pipeline news february 2010

Focus Edition:

WorkingWorkingIn WinterIn Winter

PIPELINE NEWSSaskatchewan’s Petroleum MonthlySaskatchewan’s Petroleum Monthly

February 2010 FREE Volume 2 Issue 9

On Call 24 Hours a Day Toll Free 1-866-332-2121 Fax: (306) 637-2124

Serving Saskatchewan & ManitobaServing Saskatchewan & Manitoba

Parts & Service For All Parts & Service For All

Makes and Models!Makes and Models!

89 Escana Street, Estevan • Mon. - Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.mSALES • SERVICE • PARTS • LEASING

GENSET SERVICING • MOBILE SERVICE AVAILABLE

Phone: Phone:

637-2121

GPS App for The Oilpatch

Page B4

Storthoaks: Home of the Rig Worker

Page A12

Lloydminster Oilman of the YearPage C1

When the wind chill is in the extremes, like on this -30oC day, you have to bundle up. Dave Dornian, with L & C Trucking did exactly that.

Photo by Brian Zinchuk

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010A2

NewsNotes

Western Plains going for heavy oil

Western Plains Petroleum Ltd. has closed

its previously announced common share private

placement by issuing an aggregate of 1.88 million

common shares at a price of eight cents per share

(including 62,500 common shares subscribed for

by insiders of the company) for gross proceeds of

$150,200.

Net proceeds from the private placement are

expected to be applied to the acquisition of heavy

oil interests in the Lloydminster area of Saskatch-

ewan and Alberta and for working capital pur-

poses.

Penn West completes swap

Penn West Energy Trust has closed its previ-

ously announced asset swap.

Penn West exchanged certain interests in the

Leitchville area of Saskatchewan for interests

complimenting Penn West’s light oil resource

plays at Pembina and at Dodsland. In addition,

Penn West received cash consideration of $434

million, prior to closing adjustments.

Briefs courtesy Nickle’s Daily Oil Bulletin

West re Plans To Invest $40 Million This YearWestFire Energy Ltd.’s board of directors has

approved a 2010 capital budget of $40 million

($38 million net of Alberta drilling credits).

Th is budget is expected to provide an average

production rate of 2,500 barrels of oil equivalent

per day for the year and a 2010 exit rate of 2,900

BOE a day, with oil exceeding 60 per cent of the

volumes.

Over 80 per cent of this year’s $40 million

capital budget will be allocated to the drilling

of 32 (28.5 net) wells. Th e focus of the activity

will be the drilling of 23 (19.5 net) wells on the

Viking light oil resource play lands at Redwater,

Alberta and west central Saskatchewan. A further

fi ve (fi ve net) horizontal wells will be directed to

development of the heavy oil pools in the Lloyd-

minster and Lindbergh areas. Th e remaining four

(four net) wells will develop liquids-rich natural

gas in the Bashaw area of Alberta.

By Geoff LeePipeline News

Kindersley – Kindersley’s old hockey rink burned

to the ground Jan. 8 but fi refi ghters and oilpatch vol-

unteers relied on team work that day to save the new

rink and curling complex for more games yet to be

played.

Sixty fi refi ghters from seven area volunteer fi re

departments and a train of oilfi eld water haulers, vac

trucks, excavators and backhoes and even a privately-

owned fi re truck answered the call for assistance from

Kindersley fi re department chief Ron Hope.

“Th e response from the oil and gas community

was good and it always is,” said Hope. “Th ey support

our community tremendously.

“We started calling on them right away. We had a

lot of water hauling happening in order to make sure

we had suffi cient water there.

“When you are pumping the volumes we are, we

are taxing the water system heavily. You can only fl ow

so much water through a pipe.”

More than 30 companies, emergency response

individuals and organizations were contacted or just

showed up to pitch in shortly after the fi re was re-

ported around 10 a.m. with the temperature at -20 C

adding to the crisis.

“It was cold for a little while – I’ll give you that,”

said Hope. “I had to have my gloves off in order to

run the radios and stuff . It was terribly icy for sure.

Other than that, it all happens quickly and you just

don’t have time to think about it.

“It gave us a challenge that’s for sure. Th e wind

was favorable for it. It was carrying it away from the

main part of the town.”

Water trucks were the main order of the day and

Pat Holland from Hollands Hot Oil was one of the

fi rst guys to get a call – initially from his wife while

he was in Calgary.

“I live about a block from the rink,” said Holland.

“I have cedar shakes on my house so I was worried

about the wind and sparks setting fi re to my roof but

I learned it was going the other way so it didn’t aff ect

me.

“Th en I got another call for help on my cell and

I phoned our dispatch to get our guys over there. I’m

on the list for my water trucks. If they have a fi re

that’s too big and they need water, they will phone

me. We have four water trucks and we sent three. “

Page A6

Crews and water help to save Kindersley sports complex from re

It didn’t take long for the old Kindersley rink to go up in ames, but soon it would be surrounded by oil eld trucks and equipment, bringing water to ght the blaze. Photo courtesy of Kindersley Airspray

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010 A3

NewsNotes

Prairie Mud Service“Serving Western Canada With 24 Hour Drilling Mud Service”

Environmental Division - Darwin Frehlick - Cell: 421-0491

JIM MERKLEY

Cell: 483-7633

WAYNE HEINEstevan, Sask.Cell: 421-9555

IAN SCOTTOxbow, Sask.Cell: 421-6662

MIKE EVANS

403-846-9435

GERALD SMITH

Cell: 421-2408

Calgary Sales Of ce: Tel: 403-237-7323 Fax: 403-263-7355

Chuck Haines, Technical SalesCell: 403-860-4660

Head Of ce:Estevan, Sask.

Tel: 634-3411 Fax: 634-6694Ray Frehlick, Manager

Cell: 421-1880Ken Harder

Warehouse ManagerCell: 421-0101

JASON LINGCarlyle, Sask.Cell: 421-2683

CHADSTEWART

Cell: 421-5198

Swift Current Warehouse:Derek Klassen - Cell: 306-741-2447

Kindersley Warehouse:Len Jupe - Cell: 306-463-7632

Lacombe Warehouse:Darcy Day Day - Cell: 403-597-6694

Mud Technicians

Briefs courtesy Nickle’s Daily Oil Bulletin

Ryland Oil Corporation has announced that

it has received approval from the TSX Venture

Exchange respecting the agreement with Fairway

Exploration LLC previously announced on Nov.

26, pursuant to which Fairway has agreed to sell to

Ryland a three per cent overriding royalty which is

held over production from all southeast Saskatch-

ewan properties held by the company’s wholly-

owned subsidiary, Pebble Petroleum Inc.

In return for the royalty, the company has

agreed to pay Fairway a cash payment of $1.2 mil-

lion (U.S.) and issue 1.2 million common shares at

a deemed price of 36 cents. Closing of the sale is

pending.

Second Wave sells assets

Second Wave Petroleum Inc. has closed its

previously announced disposition of assets to Tri-

Oil Resources Ltd. for a purchase price of $7.55

million comprised of $5.43 million in cash and

2.12 million common shares of TriOil at a deemed

value of $1 per share.

Th e assets include approximately 130 bbls of

oil equivalent per day of operated production at

South Tableland in southeast Saskatchewan and

Coronation in southern Alberta together with as-

sociated gathering systems, batteries, compression

facilities and approximately 13,000 acres of unde-

veloped land.

With respect to the share component of the

purchase price, One Exploration Inc. has confi rmed

completion of its acquisition of all of the outstand-

ing TriOil shares pursuant to a private agreement

under which each common share of TriOil was ex-

changed for about 5.88 class A shares of OneEx

issued from treasury.

Ryland closes debt nancing

By Brian ZinchukPipeline News

Regina – Th ere were high expectations for the

Copenhagen United Nations climate change talks in

December, but the result was a letdown for most, not

the least of which was Malcolm Wilson, PhD, who

is the University of Regina’s point man on climate

change.

Wilson has been a member of the Intergovern-

mental Panel on Climate Change, and heads up the

Offi ce of Energy and the Environment for the U of

R. Th is time out, he wasn’t part of the national delega-

tion, however, but rather was manning a booth for the

U of R and its carbon capture and storage eff orts.

“Our main role was to profi le the university and

promote IPAC,” Wilson told Pipeline News in early

January.

IPAC is the International Performance Assess-

ment Centre for Geological Storage of CO2, a re-

search arm of the University of Regina and associated

with the Offi ce of Energy and Environment.

Th ey were there as observers. “It would have been

better if we had gone in as a member of the Canadian

team,” he lamented, noting he was not sure how the

national delegation was determined. He did see TV

personality Mike Holmes there, however.

Th e organization of the event left much to be

desired, he explained. He described the way the UN

treated observers as an “absolute disaster.”

Th ey were supposed to have their booth set up

for much of a week, but in the end, only had it opera-

tional for two days. Th e Monday he spent the entire

day in line, trying to get in, even though he and a

great number of other people were accredited before-

hand. Wilson wasn’t able to gain access to the hall

until 5:30 pm that day.

After two days of running their booth, they then

found out it had to be shut down for the fi nal two

days, with no access to their materials over that time.

Th ey packed up early, on the Wednesday, in anticipa-

tion of that announcement.

Over those two days, the delegation spent their

time trying to infl uence people’s opinions on using

carbon capture and storage as a viable emissions con-

trol strategy. Th ey did come home with a number of

business cards.

“What was clear was a lot of people didn’t under-

stand carbon capture and storage,” he said.

Page A7

Copenhagen a disappointment: Malcolm Wilson

Malcolm Wilson, PhD. File photo

Mission Statement:Pipeline News’ mission is to illuminate importance of Saskatchewan oil as an integral part of the province’s sense of community and to show the general public the strength and character of the industry’s people.

Pipeline NewsPublisher: Brant Kersey - Estevan

Ph: 1.306.634.2654

Fax: 1.306.634.3934

Editorial Contributions: SOUTHEAST

Brian Zinchuk - Estevan 1.306.461.5599

SOUTHWEST

Swift Current 1.306.461.5599

NORTHWEST

Geoff Lee - Lloydminster 1.780.875.6685

Associate Advertising Consultants:SOUTHEAST

• Estevan 1.306.634.2654

Jan Boyle - Sales Manager

Cindy Beaulieu

Glenys Dorwart

Kristen O’Handley

Deanna Tarnes

SOUTHWEST

• Swift Current 1.306.773.8260

Doug Evjen

Stacey Powell

NORTHWEST

• Lloydminster

Daniela Tobler 1.780.875.6685

MANITOBA

• Virden - Gail Longmuir 1.204.748.3931

• Estevan - Jan Boyle 1.306.634.2654

To submit a stories or ideas:

Pipelines News is always looking for stories or ideas

for stories from our readers. To contribute please

contact your local contributing reporter.

Subscribing to Pipeline News:

Pipeline News is a free distribution newspaper, but

is now available online at www.pipelinenews.ca

Advertising in Pipeline News:

Advertising in Pipeline News is a newer model cre-

ated to make it as easy as possible for any business

or individual. Pipeline News has a group of expe-

rienced staff working throughout Saskatchewan

and parts of Manitoba, so please contact the sales

representative for your area to assist you with your

advertising needs.

