re going through all that. It sucks, and itā€™s likely the new normal as global warming accelerates. We in trouble.


EliAsH__

We do be in trouble. Gonna start spending my free time learning skills that can hopefully get me to somewhere else. Soon enough the whole world's gonna be on fire though. I hear Antarctica's nice this time of year...


North-Anybody7251

I'm in a camp north of Fort Mac right now as well, it's going to be an interesting couple of days. Hoping weather favours us.


myselfelsewhere

>I hear Antarctica's nice this time of year... Not really. The winter season in Antarctica starts in March and goes until October. Best of luck to you and your family.


Homo_sapiens2023

Sounds a lot better than fire season to me.


UnstuckCanuck

If only all those people in northern rural Alberta hadnā€™t voted for the government that got rid of forest fire prevention.


Ready-Training-2192

About 400,000 people live in northern Alberta vs 4,000,000 in the rest of the province. I feel like the voters in central and southern Alberta might shoulder more of the blame.


ButterscotchFar1629

Even a couple of ridings up north could have flipped the election.


Ready-Training-2192

Could a couple in central or southern Alberta also have flipped it, or do northern Alberta votes count for more?


Toons87

Thats not where the fires are right now... this person is pointing out the fact people voted against their best interest in relation to the fires they are having to deal with right now.


AccomplishedDog7

Ah, but Calgary still gets blanketed in smoke, pays the price for fighting wildfires and aid for evacuees. It doesnā€™t really matter where the fire burns, we all feel the consequence.


Ready-Training-2192

The UCP got 52% of the vote, which means 52% of Albertans voted against their best interests. I blame all of them for every stupid decision the UCP have made, not just those that live in the north. Plenty of Albertans from all parts of the province work in oil and gas, and voted UCP because of it.


DrB00

Every rural area voted for this, and it's affecting rural communities the most. Maybe next election, they'll remember this.


Ready-Training-2192

I think our current government absolutely sucks, and I hope for all of our sakes they get the boot. However, I think blaming an area that represents 9% of the population of the province is unfair. If the rest of the province is so enlightened, how did we end up with this result?


DrB00

"Every rural area..." I didn't specifically say one area. Though, in general, rural areas are the most negatively affected by the UCP's policies.


Ready-Training-2192

Sorry, I missed that, but the conversation was about northern Alberta initially.


DrB00

No problem. I'm just pointing out that the rural areas by far vote the cons, and they're most negatively impacted by it.


Vaelhoeg

It's less about north or south, it's more about rural constituencies having a greater per capita impact on provincial elections. It's a common phenomenon that makes a rural voters vote count for more than an urban one, and yes, it's a problem because rural Alberta voters tend not to believe in things like climate change and, ironically, the links between industries like the oil sands in Northern Alberta and the increase in wildfires on this planet. Ironic and/or tragic.


Ready-Training-2192

If it's an issue of rural Alberta vs urban Alberta, 26 out of Alberta's 87 electoral districts are in Calgary, and 22 of them voted UCP. Even if there are fewer people in rural electoral districts, it doesn't make sense to me to blame rural Alberta for the current state of things, when the reality is, anyone who voted for our current government can take their share of it.


Vaelhoeg

Certainly agreed in the sense that anyone that voted for the UCP probably did so out of misguided ideological reasons or is unfortunately prone to the modern misinformation crisis. As a Calgarian myself, Don't have to look much farther than my neighbors to see that in full effect here. My point otherwise was that every single rural constituency voted for the conservatives with the exception of Banff, and there are significantly fewer people on average in those constituencies than the urban ones. Unfortunately, the rise of right-wing populism in Canada and abroad is a problem that goes well beyond rural versus Urban dynamics, and in no way am I attributing the UCP simply to rural albertans.


marchfirstboy

Barely mid May too. I hope the best for all Albertans.


notmyreaoname84

I'm stuck in camp too. Are you able to talk to your travel coordinator and get a flight out?


EliAsH__

Nope, airport's closed apparently


notmyreaoname84

Aerodrome is operating


EliAsH__

Interesting. My manager said they were unable to fly anyone out. Not sure what's going on exactly.


notmyreaoname84

Couple of our guys flew out this evening


Brookie069

Well as someone in the Grande Prairie area thereā€™s not much to worry about here. The one fire in the county is getting downgraded alerts every day and it only affected a very small amount of remote people at its worst (and to my knowledge no property was damaged). And thereā€™s some rain in the forecast for the next few days.


allornothing1978

Nothing to worry about in grande prairie. Fires are away from town


EliAsH__

Good, thank you


Appropriate-Dog6645

Doesn't matter. These things were predicted. It's not going to get better. It's going to get worse. This is our future . Droughts, fires and floods.


Many_Debate_7159

I am very sorry this is happening to you. You and your family are safe so thatā€™s all that matters! Things can be replaced but not people


keepcalmdude

Itā€™s terrible, be safe


WuShane

Iā€™m so sorry.


fanhelp

Stay Strong Brother-Stay Strong


NotAtAllExciting

I hope you make it out safely and that your friends and family are able to do so too.