Special thanks to JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy Groupfor their contributions and assistance with Pipeline News.

Pipeline NewsEstevan, SK

Ph: 306.634.1015

Fax: 306.634.1041

Published monthly by Glacier Ventures International

Corporation, Central Offi ce, Estevan, Saskatchewan.

Advertising rates are available upon request and are sub-

ject to change without notice.

Conditions of editorial and advertising content: Pipe-

line News attempts to be accurate, however, no guarantee

is given or implied. Pipeline News reserves the right to re-

vise or reject any or all editorial and advertising content as

the newspapers’ principles see fi t. Pipeline News will not

be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an

advertisement, and is not responsible for errors in adver-

tisements except for the space occupied by such errors.

Pipeline News will not be responsible for manuscripts,

photographs, negatives and other material that may be sub-

mitted for possible publication.

All of Pipeline News content is protected by Canadian

Copyright laws. Reviews and similar mention of material

in this newspaper is granted on the provision that Pipeline

News receives credit. Otherwise, any reproduction with-

out permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertisers

purchase space and circulation only. Rights to the adver-

tisement produced by Pipeline News, including artwork,

typography, and photos, etc., remain property of this news-

paper. Advertisements or parts thereof may be not repro-

duced or assigned without the consent of the publisher.

Th e Glacier group of companies collects personal infor-

mation from our customers in the normal course of busi-

ness transactions. We use that information to provide you

with our products and services you request. On occasion

we may contact you for purposes of research, surveys and

other such matters. To provide you with better service we

may share your information with our sister companies and

also outside, selected third parties who perform work for

us as suppliers, agents, service providers and information

gatherers.

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010A4 EDITORIAL

Editorial

If there’s a positive side to the devastating fi re that

razed Kindersley’s old hockey rink to the ground early

in January, it’s got to be the important role the oil and

gas industry plays in responding to local emergencies.

Just about every oil and gas explorer and producer

in Alberta and Saskatchewan is required to have an

emergency response plan or is hooked into one by

virtue of their safety training and equipment.

In the case of the Kindersley arena, a sizeable

army of oil and gas companies was on the contact list

for the town of Kindersley’s emergency response plan.

Most of the conscripts rushed employees and

equipment to the scene to help fi refi ghters put out the

fl ames and help save the new rink and curling facility

from destruction.

Ironically, the arena complex is the normal ren-

dezvous point for a Kindersley emergency but from all

accounts, the entire fi refi ghting operation was well-

organized under the direction of fi re chief Ron Hope.

No one was injured and the coordinated eff ort

kept the new complex virtually intact save for some

fi re, smoke and water damage.

Hope was assisted by 60 volunteer fi refi ghters

from seven area communities including Kindersley,

Eston, Eatonia, Rosetown, Kerrobert, Acadia Valley

and Oyen. An eighth truck was on its way from Unity

when it was called off .

While the weather cooperated with light winds,

it was the water trucks, backhoes, excavators and all

types of equipment as well as specialists dispatched by

local and area oil and gas companies and businesses

on the call list that helped the fi refi ghters save the day.

Together they maintained a steady fl ow of water

Disaster response from the energy sector a story worth repeating

for pumpers if needed and fed water to a private fi re

truck that kept a spray of water and foam targeted on the

fi rewall between the old rink and the new complex.

If these companies and organizations somehow

needed any additional motivation to spring into action,

the source could have been the rink and new complex

itself – the focal point of recreation and social life for

many small towns in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Maybe that explains why so much help poured in

from surrounding communities too.

Coming to the rescue of a rink is like symbolically

coming to the rescue of a way of life. Th e small town

hockey and curling rink are just as iconic and essential to

the quality of life as the grain elevator once was and the

oil derrick is today.

When the rink did burn, some people were surprised

and even envious to learn that a small town like Kinders-

ley with a population of just 4,400 had two hockey rinks

and curling facility.

Th at luxury might have something to do with the

generosity and economic strength of the oil and gas

economy.

During the boom in 2008, Estevan raised more than

$7 million for its new arena through local donations

from individuals and energy companies who know the

value of having new arenas and curling rinks to draw

families and employees.

A committee also secured $13 million from the

federal and provincial governments, making the facility

almost paid for before the sod turning.

No doubt that same spirit will lead Kindersley to

rebuild its lost rink and keep the fl ame burning for the

value of small town Saskatchewan.


PIPELINE NEWS INVITES OPPOSING VIEW POINTS. EDITORIALS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WELCOME.

Email to: [email protected]

Brian Zinchuk

From the top of

the pile

Opinion

Geoff Lee

Lee Side of Lloyd

With an oversupply of natural gas on the

market keeping prices unprofi tably low, EnCanca

Corp. is leading the charge to ratchet up demand

with an idea that will help Canada cut greenhouse

gas emissions.

Encana is asking the federal government to

commit $1 billion to kick start the development of

compressed and liquid natural gas fueling stations

and infrastructure beginning with the high traf-

fi c corridor from Windsor, Ont. to Quebec City,

Que.

Th e busy Edmonton to Vancouver corridor is

also a suitable candidate for this timely project.

Encana is asking Ottawa to introduce tax in-

centives to trucking companies that convert their

18-wheelers from diesel to natural gas.

Encana’s lobbying is backed by the knowledge

that all 50 U.S. states are off ering a $32,000 U.S.

tax credit to truckers who switch from diesel to the

cheaper and more abundant natural gas.

Th e company is also reportedly working with

Westport Innovations Inc., a maker of natural-gas-

powered truck engines, and the Canadian Natural

Gas Vehicle Alliance to convince the Harper gov-

ernment to include the spending item in its spring

budget.

South of the border, a U.S. industry group is

working to convince Detroit auto makers to build

natural gas-powered pickup trucks for corporate

fl eet vehicles.

Th e quest in Canada is supported by natural

gas distributor Enbridge, whose 812-vehicle nat-

ural gas fl eet is the biggest in Canada.

Enbridge is apparently investigating whether

it can provide some of the compression equipment

and infrastructure needed to launch the fi rst nat-

ural gas highway.

Th e move comes at a time when breakthroughs

in fracturing dense rock have allowed gas to fl ow

from new reservoirs and formations such as shale

gas.

Th e over abundance of natural gas in North

America – enough for the next 100 years by most

accounts – has contributed to driving down prices

from a high of $13.69/mcf in July 2008 to a low of

$2.409 in September, 2009.

Prices have since rebounded to the $5 to $6

range but explorers, producers and distributors can

no longer rely on cold winters to further drive up

the demand and prices for natural gas that has been

traditionally used to heat homes and buildings.

Encana’s lobbying for “natural gas corridors”

is backed by the fact natural gas-powered vehicles

produce about one-third less gas emissions and less

smog-producing pollutants that other vehicles.

Th at may appeal to the federal government as it

works on cutting its greenhouse gas emissions and

hitching its environment policies to the Obama ad-

ministration as stated during the Copenhagen Cli-

mate Change Conference held December, 2009.

In fact, prior to Copenhagen, Canada intro-

duced proposed new regulations expected to be

in place by July, 2010 that will cut greenhouse gas

emissions in all new light cars and trucks over the

2011 to 2016 model years in sync with the emis-

sions reduction targets of the United States.

Th e targets represent an approximate 20 per

cent reduction compared to the new vehicle fl eet

that was sold in Canada in 2007.

Using suddenly abundant supplies of clean

burning natural gas to fuel the trucking industry

would help Canada further reduce greenhouse gas

emissions, stimulate economic growth and help to

a create a sustainable gas drilling, producing and

distribution industry.

Let’s hope the Harper government shifts this

green stimulus plan into fi rst gear as quickly as

possible.

Encana steers lobby for natural gas highways

Last fall, my wife and I bought a new truck.

Th e behemoth, or, as I like to call it, the Can-

yonero, after Marge Simpson’s giant SUV, is a big,

powerful Ford F-150 SuperCrew. It was purchased

with the intent of pulling the fi fth wheel camper my

parents graciously donated to us after they got a new-

er, bigger unit.

It’s a nice vehicle to have, with lots of room. Th e

box came in handy at Christmas time, as did the 4x4

low range when we came across some blown-in gravel

highway. But there are times when the large fuel bill

and the monthly instalments make me yearn for the

days when we didn’t have the additional vehicle pay-

ment. Could we have done without the truck? Prob-

ably. But it’s ours now, and we will be paying for it for

the next several years.

Th e province of Saskatchewan went through a

similar calculation this year with nuclear power. Bruce

Power was seriously seeking to build a nuclear power

plant in Saskatchewan, something big and powerful

and capable of handling whatever needs we threw

at it. Th ey had even narrowed it down to Lloydmin-

ster, Prince Albert or the Battlefords as likely loca-

tions. Lloydminster, with its large industrial base and

proximity to Fort McMurray, was the most obvious

choice, especially since the project depended upon

exporting power to be viable.

On Dec. 17, the province decided against the

nuclear option, eff ectively killing Bruce Power’s pro-

posal. Oh, sure, it might be open to more discussion

in the future, but the net eff ect of the December de-

cision was to kill nuclear power development in Sas-

katchewan for a generation. Surely nothing new will

come up in the next10 years, at a minimum. Th at is,

by the way, the amount of time it takes to go from

fi rst talking about it, to the fi rst watt of power pro-

duced from a new nuclear plant.

Like my analogy of a truck purchase, the prov-

ince thought about it for a long time. Could we aff ord

it? Did we need it?

In April, 2009, the government announced the

Future of Uranium in Saskatchewan Public Consulta-tion Process. Th at process came back with a resound-

ing “No”. Granted, it’s a lot easier to get people vocal

about opposing something new than supporting it, it

was a pretty clear indication that this would not be

an easy ride.

Look at what nuclear meant for Ontario – yes,

it powered their economy for decades, but when it

came time to do maintenance on them in the 1990s,

a huge chunk of the nuclear fl eet was sidelined, and

the cost to bring them back online was in the billions.

Ontario Hydro’s debt was enormous. Th e company

would eventually be split up, with one of the results

being the creation of Bruce Power. If everything had

gone smoothly, the Bruce plant would still be in the

hands of Ontario Hydro. As it stands, current costs

to restart two of the eight Bruce reactors is pegged at

over $4 billion.

Even if it were privately owned, a nuclear plant

in Saskatchewan would be hanging a huge millstone

around our collective necks, kind of like a giant truck

payment. Even if we’re not paying for it directly,

we’ll be paying for it on our SaskPower bills. Our

truck will be paid off in a few years. Th e nuclear plant

would take decades.

By declining to go nuclear, the province has im-

plicitly chosen the fossil fuel option. Th at’s because

there are no other real options. Yes, we are doubling

our wind capacity, but that can’t be used for baseload

generation. Indeed, we’re building a fl eet of gas tur-

bines to backup the expanded wind option.

Solar simply isn’t going to cut it here, and any

other alternative power, be it biomass or cogenera-

tion, is not going to be big enough to supply our

growing needs.

What we can expect down the road is continued

coal development, especially if the Boundary Dam

clean coal experiment works. More likely than not,

there will be further natural gas generation. Antici-

pate baseload natural gas generation, not just peaking

plants, in the future. It will mean another local mar-

ket for Saskatchewan gas producers, more carbon-

friendly than coal, and can be built in much less time

and with much less headache than nuclear.

We may have dodged a bullet with this decision.

Proponents may mope, but in the years down the

road, we’ll be thankful.

Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected].

A nuke would have been nice, but...


Trucking Estevan Ltd.Trucking Estevan Ltd.

88 Devonian Street, Estevan, SK.Ph: 634-4041 (24 hr) • Fax: 634-4040

www.samstrucking.ca

• Full Service Trucking Company• Top Quality Rig Moving Experience

Quick reaction saves new rink Page A2

Hollands’ trailers

hold 36 cubes of water

and they were emptied

every nine or 10 minutes

feeding water into mu-

nicipal pumpers and a

fi re truck from Pinceman

Fire-Safety that provides

emergency fi refi ghting

and safety services for oil

companies.

“Th at fi re truck was

hooked to a four inch

outlet on my trailers and

spraying from our semi,”

said Holland.

“It worked out pretty

good. I changed all of my

trailers to a four inch for

fi res. If you have anything

other than four inch you

don’t suck enough water

for them.

“We stayed station-

ary and tied into the fi re

trucks and guys with

water trucks kept bring-

ing more water to fi ll us

up. Th ere were maybe 20

to 30 water trucks that

kept coming to my water

trucks and kept fi lling

me.”

Bruce Penner, the

district manager of

Pinceman Fire-Safety

spent just as much time

reminiscing about the

burned out hockey rink

as he did recalling his

company’s role in the

blaze during his media

interview but that’s un-

derstandable.

“Up to a couple of

years ago, I played hock-

ey there most of my life,”

he said. “All of my minor

hockey was played in

Kindersley.

“Th ere’s a lot of

memorable stuff that

was hanging on the walls

about people who have

passed on and friends of

mine that played hockey

that were killed in ac-

cidents. It’s part of our

heritage I guess.”

Th e arena fi re was

the fi rst time his com-

pany had been called out

to help the local fi re de-

partment and he says it

worked out well.

“We had six guys

fi ghting the fi re at the

scene. Th ey were spray-

ing water on the wall

between the two arenas

to keep the fi rewall cool

and douse the rubble in

the old arena.”

“I helped out with

the arrival of water trucks

to fi ll our truck. Th e oth-

er fi re trucks were pull-

ing off of fi re hydrants.

Extra water was needed

because so much water

was used.”

Foam was also

sprayed on the fi re and

the fi rewall to keep

fl ames from spreading to

the new sports complex

that suff ered some fi re,

water and smoke dam-

age.

Ironically, the pro-

vincial playdowns for

the Tournament of

Hearts bonspiel were

being played when the

fi re broke out forcing the

tournament to shift its

fi nal matches to nearby

Eston.

Th e cause of the

fi re is under investiga-

tion and Hope says mi-

nor sports programs are

suff ering as a result. Th e

complex is closed and

barricaded until further

notice.

“Th ey will try to

use some of the outdoor

rinks in surrounding

communities,” he said.

“Th e complex is a

gathering point for the

community year round.

Th e Chamber of Com-

merce holds its annual

trade shows in those fa-

cilities, the grad in held

there, the rodeo is held

there – everything is

held in those facilities.

It’s a huge loss.

“Th e insurance in-

dustry has been out and

looked at it; the fi re

commissioner’s offi ce has

been out and looked at

it. Everyone is absolutely

amazed that we still have

a structure standing.

“I am following

through with all of the

paperwork and the me-

dia interviews. It’s a sto-

ry that needs to be out

there.”

A big part of the sto-

ry were Coleville com-

panies such as Wrangler

Tank Services and T.H.

Vac Services and Fricken

Fracken Water Hauling

that dropped everything

to rush water trucks to

the fi re scene.

“It always seems oil

companies jump to the

bat and help out,” said

Tim Harris from T.H.

Vac who sent two water

trucks to the fi re. Two

of his vac trucks arrived

later to suck water from

water lines in the new

rink and remove pooled

water from the burned

out arena before it froze.

“Our water trucks

were just tiny single axle

water trucks,” said Har-

ris. “Our water trucks

are used to support our

hydro vacs. We don’t

haul water usually.

“Wrangler had a

tandem and two semis

and Fricken Fracken had

a B train.

“We just fi lled up

fi re trucks. Th ere were so

many fi re trucks there.

Th ey had all of the fi re

hydrants all tied up. Th ey

wanted us to externally

haul water to them. Ev-

ery company was equal.

It was a get-it-done type

thing.”

By the time Steve

Sawchuk from Wrangler

got to the fi re, he says

the main arena structure

was already fl attened but

he could still see fl ames

and counted close to 13

tank trucks feeding wa-

ter to the Pinceman fi re

pumper.

“Basically one semi

hooked on to the Pince-

man fi re truck and two

other units kept pump-

ing into that semi to

keep it full,” he said.

“Fire crews were

concentrated on where

it joined on to the new

building to keep that

cool.”

Sawchuk says

Wrangler hauls mostly

produced fl uids but he

keeps the body job full

of water – to fi ght fi res

for the Coleville fi re de-

partment.

“I think Kindersley

did a good job of getting

the contacts out. It was

about 10 a.m. when the

fi re alarm went off and

by 10:30 they declared a

state of emergency and

by about 10:45 it was

pretty well done.”

With the old rink a total loss, effort were made to save the rest of Kindersley’s West Central Events Centre, on the right.

Photo submitted by Gerry Ackerman

An excavator gets into the thick of things, trying to save what’s left of the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley. Photo courtesy the Kinderley Clarion


Page A3Defl ated

Th ere were high hopes worldwide going into the

Copenhagen talks, with a huge contingent of nation-

al leaders attending. Th e end result, however, didn’t

amount to much.

“If you looked at going into Copenhagen, there

were huge expectations of what was coming out,” Wil-

son said. Th ose expectations were for a global frame-

work for a post-Kyoto period, a Kyoto II, as it were.

“Th ere were expectations we would fi nally get

something out of this meeting that would see carbon

capture and storage recognized with the clean devel-

opment mechanism process, that carbon capture and

storage would be recognized and accepted as a legiti-

mate mechanism for global emissions reductions and

appropriate transfer of credits.

“At the end of Copenhagen, neither of those hap-

pened.”

On CCS, he said the process is still ongoing,

and his colleagues in the fi eld didn’t leave dejected.

Although there was nothing concrete to come out of

it, there was a solid commitment to move forward.

Th e timing of Copenhagen was important, be-

cause the Kyoto process expires after 2012. To get

things in place before that expiration, it needed to be

done at Copenhagen, to allow individual governments

to take the agreement back to their respective coun-

tries for ratifi cation. In the end, the framework US

President Barack Obama negotiated turned out to be

a very short paper, according to Wilson. “It’s a very

superfi cial framework, and it’s thrown back to the ne-

gotiators,” he explained.

“Otherwise you have a hiatus at the end of Kyo-

to,” he noted. “How do you penalize a country such as

Canada when the US hasn’t ratifi ed the agreement?

When one of the major players isn’t a member, it re-

ally took the teeth out of the agreement.”

When asked how many industrialized countries

have met their existing Kyoto commitments, Wilson

responded, “I don’t think any have.”

“When the US failed to ratify Kyoto, it made it a

dead end.”

However, Kyoto has had an eff ect, he noted, with

rate of carbon emissions not being as high as it would

be otherwise, especially in Europe. Individual Ameri-

can states have also been working to implement in-

tensity caps.

“My hat goes off to Alberta for putting up sub-

stantial dollars to address climate emissions,” he add-

ed.

So was Copenhagen a success or failure?

“Somewhere in the middle,” Wilson responded.

“We didn’t lose momentum completely, but the politi-

cal leadership was unable to reach consensus.”

He said that failure reinforces the climate change

denial camp.

Th e next meeting will be in Mexico City, in late

2010. Again, there will be big expectations, Wilson

said, and he expects Prime Minister Harper will be

there.

“I think he has to be.”

“I think you’re going to see a whole stack of world

leaders at Mexico City,” Wilson predicted, adding the

onus will be on the US, with Obama negotiating the

framework. “Th ere’s going to be an expectation on the

US that they continue to shepherd that.”

After the frustrations of Copenhagen, will Wil-

son be booking tickets for Mexico City? Probably not.

“After my experience at this one, I have doubts I’ll be

that interested in attending.”

Copenhagen talks accomplished little

Superior Results in the Bakken and across Canada’s Oilfields

Every day, Baker Hughes applies the full range of drilling and evaluation,

completion and production technologies to help Canada’s oil and gas operators

improve efficiency and increase production. In the foothills of Western Canada,

Baker Hughes is helping you evaluate Bakken shale plays, drill horizontal wells

through sweet spots, and conduct multi-stage fractures in one trip. We’re also

active in the oil sands region with chemical treatment and artificial lift services,

and on Canada’s East Coast with offshore well construction and deepwater

flow assurance.

Find out how Baker Hughes Canada can achieve superior results for you.

Estevan 306.636.1640

Weyburn 306.842.1850

Virden 204.748.6858

Swift Current 306.773.0757

Calgary 403.537.3400

www.bakerhughes.com

©2009 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. 25507.

Baker Hughes Incorporated Advancing Reservoir Performance

Phone: 637-6055 Fax: 636-2606400 Kensington Ave., Estevan

Arti cial Lift Systems

AMPSCOT®PUMPJACKSProudly made in Canada


For A

ll Your: • Hot Oiling

• Flowline Cleaning• Tank Cleaning• Dry Steamer Boiler

• Flowline Jetting• Frac Fluid Heating• Back Pressure Trucks• Steam Heaters

Phone: (306) 634-4797 or 634-7334

Demby Service Rig Doghouses• two models to choose from • two models to choose from oror• • custom built to suit custom built to suit your needs your needs

(306) 861-5655 (306) 861-5655 www.dembytrailer.comwww.dembytrailer.com

Estevan – It’s been steady growth

in recent years for Estevan Meter, a lo-

cally-owned instrumentation company,

and 2010 is looking like it’s going to

be a busy one, according to president

Doug Martens.

Martens is one of three owners,

along with Dallas Fleck, who handles

shop operations, and Reg Stephen, a

member of one of the founding fami-

lies behind the company.

Th e company moved to a new shop

on Imperial Avenue in November,

2008, not far from their old facility on

Devonian Street on Estevan’s east side.

“We needed more space,” said Martens.

“We doubled our size.”

Th ey went from 6,000 sq.-ft. to

12,000 sq.-ft., and now have consid-

erably more lot size, should they need

to expand further. Martens said they

were asked if they would be using all

that space, and sure enough, they have.

“When we moved in here, we were uti-

lizing 3.5 offi ces. Now we use all six,”

he explained.

Th ey currently have around 25 em-

ployees. “We’ve had a very low turnover

rate that we’re very proud of. Th at’s

helped make our company strong, too.”

Th e key has been to slowly bring

in good, quality people, as they were

available. “Right now we are looking

for some individuals, but we’ll only

hire qualifi ed people. We won’t sacrifi ce

quality. Probably in the next year I can

see us having two or three more.”

Estevan Meter has three main ar-

eas of operation, each complimenting

the other.

Th e fi rst is shop repair, dealing

with items like meters, valves, switches

and pumps. Th ey are a Saskatchewan

Boiler Branch-approved relief valve

repair shop.