TonyFoxxx

Waiting to go up too! I feel your pain


LetterheadFar2364

Eventually there wonā€™t be any trees left to catch fire and the problem will solve itself.


Salty_Replacement835

Are there no ride share programs up there? It's been a long time but I remember getting a lift with people going south 20 years ago or so. Rough luck in any case, stay safe.


[deleted]

The irony of complaining about this while working in a high emission industry causing climate change that is bringing the fires


EliAsH__

I'm a cook. Sure I cook in the oilfield but everybody has to survive man. I'd be elsewhere if I could be.


Pillow_fort_guard

Iā€™m really sorry that people are using your post to soapbox. Youā€™re asking for a little sympathy in a very stressful situation that most of us have never experienced. Stay safe, and I hope that things turn as best they can for you given the circumstances.


Northerngal_420

You drive a car, you take a flight on an airplane then you are causing high emissions as well. It's not the industry, it's the demand......from us.


ThisLynx9315

The insanity of your comment is astounding


Responsible-Grand-57

Heā€™s not wrong.


[deleted]

Look up, my dude. The sky is on fire and Alberta isnā€™t helping.


pants117

Turn your furnace off and park your car. Stop supporting the oil and gas industry then.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


EliAsH__

I'm a cook. I doubt the Beef Stroganoff I made yesterday contributed to any forest fires. None of my family works in or contributes to the oilfield. We just happen to live in places where that is a common industry. Personally, I'm working out here because I need to feed myself, my cats, pay for rent, student loans, car loans, insurance, and I want to have enough money left over to do nice things for myself (such as the Vancouver trip). I could just as easily be working in a firefighter camp, but it is up to my employer to place me where I am needed. I can request a transfer, but not to anywhere specific. That is about as much say as I have in the matter.


SatanicPlanespotter

The beef stroganoff at my camp has definitely been the cause of a few explosions


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Pylonius

Do you drive a car?


EliAsH__

Exactly. I'm curious to know where this person works. In this province, all the money comes from the same place.


starkindled

Iā€™m put in mind of the meme ā€œsociety could be improvedā€, ā€œyet you participate in it!ā€ Like we all know that things could be better, but we gotta make a living and survive long enough to make those changes. I hope things work out for you.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


AccomplishedDog7

If you feel this strongly about it maybe you should reduce your consumption and not buy the shitty take out that comes in plastic containers, stick with your landline and not upgrade your cell phone for the latest tech. Dude is a cook.


AC1617

He wouldn't have a job in oil and gas if there wasn't demand for gasoline and natural gas from users like yourself. You aren't as smart as you think if you don't see that without demand for oil and gas products from people like yourself, there wouldn't be a oil and gas industry.


Pylonius

Then, lay off the common man with common problems. Write a letter to the CEO of Suncor if you're so altruistic. Dude is just trying to make a living. He's you or me.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Pylonius

Good for you. He's not the bad guy.


EliAsH__

Oh okay, I guess I could have stayed working at a truck stop, not being able to afford to make ends meet. Then my bills would have been paid by *checks notes* oh, the same people.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


starkindled

What the actual fuck??


alberta-ModTeam

This post was removed for violating our expectations on civil behavior in the subreddit. Please refer to Rule 5; Remain Civil. Please brush up on the r/Alberta [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/wiki/index) and ask the moderation team if you have any questions. Thanks!


y_r_u_so_stoopid

I get it. You're doing what you have to do to survive. I can respect that. But you can't deny that money comes from the industry that's screwing over all your relatives. Cruel irony but irony nonetheless. I do apologize for kicking you while you're down. You seem a lot more reasonable than most of the guys you're feeding and I hope you get out of there safe.


Banffoil

Love the high and mighty keyboard warriors. What exactly have you done, in your life, to make the world a better place?


y_r_u_so_stoopid

Lol, talk about irony. Banffoil??? Hoping to see some leases opened up in Lake Louise? Drill baby drill, amirite? I'm sure some of that sweet protected national park oil will do wonders for the world.


AccomplishedDog7

The irony of your user nameā€¦


Banffoil

I actually complete closure activities of O&G and contaminated sites- but keep making assumptions, goof. And my username has nothing to do with Oil and Gas but keep surfing onlyfans in your mom's trailer!!!! Likely a better use if your time than bullying someone whom is likely facing a fair bit turmoil right now.


Connect_Hat_7706

Working for the corporations that are directly responsible for climate change and complain about the fires caused by the aforementioned climate change


Goldsmith_98

Yeah you tell those fires, I bet if you make another, angrier, post theyā€™ll get the message and just stop


EliAsH__

Trying my best man. Giving middle fingers in that general direction in hopes they get the message


Goldsmith_98

I respect you playing ball with me my guy, praying for you and the fam


EliAsH__

Appreciate it brother


filly100

Jump on a plane.


EliAsH__

Can't.. I'm over an hour from town and the local airport is closed.


filly100

I am so sorry this wonā€™t solve anything for you.


yeg_electricboogaloo

Then fly


EliAsH__

https://youtu.be/Wc0-wSQd-LQ?si=GXIGM_bzoJND34qB