Th e work includes all kinds of

meter calibration – an important fac-

tor, when you realize meters determine

how much a producer is going to get

paid, or has to pay.

Martens noted, “Measurement

of oil, water and gas is driven by ac-

counting reasons, and is crucial to how

money is apportioned.”

And to ensure meters are properly

calibrated, the calibration tools must

also be calibrated on a regular basis,

meeting government certifi cation.

Area number two is fi eld instru-

mentation services. It entails doing a

lot of the same things, but in the fi eld.

Th ey have eight trucks for that work.

“We employ some journeymen

electricians. We have some dual-tick-

eted guys with electrician and instru-

mentation tech.”

One of the items they have to assist

in fi eld operations is a “portable liquid

meter prover,” which Martens says is

not commonplace.

Th ey do PLC and

SCADA programming,

as well as scheduled preventative main-

tenance. You’ll see Estevan Meter’s

handiwork on items like pumpjacks,

test separators, and free water knock-

outs.

In the warehouse, there’s a stack of

fl ame arrestor systems. “We do com-

bustion systems,” Martens said, includ-

ing the maintenance and optimization

of those systems. “We’re able to service

and supply CSA B149.3 spec equip-

ment.

“We’re not only strong on the

combustion, but on the electrical and

instrumentation. We have a good un-

derstanding of the whole process. It’s

worked out good for us.”

Th e third line is the warehouse,

which supplies a lot of specialty items,

particularly for vessel turnarounds. It’s

an area they focus on. “We supply the

gaskets, sacrifi cial anodes, water si-

phons, stacks, all the instrumentation

and controls,” Martens explained.

East of the offi ce area is the well-

stocked warehouse, with items like

gaskets, fl ame arrestor systems, valves,

and a substantial number of large num-

ber of air compressors. Most of those

air compressors are already spoken for,

according to Martens. Th ey’re used to

operate air-actuated valves.

Page A9

Steady growth for Estevan Meter

The warehouse area for Estevan Meter is quite full, ranging from gaskets on the left, to ame arrestors, air compressors, valves and meters.

The controls to the new relief valve test stand are linked to a computer for recording purposes.


Page A8Further to the east is the shop area, where a new relief valve test stand has

recently been installed. It allows tests to be documented by computer, as opposed

to manually recorded. “A year ago, we would read a gauge and record it,” Martens

said. Th e automation is an improvement in quality assurance.

Th e test stand, with its large “J”-shaped accumulator, is in its own room be-

hind a heavy door and plenty of insulation. Th at’s because testing can get quite

loud. In the old facility, they used to have an alarm, warning staff to put on ear

protection, before it would go off . Th e old test stand was in the main shop area in

their previous facility.

“We’re working on having a client web portal, with access to invoices online

and test reports,” Martens said.

While one worker can be seen servicing an actuator, another is calibrating

an older-style dry fl ow gas meter chart recorder, the type that use spinning disks

to record data. Th e new designs are electronic, and can transmit their data either

through wires or wirelessly.

Martens said they are expecting a busier year. He said 2010 is starting off like

it is going to be similar to 2008.

New test stand

Brennan Wagner works on a valve actuator that runs on compressed air.

Estevan Meter shop tech Mike Long calibrates a dry ow gas meter.

By Brian Zinchuk

Estevan – Th e Estevan Oilfi eld

Technical Society honoured three peo-

ple with lifetime achievement awards

on Jan. 19.

Art Wrubleski, Les Avery and Jim

Morgan were presented with awards

for lifetime achievement. Morgan’s was

a posthumous honour.

Art WrubleskiTh ere’s a lot of core sitting in the

core repository in Regina, thanks to

Art Wrubleski.

Greg Kallis, Estevan OTS presi-

dent, described Wrubleski’s career

spent in the coring business. After a

few years on the drilling rigs, he set

up Wrubleski Coring in Gull Lake in

1955. In 1960 he packed up his fam-

ily, trailer and business and moved to

Estevan.

In 1954, he married Alice Oswald.

Th ey would have fi ve children. She

passed away in 1983.

He would eventually merge with

another company and form A & A

Coring in 1965.

In the 1970s he expanded into

power tongs and drill stem testing.

In the early 1970s, Bill 42 created

a crash in the local business, so he went

east in 1976, to Sussex, New Brunswick.

Th ere he did coring for IMC. Many of

those cores were 2,000-ft. in length.

He retired in 1998. At that point,

he sold off the assets of the business.

Th e company peaked at 15 em-

ployees.

He was active with the local Elks

for over 30 years. He won the OTS golf

tournament for four consecutive years,

from 1976-79. He was active with the

OTS golf tournaments and bonspiels,

and held the position of president

of the Estevan curling club. He also

coached baseball.

Wrubleski thanked his family, say-

ing, “I am very proud of them.”

He also thanked the OTS, and

said he had a rewarding career. “I even

squeezed in time for a couple hole-in-

ones.”

Les AveryLes Avery spent most of his career

in production, fi rst as a battery opera-

tor, then as a production foreman and

then production superintendent. He

was employee No. 90 for Dome Pe-

troleum, a company that would rise

to 4,500 staff before eventually being

bought out. At that point, Avery was

almost number 1 in seniority within

the company.

Avery worked for Dome’s succes-

sor companies, Amoco, North Rock

Resources, Star Tech Energy and fi -

nally Arc Resources before retiring in

2004. In 2003, he was named South-

east Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year.

An active OTS member, he even

won one of the organization’s curling

bonspiels.

In making the presentation, Tom

Copeland said, “Les has been a shining

example of how to balance family and

work.”

When not working in the patch,

Avery built a succession of homes –

11 since 1982. Upon retirement, he

worked on the construction of the new

clubhouse at Estevan’s Woodlawn Golf

Course.

Avery responded by saying, “I feel

very honoured for being selected.”

He said there were a lot of people

more deserving, but “You don’t look a

gift horse in the mouth.”

He thanked the OTS and his wife

Betty.

With forty-some years in the patch,

he said, “Th ere were a lot of people that

put up with me, and mentored me.” He

thanked the southeast Saskatchewan

oilpatch for giving him a career. “I can

look back with fond memories.”

Jim MorganJim Morgan’s nomination was not

so much a matter of if, but when, ac-

cording to Jim Wilson, who made the

presentation. “He was one of those

people you never wondered what he

was thinking. He was to the point and

like to keep everyone around him on

their toes.”

He was an active member of the

OTS executive, and president for sev-

eral years. He served on committees

and volunteered at functions. “He was

an instrumental part of keeping those

social events we enjoy alive,” Wilson

said.

Th e OTS sold 194 tickets to the

event, and had a short charity auction.

All proceeds from the event went to

support the OTS scholarship fund,

which, according to organizer Jim Wil-

son, now has $70,000 in it. However,

with low interest rates, they still need

to build it up some more to make it

self-sustaining. Th irteen scholarships

have been given out in recent years.

Th is year’s recipient was Spencer Kaip,

of Estevan, who is attending the engi-

neering program at the University of

Saskatchewan.

It’s the seventh year of handing out

lifetime achievement awards, and 10th

year for scholarships.

Watch for detailed features on

both Wrubleski and Avery in coming

editions of Pipeline News as part of our

new pioneers regular feature.


Three honoured by Estevan OTSThree honoured by Estevan OTS

Les Avery, left, and Art Wrubleski accept their lifetime achievement awards from the Estevan Oil eld Technical Society on Jan. 19.

Ken Sholter auctions off a paint-ing in support of the Estevan OTS scholarship program on Jan. 19.



Phone: 306-634-5304 Phone: 306-634-5304 • Fax: 306-634-5887• Fax: 306-634-5887

www.estevanmeter.comwww.estevanmeter.com

Sales & Service For:Pumps, Meters, Valves, Controls,

Switches Instrumentation ServicePLC/RTU ProgrammingTreater PartsShop & Field Calibrations

Combustion ServiceSCADA Services SBB PSV ServiceShop & Field Repairs

Enform COR Certified

Since 1967Since 1967321 Imperial Avenue, Estevan321 Imperial Avenue, Estevan

Oilmen and oil-

women are trading in

their coveralls for curling

brooms with a number of

oilmen’s bonspiels under-

way. Oxbow will be hold-

ing their oilman bonspiel

Feb. 12-14. Richard La-

montagne is the contact,

and can be reached at

306-483-7897. “We try

for 32, but we always get

24,” he said of the num-

ber of expected teams.

Th e Swift Current

Oilmen’s Bonspiel is to

be held on Feb. 19-20 at

the Swift Current I-Plex.

It will be a skins format,

according to Ron Eichel,

one of the organizers.

Th e fi rst 24 teams will

be entered. Entry fee is

$260 and entries are due

Feb. 12. Anyone who is

interested can call Ron

Eichel at Can-Am Geo-

matics at 306-773-3333

or Cam Hyswick at Na-

tional Oilwell Varco at

306-773-5575.

Leanne Fleck is one

of the organizers of the

Lampman bonspiel. It

will occur March 5-7. As

for the number of teams,

Fleck said, “Ideally, 32,

but we’re happy with

whatever we get, usually

24.”

Th e Lampman event

is a mixed one, requir-

ing at least one woman

per team. Fleck can be

reached at 306-487-

2669.

Shaunavon’s oilman’s

bonspiel takes place on

Mar. 20. Kent Elmgren

is the contact. He can

be reached at the rink at

306-297-2338.

Th e season typically

wraps up with the big

Estevan OTS Bonspiel.

Th e dates this year are

March 25-28. More

details will be available

on the Estevan OTS

website, according

to Greg Kallis, OTS

president. It can be found

at estevanots.com.

Bonspiel season is on

BERT BAXTER TRANSPORT LTD.

301 Kensington Ave.301 Kensington Ave.Estevan, SK.Estevan, SK.

Phone: (306) 634-3616(306) 634-3616

3902 - 75th Ave.3902 - 75th Ave.Leduc, AB.Leduc, AB.

Phone: (888) 835-0541(888) 835-0541

www.bbaxtertransport.ca

Contact your local pipeline sale rep.

to get

28,000 Circulation

on your career ad!

***Speci c

Targeting

A12 PIPELINE NEWS February 2010

If you’re from Storthoaks, you’ve probably worked the rigs

Storthoaks – It’s not

all that common for a

33-year-old to get into

municipal politics, but

directional driller Syd-

ney Chicoine ran for

mayor of the Village

of Storthoaks last fall

against the incumbent

and won. “I’d been ap-

proached by one of the

council members,” he

explained. “What more

can you do than run

against what I thought

wasn’t right?”

Speaking from a

rig south of Frobisher,

where he was working

with Phoenix Technol-

ogy Services, Chicoine

recounted his reasons

for getting into politics.

He took issue with the

idea of adding an expen-

sive water fi ltration sys-

tem to the village’s wa-

terworks, when he felt

it already had very high

quality water. He also

didn’t like the sand seal

job done on the commu-

nity’s roadways recently,

feeling it wasn’t a good

investment.

Now he heads the

village council, made up

of four councillors and

a mayor. Th e village has

about 100 people, ac-

cording to Chicoine.

“Th ere’s lots of

young families in town,

with young kids,” he

said, citing a need for

some younger represen-

tation.

Page A13

Precision Well Servicing would like to recognize Rig Manager Dana Butt

and the entire crew of Rig #80 for their incredible safety performance!

Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

People Passion PerformancePeople Passion Performance

Virden Virden Ph: (204) 748-2381Ph: (204) 748-2381

Precision Well Precision Well ServicingServicing

Estevan Estevan Ph: 634-8886Ph: 634-8886

Three StarENVIRONMENTAL

FAX: 443-2453BOX 160, ALIDA, SASK. S0C 0B0www.threestarenvironmental.com

443-2429

* Environmental Protection Plans * Impact Assessments * Pre-Site Assessments * Environmental Audits & Assessments

* Well Site & Battery Abandonments * Drilling Waste Management * Pre/Post Water Well Testing * EM Surveying * GPS Mapping

O’Neil Carriere laughs about working with other Storthoaks hands. Carriere was borne near Storthoaks, and lived there until a few years ago.


Quality Post Frame Buildings

...And Much More!

Call for your FREE estimate

www.goodon.com

1-800-665-0470

Grain Storage

Commercial Buildings

Industrial Shops

Machine Storage

When hiring Scott Land, YOU hire the Advantage...• Surface Acquisitions, Freehold Mineral Leasing, Administration Projects• No project is too small or too large• Most active Land Company in Saskatchewan & Manitoba, with a proven 25 year track record• Experienced Field Agents• Competitive Rates, Including an Emerging Company Plan (ECP) package to all Junior Start-up Companies

Scott Land & Lease Ltd.1460 - 2002 Victoria AvenueRegina, SK S4P 0R7Toll Free: 1-888-939-0000Fax# 306-359-9015www.scottland.ca

Kurtis Greenman, Mineral Manager 306-790-4350Chad Morris, Surface Manager 306-790-4363Laurie Bielka, Assistant Branch Manager 306-790-4360Crown Sale Inquiries 403-261-6580Main Line 306-359-9000

Page A12Most of that younger

population works in the

oilpatch, and on drilling

rigs, in particular. Th ere’s

a defi nite reason for

that – Chicoine’s father,

Brian, has run Big Sky

Drilling, based in Oxbow

and now part of Ensign,

for many years. Brian has

made it a habit of hiring

local people.

“When it was Big

Sky, everyone worked for

Big Sky,” Chicoine re-

called.

Plus, there weren’t

a lot of other options.

“Family farms are dying

out. What better thing

to do than work in the

oilpatch, where it’s pretty

easy money?” Sydney

said.

Most of his friends

have gone down that

path, working their way

up to the point where a

substantial number are

now drillers or toolpush-

es. And when they need

a roughneck, where’s

the most obvious place

to look – around home.

Th at way, they all travel

together, and can take

turns driving. Typically,

the crews are home every

day.

Of the local people,

he says they see rough-

necks working eight

hours a day, spending

time with their families.

Working long hours in

other oilpatch jobs didn’t

seem as appealing.

Chicoine noted that

housing has been “next

to nothing,” for price. His

sister, Carolyn, who owns

the local bar, bought a

house for $5,000 a few

years ago.

“It’s such a small

town, all our wives hung

out together,” Chicoine

said. Th e rink is the main

gathering place.

Actually, that’s about

all there is in the small

community, according to

its mayor. “Th e rink, the

bar, the Case dealership

– not much else.”

Th ere is also a me-

chanic, a hair dresser,

and a drop-in centre.

Th e school closed several

years ago, and children

are bussed to either Red-

vers, Carnduff or Cariev-

ale.

Out on Eagle Drill-

ing Services’ Rig 6,

you’ll fi nd Brad Hen-

rion working as a driller,

along with O’Neil Carri-

ere, who’s driving the vac

wagon tractor. Both have

Storthoaks roots.

Henrion lives there,

while Carriere lived at

Storthoaks for 16 years

before moving to Red-

vers a few years ago.

“I used to drill, and I

got my hand cut off . Th ey

sewed it back on,” Car-

riere said, showing the

scar. Th at put an end to

his drilling days, but after

several years off , last fall

he got back at it, spread-

ing mud. “I was born on

a farm two miles north of

Storthoaks.”

He worked at a Pio-

neer Grain in Neudorf,

and, as he put it, “A guy

cornered me and asked if

I wanted a roughnecking

job. With four times the

pay, I couldn’t refuse with

three young kids.”

“What else is there

to do? If you didn’t farm,

you worked rigs,” he

said.

Henrion said, “I

bought an acreage just

outside of Storthoaks. I

pasture bulls for a guy,

and work rigs, help other

farmers.”

Henrion has spent

16 years on the rigs, six

drilling. Ten of those

years were with Big Sky.

He then drilled and was

a relief push for Advance

for four years before join-

ing Eagle Drilling, sign-

ing on with their newest

rig, Rig 6. He’s not mar-

ried, but he has two dogs.

His father is the RM of

Storthoaks foreman.

“I drive home for ev-

erything. I drove to Rad-

ville for four years, two

hours and 15 minutes

one way. You gotta get

back and do chores.”

Carriere and Hen-

rion worked together on

the same crew for three

years. “Felt like an eterni-

ty,” Carriere joked, crack-

ing up. “We had fi ve guys

from Storthoaks,” he

added, talking about how

they would drive out to-

gether each day from the

Storthoaks home base.

Oilpatch has played a major part in the lives of many in the Storthoaks area

“ ”I used to drill, and I got my hand cut off .

Th ey sewed it back on.-O’Neil Carriere


GENERAL OILFIELD HAULINGGENERAL OILFIELD HAULING

• 8 to 40 Ton Picker Service• 8 to 40 Ton Picker Service• Winch Trucks, Bed Trucks• Winch Trucks, Bed Trucks• Air-Ride Equipment • Tank Rentals• Air-Ride Equipment • Tank Rentals

634-8888634-8888 Estevan, SKEstevan, SK

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, AlbertaManitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta

Dan O’ConnorOperations Manager

204-748-5088

Office - Kola, MB.204-556-2464204-556-2464

Daylighting, Oilfield Hauling, Steaming & Mobile Pressure Washing, Winch, Pressure, Water & Vacuum Truck Services

Carlyle – Eagle Drill-

ing Services Ltd. in fi ve

years has reached a major

milestone – one million

man-hours without a lost

time accident (LTA).

Th e Carlyle-based

company operates a fl eet

of six drilling rigs, work-

ing in southeast Sas-

katchewan and south-

west Manitoba. Barring

any incidents after press

time, they will have

reached that point before

the end of January.

“For me, honestly,

it’s a huge milestone,”

said Derrick Big Eagle,

president and general

manager. “It all falls

into place from how we

wanted the company to

be – new technology,

safety driven.”

He said they wanted

to draw the elite of the

people. “Look at what it

turned out to be, the per-

fect fi t.”

“Th at’s something

I’ve never heard of be-

fore, down in southeast

Saskatchewan, anyway,”

he said of the million

man-hours LTA-free.

“Our guys contrib-

uted to this. Hats off to

each person who works

with Eagle Drilling and

around it,” he said, refer-

ring to service compa-

nies who do things like

cementing and tongs.

“It’s our people that

enforce the rules. Rules

are rules, and we follow

the rules. Obviously, it

shows.”

“It’s a high risk job

- it is and it isn’t. Every-

thing is monitored so

well, it is a safe, secure

occupation.”

Lloyd Bendtsen, fi eld

superintendent and safe-

ty co-ordinator, echoed

the sentiment. “Basi-

cally it’s a little bit of

good management, good

equipment in place, and

working with excellent

people.”

His dual role as fi eld

superintendent and safe-

ty co-ordinator is not a

common one. Bendtsen

said that helps in ap-

plying common sense to

situations, having spent

20 years working his

way up. “We know what

works and how to apply

it so everyone under-

stands it.”

“Th is all started

right from day one,

when Derrick and Har-

vey Turcotte put these

rigs together,” he said,

pointing out their user-

friendly nature. Turcotte

is the company’s other

fi eld superintendent.

“Probably 70 per

cent of all incidents is

handling tubulars,” he

explained. All Eagle rigs

have a hydraulic catwalk,

minimizing worker han-

dling of the tubulars.

“You’re not touching it,

as opposed to the old

way.”

A climate-controlled

doghouse with a driller

slide-out means the drill-

er is working in comfort.

“Th e man you’ve got run-

ning the equipment isn’t

thinking how cold he is,”

Bendtsen said.

Th e mud tanks are

enclosed, meaning heat

come up through the

drilling fl oor, the men

out there are warm. With

a clearer head, “Th ey’re

not thinking of how cold

their hands and feet are,

they’re thinking about

the task at hand.”

“Safety in today’s in-

dustry is at the forefront

of ‘sellability.’ Th ere’ a lot

of companies that won’t

touch you if you have

LTAs,” Bendtsen con-

cluded.

Eagle Drilling Services tops a million man-hours without lost-time accident

Roughneck T.J. McIntyre guides pipe down to the catwalk.

Roughneck Kris Schmidt, left, Rough-neck T.J. McIntyre, and motorman Andrew Bev-an, work on the oor of Eagle Drilling Services Rig 6, near Stoughton.

A15PIPELINE NEWS February 2010

Saskatchewan’s drill-

ing rig count by Jan. 19

was much higher than

the same time in both

2009 and 2008, accord-

ing to Nickle’s Rig Loca-tor.

On that day, Sas-

katchewan had 65 per

cent of its drilling rig

fl eet working, with 74 of

113 rigs active.

Alberta roared back

to life after Christmas,

with 64 per cent of its

fl eet working. Th at ac-

counted for 355 of 558

rigs at work. Most of

2009 saw just half of that

number at work in Al-

berta.

Saskatchewan drilling surges

Crescent Point had three rigs in a row drilling southwest of Stoughton on Jan. 12. From left, they are Ensign Big Sky 40, Eagle Drilling Rig 6, and Advance Rig 9. Saskatchewan’s active drilling eet in January, 2010, easily outpaced the same month over the previous two years.

British Columbia

has a very similar-size

fl eet compared to Sas-

katchewan, with 119

drilling rigs. Th ey had 93

of those rigs, or 78 per

cent, active.

Manitoba’s utiliza-

tion came in at nine of

13 rigs, for 69 per cent.

Only British Co-

lumbia is down on its rig

count, compared to the

same week last year, but

not by much

Th e total utilization

rate for Western Canada

was 66 per cent. Th at’s

way above predictions

from only a few months

ago, indeed, better by

more than half. Back on

Oct. 20, 2009, the Cana-

dian Association of Oil-

well Drilling Contrac-

tors (CAODC) forecast

a utilization rate of 40

per cent, or 320 active

rigs of a fl eet of 800 for

Western Canada during

the fi rst quarter of 2010.

Alberta alone has now

exceeded that number.

CAODC publishes

forecasts three times

a year, according to its

website. Th e Oct. 20

forecast was based on

assumptions of WTI:

$70/bbl (USD), AECO:

$5.50/Mcf (CDN) 9.3

days/well.


SERVICES LTD.

MEL TROBERTOwner/Operator

Cell: (306) 421-1261

24 HOUR SERVICE719 5th Street, Estevan, SK

Of ce: (306) 634-4577Fax: (306) 634-9123

CAT Generators

2 - 100 KW Generators for Sale6 Cylinder Diesel Model 3306

Full Enclosure & Skid Mounted1 - 285 hours1 - 2600 hours

Call Pukas Welding Ltd. to inquire:

306-634-2214 or 306-421-8598

Estevan – Working

in the cold, frankly, can

be a pain in the butt for

a trucking fi rm, accord-

ing to Rod Benning, one

of the owners of L & C

Trucking Partnership, in

Estevan.

“Th e biggest prob-

lem is, we’ve outgrown

our shop, and a lot of our

trucks have to sit outside,”

he said.

“We keep as much as

we can inside. We’ve got

three shops, but they are

all full. It’s just a space is-

sue.”

For trucks that end

up outside, they have pre-

heaters installed. “Th e

problem is, it doesn’t

warm up the rest of the

iron,” he explained.

Th e company oper-

ates 25 power units, in-

cluding 11 pickers. Th ey

also have three one tonnes

and a number of loaders.

“If you get moisture

in them, you have issues

with the brake system,”

Benning said.

“It usually happens

at night. Your brakes are

warm. You dynamite

them (taking the air away

so the spring engages),

and the brake pads freeze

to the drums.”

Brakes freezing are

a constant annoyance.

During a cold snap in

December, a loader could

be seen dragging a trailer

into the shop to thaw the

brakes.

“A lot of times you

get in there with a bar

or hammer, and if that

doesn’t work, you get un-

der there with a torch.

“Every morning, you

have to check them, oth-

erwise you go half a mile

down the road, and you

need new tires.”

“Th e pickers work a

little slower. You have to

warm it up a bit before

using it.”

Every truck carries

chains, but Benning says

they are more important

in the mud than the cold.

“Sometimes you need

them to get up the hills.”

Page A17

Snow makes pipes particularly precarious to stand on in winter. Here a crew with L & C Trucking Partnership separate pipes from the neat stacks they are stored in.

Don Cameron adds scrap wood to a burning barrel. It was a welcome addition to the L & C Trucking yard in Estevan, on one of coldest days in December.

Make sure your brakes aren’t frozen


One Tool,Many Applications.Stretch Your Imagination.

TAMFREECAP®

Swellable Packer

TAM FREECAP oil- and water-swellable packers are being used in a variety

of challenging completion applications worldwide.

FREECAP swellable packers are being used for liner top back-up and

long-term cement integrity in deepwater GOM wells. Water shutoff and

well inflow have been successfully managed with FREECAP packers in

Alaska and Australia. Offshore Brazil, FREECAP packers have been used to

provide isolation for gravel packs in deepwater wells.

In HP/HT applications in Southeast Asia, FREECAP packers have been

used for zonal isolation in wells with bottomhole temperatures up to

300°F (149°C) and they have been used to prevent water coning in

reservoir management programs. In the U.S. and Canada, they have been

used to isolate multiple frac zones.

Contact TAM to see how FREECAP swellable packers can stretch your

imagination on your next completion.

www.tamintl.com

the packer special ists™

Trucking in winterAdam Blakeney is not on re, but rather warm-ing up near a burning barrel at L & C Trucking in Estevan. It was so cold that December. 8 morn-ing, exposed esh would freeze in just a few min-utes.

Page A16Do they every shut down due to cold weather?

Not directly.

“We don’t, but the rigs do, so we shut down be-

cause of that,” Benning said.

“Th e rig calls for it, they get it.”

Th ere is a caveat. When visibility is reduced to

zero, it’s time to pull over. “If in a whiteout, they pull

over, call in, and are usually told to get to a safe spot,”

Blair Hunter, another one of the owners, added.

Th e bulk of their hauling is to drilling rigs or

completions with the service rigs. “Th e majority of

the work we do is handling pipe.”

In that regard, snow produces quite a challenge

for handling pipe. It makes it hard to roll on the

racks, as well as making it quite slippery, too. “It gets

interesting to handle,” he described.

Hunter said, “What we do in the cold weather is

common sense. Take your time; make sure everyone

stays warm, but not so warm that you don’t want to

go back to work.

“Most guys that come here have worked in the

cold, and know what is required.”

Th is winter the company put a burning barrel in

the back yard, where scrap lumber is used to keep the

yard hands warm. “Th e boys kind of enjoy it,” Ben-

ning said.


DISTRIBUTION INC.315A Kensington Ave., Estevan, SK

(306) 634-2835Fax (306) 634-2797

www.apexdistribution.com

Complete Oilfi eld & Industrial Service & Distribution

24 HOURS A DAY!

Sucker Rods & AccessoriesPipe, Valves & FittingsDrilling & Service Rig SuppliesAuthorized Kimray DistributorSecondary Containment SystemsGuiberson Well Service ProductsOil Country Tubular GoodsViking PumpsMeter & Instrumentation RepairProgressive Cavity Pumps

NOW OPEN IN WEYBURN40B 18th Street, N. E.

Ph: (306) 842-5081 Fax: (306) 842-5309

Oxbow – Courage

Oilfi eld Services Ltd. of

Oxbow has been estab-

lishing itself into new

areas in recent years, ex-

panding beyond their

established rod rig busi-

ness.

Th e company is fam-

ily run. Lorne Brem-

ner is the head. He has

a partial partner in the

business, Lloyd Th omp-

son. Daughter Amanda

Fitzpatrick does admin-

istration and son Ryan

Bremner is establishing a

presence in Regina.

Indeed, right now

Ryan’s in the process of

establishing a hot shot

service in Regina, using a

truck and trailer the com-

pany already had in its

fl eet. He recently moved

from Oxbow to Regina,

taking a hydrovac with

him. Th at vac unit is see-

ing more use back home

now, so the hot shot will

fi ll the void.

Th e company has run

rod rigs and fl ushbys for

several years. Th ey started

with a fl ushby, but there

isn’t a lot of sand work

in southeast Saskatch-

ewan. “We just do rod

work with it,” Lorne said.

“We fi sh parted rods, do

rod changes and pump

changes.”

Page A19

Having the Courage to diversify

Courage Oil eld services has family as its management core, headed by Lorne Bremner, second from right, his daughter Amanda Fitzpatrick, on the right, and son Ryan Bremner, second from the left. Dave McLeod, who is not a member of the family, recently joined the Oxbow company, where he looks after sales.

Dave McLeod (left) is putting a lot of kilometres on his truck, left, promoting Courage Oil eld Ser-vices Ltd. Here, he’s talking to a consultant on a pipeline project, where the company has a hydro-vac at work.


IT’S ABOUT TIMEIT’S ABOUT TIMEJACK!JACK!

www.annugas.comToll Free 1.866.ANNUGAS

ANNUGAS PRODUCTION ENHANCERANNUGAS PRODUCTION ENHANCER

PAYS FOR ITSELF– 4 WEEKSThe increase in oil/gas

production isimmediately

measureable not only in time, but

real dollars.

INSTALLATION – 1 DAY

It only takes a few hours to have your compressor

up and running, practically eliminating production downtime.

YOUR TIME – ZERO

Our safety qualified installers willperform maintenance checks when required,onsite, saving you the

trip in.

®

Jack knows time is moneyJack knows time is moneyJack knows time is money

COMPRESSION CONSULTING LTD.

REDRIVER LUMBER LTD.

481 Devonian St. • Ph: 634-2114 or 634-2143Weekdays 7:00 am - 5:30 pm; Sat. 7:30 am - 5:00 pm

After Hours call CHAD 634-0195 or cell 421-1896

We Deliver We Deliver to the RigSite!to the RigSite!

• foil face insulation• foil face insulation• snow fence• snow fence

• 10 x 10 motorhouses• 10 x 10 motorhouses

TimbersTimbers3 x 12 in stock3 x 12 in stock

This is the business end of a steaming wand.

Page A18Th e company was

up to four rigs, but now

has two – a single and a

double.

Diversifying their

services, the company

picked up a steamer in

the fall of 2008. “We

thought we should ex-

pand. We were limited in

what we were doing. We

wanted to expand to be

a more full-service com-

pany,” Lorne said. “It

had slowed down, so we

thought we’d diversify.”

Since then, Courage

has acquired a tri-drive

body job vac truck com-

bo unit, and a hydrovac.

Some employees

have been redeployed,

while others have been

added. Men who worked

on rod rigs can now be

found on the vac truck.

Th e company employs

16 people. “We usually

fi nd who we want. We’re

pretty good to work for,”

Lorne said.

“We’re happy, for

starting out with new

services. We were too

busy to do sales and

maintenance. We want-

ed a sales presence.”

Enter Dave

McLeod, who grew

up in the patch south

of Weyburn, and has

worked in it since high

school.

“Long story short,

Courage needed to ex-

pand,” noted McLeod,

who has recently joined

the company to give it

a dedicated sales pres-

ence.

“Now you’ve got all

these new guys coming

in from Manitoba, Al-

berta, and B.C. doing

sales in Saskatchewan.”

As a result, McLeod

is putting on a lot of ki-

lometres on his truck.

“On a good day, I usu-

ally put 800 to 1,000 ki-

lometres a day.”

A day?

“A day,” he reiter-

ated.

It can be tough to

crack into a market, ac-

cording to McLeod. You

need to get in the door.

“All of a sudden, they

might like you.”

However, there are a

lot of other people trying

to get into the same door.

He spoke to one person

who said had already had

65 sales calls since 7 a.m.

that day. It was noon.

“If you’re after ser-

vice work, there’s always

service work. But new

work, that’s diff erent.”

One of the areas

McLeod is working on is

establishing branding for

the company – getting its

name out there.

Th e new hotshot

service is looking to ser-

vice shops in Regina who

need to run things out to

the potash mines, as one

example. “We’ll obvi-

ously do oilfi eld,” Lorne

said.

Ryan noted, “We’re

hoping to move to a big-

ger unit,” in reference to

the hotshot truck.

McLeod said they are

looking at other oppor-

tunities, such as fi nding

purposes for the steamer

in the off season.

“We plan on expand-

ing, probably doubling up

on some existing equip-

ment,” Lorne said.Justin Morrice operates a Courage Oil eld hydrovac near Lampman.

Finding ways to expand


ENVIROTRAP SYSTEMSSecondary Wellhead Containment

ENVIROTRAP SYSTEMS1-306-489-2250

Sales Contact: CHEYENNE OILFIELD SERVICES 1-306-483-7924E-mail: [email protected] www.envirotrap.com

THE SOLUTION EASY TO INSTALL, EASY TO USE

P quick, easy installation (well shutdown during installation is recommended)P separate models available for any style stuffi ng boxesP spacious, semi-transparent holding tank - instantly monitor fl uid levelsP EnviroTrap two-piece cover is easy to remove and replace to accommodate packing changes and cleaningP available with Murphy Auto shutdown switch

360º INSTALLATIONWELLHEAD CONTAINMENT UNIT

CHEMICAL BARREL CONTAINMENT STAND

NEW CHEMICAL PUMP BOX

_ unit cost is less than clean-up cost from one packing failure_ minimal or no installation cost_ minimal maintenance requirements - parts and service readily available if needed

MISSION STATEMENT“We Work In Harmony With Both The Oil Industry & Landowners

To Protect Our Environment”

THE PROBLEM

Environmental damage from wellhead packing failure and seepage costs the oil industry millions each year.

EnviroTrap will save you $$$: • reduce reclamation, clean-up, steam cleaning, disposal costs • reduce wellhead rust and corrosion • protect stuffi ng box packings from snow, rain, wind, debris • contains blowout contamination • help meet ever-increasing government environmental standards

Preserve your good working relationship with landowners by demonstrating your commitment to responsible environmental practices.

ADVANCED DESIGN FEATURESfully enclosed and self-containeddurable, rust-free constructionU.V. resistantall hardware is corrosion-resistant stainless steelsloped collection tray provides natural drainage, making the unit more drainage effi cient and maintenance-freetapered polish rod washer drains migrating fl uid back into collection unitautomatic pumpjack shutdown also available360º installation

This is what the industry is saying...The Envirotrap Containment System is the most economical, user friendly secondary containment system on the market. It has proven to be the

best product in the fi eld to contain leaks from wellheads, chemical pumps, and chemical barrels. These units are being praised by oil companies and

environmental agencies alike!

Saskatchewan Oil & Gas Show

I am pleased to say the operators are ecstatic about the new version of covers on this last round of containments. We tried some of your competitors

containments and I surely wish we had not.

In any case we will be putting in an order later in the fall and you will be our only supplier from now on.

Bruce MinersenerPLUS RESOURCESPembina Lead Operator

Estevan – Southern Saskatchewan has gained

scheduled air service in recent months, with Swan-

berg Air Inc. launching fl ights to Swift Current and

Regina on Nov. 2, 2009, and adding Estevan on Jan.4,

2010.

Th e Calgary and Grand Prairie-based air carrier

is catering to the general public and business clien-

tele, according to general manager Rich Wilde, who

spoke with Pipeline News on Jan. 7 from Calgary.

“We’re catering to everybody, I guess,” he said,

but noted it is primarily the business traveller. “We

think the oil business connections will go in Calgary,

Red Deer, Grande Prairie and Estevan. Holiday trav-

ellers may want to use it to connect to fl ights in Re-

gina or Calgary.”

Th e southern Saskatchewan route originates in

Grande Prairie, and returns the same way. It runs

from Grande Prairie, to Red Deer, and then Calgary.

From Calgary, it makes stops in Swift Current, Re-

gina and Estevan before turning around and heading

back. However, if there are no scheduled passengers

at a particular location, say, Swift Current, then the

fl ight will overfl y that location, shortening the trip by

about 20 minutes. From Calgary to Estevan, it takes

about 2.5 to 3 hours. “We only stop if there is a pas-

senger there to be picked up or dropped off ,” Wilde

said.

However, they will stop at a location even if there

is only one passenger booked there, according to

Wilde. “If one passenger books, we’ll be there.”

“We fl y into Estevan four days a week, every

weekday except Wednesday.”

Doing so allows travellers to plan for overnight-

ers, one-day or multiple-day stays. Eventually they

may expand to fi ve day a week service.

Prior to expanding into Saskatchewan, the bulk

of their fl ying was along the Alberta foothills, as far

as Fort St. John, B.C. and Fort Nelson, B.C.

Th e airline has maintenance facilities in Calgary

and Grande Prairie, with hanger space in Regina.

Swanberg Air has seven aircrafts, including four

British Aerospace Jetstream 31 twin turboprops, two

seven passenger Navaho twin props, and a 19-pas-

senger Bombardier Challenger business jet. Th e Jet-

streams will be used on the southern Saskatchewan

route.

Th e plane is capable of handling up to 19 pas-

sengers, but they have removed a row of seats to give

clients more leg room. “We have it confi gured for 14

passengers,” Wilde explained.

Th e plane is equipped with a cargo pod, and can

handle luggage like hockey bags, skis or golf clubs.

Th e Challenger is used for charter service.

Pipeline News chatted with their fi rst passenger to

and from Estevan on Dec. 7. He declined to give his

name, but said that he was involved with setting up a

company locally. He had fl own in from Red Deer on

the fi rst fl ight into southeast Saskatchewan.

Page A21

Southern Saskatchewan gains wingsSouthern Saskatchewan gains wings

Swanberg Air Co-pilot Barry Murphy loads pas-senger luggage at Estevan.

The interior of the British Aerospace Jetstream 31 is three seats wide, and tall enough to stand in.


ELECTRICAL • Gensets - 40 KW - 200 KW• Light Towers • Transformers

Mudvac's, Transfer Pumps c/w Manifolds & Hoses, Trash Pumps, Matting All Sizes,Bowen Power Swivels, 125 h.p. Boiler

GENERALOILFIELD HAULING

TANKS (All sizes)

• Mud • Shale • Premix • Processing • Polymer • Cone • Flare

BORDER TANK RENTALS LTD.• LEADERS IN OILWELL DRILLING PRODUCTION RENTAL EQUIPMENT •

FAX: (306) 634-9963PHONE: (306) 634-7700P.O. Box 1238

ESTEVAN, SASKATCHEWAN S4A 2H8

Swanberg Air taxis in on its second trip into Estevan, occurring on Jan. 7.

Page A20

“I’ll be out here

three or four times a

year. If I’m in a hurry,

I’ll probably fly,” he

said. “It’s definitely

shorter.”

Asked how he knew

about flying with Swan-

berg, he said, “I knew it

was coming. I checked

the website. It’s nice to

have that option.”

He had flown with

the carrier about a doz-

en times before.

The plane landed

on a very cold day, with

wind chill warnings is-

sued. They refuelled,

they pilots did some

quick paperwork on the

ground, and soon had

the airplane aloft again.

They were late arriving,

however.

Pilot Tony Jans-

sen was in the air force

for two years, while co-

pilot Barry Murphy is a

reservist with the navy

when he’s not flying,

having served on the

Kingston-class patrol

vessels.

“It’s a very nice air-

port, excellent for the

size of the area,” noted

Janssen. “Swift Current

is good, too. We’re kind

of the first ones into

these areas, with the

growing economy.”

Jonathon Hotte

handles flight services

at the Estevan Munici-

pal Airport, and took

care of the refuelling on

the frigid January after-

noon, dressed in Helly

Hansen cold weather

gear. “I think it’s good.

It connects us with oth-

er places, otherwise you

have to drive two hours

to Regina,” he said.

Swanberg Air lands in Swanberg Air lands in southeast Saskatchewansoutheast Saskatchewan


PERCY H. DAVIS LTD.

CUSTOMS BROKERSForwarders & ConsultantsExport/Import Specialists

EDI Networking

International PackageExpress Service (IPX)

HEAD OFFICENorth Portal (306) 927-2165

Estevan (306) 634-5454Regina ...................... (306) 352-2662Saskatoon................. (306) 244-4847Regway..................... (306) 969-2126Moose Jaw ............... (306) 694-4322

Nationwide Serviceswww.percydavis.com

E-mail Address: [email protected]

We Know Downhole

From some of the world’s most common and widely used packers like the sturdy AS1-X to advanced Open Hole Treating systems, Xtreme Oil Tools sets the stan-dard for innovation, performance and reliability in packer technology.

Our packer system selection is the most comprehensive in the industry, and forms the foundation for a complete range of fit-for-purpose completions for all types of well environments and applications, from the simplest single-zone completions, to the most complex horizontal, multilateral and intelligent completions.

“Packing Quality and Service into Everything We Do”634-7966 • 106 Perkins Street, Estevan, SK

www.xtremeoiltools.comE-mail: [email protected]

Estevan – Packers

Plus has expanded their

Estevan shop at the tail

end of 2009, allowing the

company to have more in-

terior room for their hard-

ware.

“We added another

100 feet. We extended the

whole shop,” said Rob Pel-

oquin, who has been with

Packers Plus in Estevan

ever since they started op-

erations there. He handles

fi eld sales.

“We have two diff er-

ent types of systems – 3.5

inch and 4.5 inch. We

added it so we can stock

more of both sizes,” he ex-

plained.

While the building

has expanded, there’s not

really a need to expand

the personnel, according

to Peloquin. Th at’s be-

cause they’ve done a fair

bit of that already in re-

cent years. “We’ve gone

from fi ve years ago, when

we had fi ve people here, to

now. We have 42 people at

this point in time,” he said.

Th at number includes of-

fi ce personnel, shop and

fi eld techs.

“We stayed fairly

steady through the slow

period,” he said. Now, the

company is very busy, es-

pecially with the transi-

tion between Petrobank

and TriStar. “It created

more work for us,” he ex-

plained.

“Petrobank was the

one that gave us our shot.”

Indeed the com-

pany, which has become

PetroBakken in the south-

east, is their largest client,

accounting for about half

of their business in the re-

gion.

“We should be able to

handle it with our staff ,”

he said.

“Th ere’s other cus-

tomers that want to do

StacFrac since Petrobank

started it,” Peloquin add-

ed.

Th e company has

made headlines recently

with its ability to have large

numbers of frac stages on

one lateral. “When you go

to a 4.5 inch liner, you can

go to those 20-odd stag-

es,” according to Peloquin.

“With the newer technol-

ogy, we can do over 40

stages on one lateral.”

Th at is dependent on

a 1/8 inch variance in the

diameter of frac ball sizes.

“Our norm is now 11

stages and up. It used to be

eight stages all the time.

“Everything with our

3.5 inch system is built

here, in Estevan. Four-

and-a-half is built in Ed-

monton,” according to

Peloquin.

AwardsPackers Plus picked

up a number of awards at

the end of 2009. In No-

vember it was named the

Oilweek Supplier of the

Year, as well as the Ernst

& Young Entrepreneur

of the Year 2009 Canada.

In December, the Finan-cial Post Magazine named

the company its National

Winner – Entrepreneur

of the Year.

Packers Plusexpands its shop in Estevan

In the foreground are Packers Plus frac ports, while packers can be seen standing in the background. This is the new area of the recently expanded Estevan shop.


• Oilfield Graveling

• Gravel Crushing & Screening

• Sealed Trailers for Hauling Contaminated Waste

• Site Preparation

• Grading

• Excavating

• Heavy Equipment Hauling

• Car/Truck Wash

• COR Certified

TOLL FREE 1-888-532-5526Creelman, Sask.

Larry AllanCell: (306) 421-9295

Shop: 433-2059; Fax: 433-2069

Energy Training Institute - Safety Classes

For more info or to register call toll free:

• All classes begin at 8:30 am unless

otherwise stated

Confi ned Space

Estevan – Feb 18

Weyburn – Feb 3

Assiniboia – Feb 10

Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)

Assiniboia – Feb 17, Estevan, Weyburn and

Whitewood

Fall Arrest Awareness

Weyburn – Feb 11

First Aid (Standard), CPR and AED

Estevan – Feb 1 & 2; 16 & 17; 20 & 21

Weyburn – Feb 6 & 7; 15 & 16; 20 & 21; 25 & 26

Assiniboia – Feb 12 & 13; 18 & 19; 27 & 28

Moosomin – Feb 16 & 17

Oxbow – Feb 18 & 19

Carnduff – Feb 24 & 25

First Aid, CPR and AED Refresher (must

have a current certifi cate)

Estevan – Feb 10

Weyburn – Feb 1

Flag Person Training

Estevan – Feb 15

Forklift

Weyburn – Feb 10

Forklift Assessment

Contact your local campus for more

information.

Ground Disturbance

Estevan – Feb 24

Weyburn – Feb 24

Oxbow – Feb 15

H2S Alive

Estevan – Feb 4; 19

Weyburn – Feb 5; 17; 19


Oxbow – Feb 17

Moosomin – Feb 18

Brandon – Feb 18

Carnduff – Feb 23

H2S Awareness


H2S Alive Challenge

Estevan – Feb 11

Weyburn – Feb 25

Heavy Equipment Operator Program - 200

hours

Assiniboia – Spring 2010

Indian Head – Spring 2010

Weyburn – Spring 2010

Off Highway Defensive Driving

Weyburn – Feb 19

OH&S – Ready For Work

Moosomin – Feb 6

Assiniboia – Feb 8; 16

Oxbow – Feb 16

Estevan – Feb 18

Weyburn – Feb 18

Petroleum Safety Training (PST)

Assiniboia - Feb 20, Estevan, Weyburn

& Whitewood

Snowmobile Safety

Weyburn – Feb 6

TDG or WHMIS On-line

Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG)

Weyburn – Feb 10; 19

Estevan – Feb 10

Moosomin – Feb 19


Truck Driver Training

Contact your local campus for dates and current

tuition prices.

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information

System (WHMIS)

Weyburn – Feb 10; 18

Estevan – Feb 10; 18

Assiniboia – Feb 9; 16

Oxbow – Feb 16

Moosomin – Feb 19

1-866-999-7372Visit our website: www.southeastcollege.org

Located off Hwy 39 West, Lamoro St., Estevan, SK. • Phone: (306) 634-7276

• Concrete - Redi-Mix & mix on site• Demolitions• Excavation Services - Skid Steer, Loaders, Backhoes, and Trackhoes

• Sand & Gravel• Site Preparation - Crawlers, Scrapers & Compaction Equipment• Water & Sewer Install and Repair

Lampman – It’s not

easy to come up with

good fundraisers for the

annual Canadian Cancer

Society Relay for Life,

but the women of Car-

son Energy Services have

come up with a big hit.

It’s called “Carson

Energy Services Uncov-

ered – Colors of Cancer

Calendar.”

Becky Pittman, an

accounts payable clerk

with the Lampman-based

company was the instiga-

tor behind the project.

She was inspired by the

British movie Calendar Girls.

“About 16 women in

the offi ce got together and

put together a 14-month

calendar,” Pittman told

Pipeline News. Fifteen

were models, and the last,

Diedre Mack, is a pho-

tographer who also works

at Carson.

All the models came

from the administrative

or environmental depart-

ments of Carson’s Lamp-

man location.

Th e women may be

in the buff , but it’s not

terribly revealing. “We

have props strategically

placed,” Pittman ex-

plained.

Each month features

a diff erent colour often as-

sociated with a particular

form of cancer. Pink for

instance, is well known

for breast cancer, while

purple is affi liated with

pancreatic cancer. Th ere’s

also a quote each month,

either from the model,

or one she selected.

“We’ve all been af-

fected one way or anoth-

er. Our October model is

a breast cancer survivor,”

Pittman said.

Th e idea was cooked

up in late October, and

the fi rst shoot took place

soon thereafter, on Nov.

7. Th e calendar was ready

by Dec. 15.

Th e initial plan was

to print 1,000, but that

was expanded to 1,500

based on high demand.

By mid-January, they

had sold roughly three-

quarters of the print run,

at $20 a pop. If they sell

out, the gross take will

be $30,000. All proceeds

are going to the Estevan

Relay for Life, which

will take place on June

12, 2010.

“If we sell them all,

we’ll raise a lot of mon-

ey,” Pittman said.

Last year the Carson

Cancer Crusher Team

was the top fundraiser

per team, according to

Pittman.

There were several

sponsors, with Carson

Energy Services being

the main one. Calen-

dars are available at all

Carsons locations in

Saskatchewan and Al-

berta, as well as other

retailers in the south-

east.

“We have been well

supported by the com-

munity,” Pittman says,

noting Arcola, Stough-

ton, Estevan and Lamp-

man as examples.

“It was a really

good bonding experi-

ence. It really pushed

the boundaries for all,”

Pittman said.

Carson Energy women pose semi-nude for cancer

This fundraising calendar of Carson Energy Ser-vice employees has been selling like hotcakes.


Industrial Land For Salewith sewer and water

in Lampman.Two pieces - one 8 acres

and one 10.5 acres Call Brad at 403-880-6476

or email at [email protected]

The environmentally friendly The environmentally friendly alternative.alternative.

Red Deer, ABRed Deer, AB

Calgary, ABCalgary, AB

Frobisher, SKFrobisher, SK

www.dpsmicrobial.com

HUTT’STRUCKING LTD.

• 45 Ton Picker • Air Ride Trailers

Travis Huttowner/operator

Lampman, SK.Email: [email protected]

Cell: (306) 487-8120Bus: (306) 487-2608Fax: (306) 487-2296

1120 East AvenueWeyburn, Sask. S4H 3E4

Ph. 842-7290 Fax 842-7277

Welcome to Industrial Electric

Industrial Electric (Weyburn) Ltd is a major maintenance and installations contractor for manufacturing and process-ing industries in the oil and gas sector. For over 35 years, IEW has provided high quality maintenance and installation services for some of Canada's largest companies.

Exceeding expectationsIEW is committed to the highest standards of quality.

Join the IEW teamExciting opportunities with a superior employer.E-mail resumes to:[email protected]

From general electrical contract-ing to complex installations, IEW's committed group of electrical pro-fessionals is prepared for any project. Our growing team of electricians and instrument mechanics maintains exceptional standards of quality and customer service.

Check us out on the webwww.industrialelectric.ca

For SaleStorage Building

in RM of Albert in Tilston, Manitoba.

120’ x 150’, insulated, propane heat, cement fl oor,

close to Sinclair Oilfi eld.

Call:204-686-2229

By Brian Zinchuk

Storthoaks – Th e

Rural Municipality of

Storthoaks No. 31 has

seen a substantial in-

crease in drilling in the

past four years, and now

two-thirds of its revenue

is dependent on oil.

However, with the

benefi ts have come some

negatives, and the RM

is working hard to make

sure its roads survive the

growth in the oilpatch.

Th at’s according to

Reeve Jim Lorette and

RM foreman Marcel

Henrion, who Pipeline News met with on Jan.

12.

“It’s getting larger all

the time,” Lorette said.

“Right now, 65 per cent

of our revenue is from

oil.”

“But so is 95 per cent

of the damage,” added

Henrion.

It has been a learn-

ing experience, accord-

ing to Lorette. Th ey had

some new companies

come in and try to do

things on their own, such

as neglecting to get per-

mission to use certain

road allowances. Th ey’ve

had problems with big

messes being left behind.

“We’ve had to hire

another grader operator

to have one man freer

to watch over the oil

companies,” Lorette ex-

plained.

However, those days

are behind them. “Right

now, we have a good re-

lationship with all the oil

companies,” Lorette said.

Th at “freer” man is Hen-

rion, who now spends

a good portion of his

time keeping an eye on

things.

“Before, we used to

chase them around. Now

they call us,” stated Lo-

rette.

Tanker trucks run

24/7, and oil rigs get

moved around, the pair

said. “It doesn’t matter

if it’s raining or shining.

One rig move can wreck

a road in no time fl at,”

according to Henrion.

A lot of the munici-

pality’s back roads date

back to the 1940s, 50s

and 60s. Lorette said

there are now B-trains

running on roads that

were once buggy trails.

Th ey note that the infra-

structure was there be-

fore the oilpatch arrived.

Bylaws have been

put into place to ensure

there’s written approvals

before work like build-

ing a lease road or an

approach to a road al-

lowance is done. Th ey’ve

worked with neighbour-

ing RMs to coordinate

these eff orts. “Alida

helped us a lot,” Lorette

noted.

Page A25

RM of Storthoaks sees activity all over

Jim Lorette, reeve, and Marcel Henrion, foreman, share a laugh in the RM of Storthoaks shop.


GOT ROCK?GOT ROCK?

• Excavation & Trenching• Excavation & Trenching• Scaling/Grinding• Scaling/Grinding

• Demolition• Demolition• Slope Leveling• Slope Leveling

• Concrete Grinding• Concrete Grinding• Pipeline Construction• Pipeline Construction

• Mining/Tunneling• Mining/Tunneling• Industrial Commercial, • Industrial Commercial,

Household Energy Ef cient Household Energy Ef cient LED Lights Which use LED Lights Which use

60-90% Less Power60-90% Less Power

Rock/Concrete/Rock/Concrete/Frozen Ground GrindersFrozen Ground Grinders

“The Hammer Solution”

Control Your Carbon FootprintControl Your Carbon FootprintSafe & Environmentally FriendlySafe & Environmentally FriendlyCut Costs on Machinery RepairsCut Costs on Machinery RepairsLess Fill Hauled In & Hauled OutLess Fill Hauled In & Hauled Out

FINANCINGFINANCINGAVAILABLEAVAILABLE

CINLOR INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONSCINLOR INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONSEsterhazy, Sask.Call Lorne or [email protected]

www.cinlorindustrialsolutions.com

Ph: 306-745-2680Cell: 306-745-8340

Monthly Rentals!

* Bed Trucks* Winch Tractors

* Pickers

RIG MOVING Phone: 482-3244

Genset / Light TowersGas Powered Pumps

Telescoping Fork & Scissor LiftsBackhoe / Trenchers / Trailers

Temporary Power Cable

Oil eld, Industrial, CommercialPh:(306) 634-9888 ELECTRIC MOTOR DIV.

New/Used SalesComplete Rewinding & Repair

REPAIR SHOPTrash Pumps, Lights, Heaters,

Generators, Compressors, Converters

Page A24How often do they say “No?”

“We used to,” Henrion said, but relations have

since improved.

Two areas of the RM of Storthoaks in particular

are seeing the most activity – the northeast corner,

where they are drilling mostly in the Bakken forma-

tion, and the southwest corner, where the Tilston is

more prevalent. Henrion noted there were three drill-

ing rigs active in the RM on that very day.

Th e RM of Storthoaks is right up against the

Manitoba border, and is the fi rst of the second row

of RMs going from south to north. Directly to their

south is RM No. 1.

Just across the border and a little to the north is

the Sinclair fi eld, Manitoba’s hot drilling play.

PetroBakken, Crescent Point, Penn West, Spec-

trum and High Rock are the most active players in

the RM. “Th ose are the ones that are really given ‘er,”

said Henrion.

Th e oilpatch is a major player in the economy of

the RM, and the village of Storthoaks. Asked about

where people work, Lorette replied, “I would say the

biggest percentage is oilpatch, then farming.”

Indeed, Lorette fi gures about two thirds of the

people work in the patch in some manner. It’s a long

Sonny Garnier cleans the windows on an RM of Storthoaks grader

ways between farms these days, but even then, a lot

of farmers will put a blade on their tractor and clear

snow.

Th ere are lots of drilling and service rig hands,

contractors, support staff and truckers. Some of those

truckers work for Th ree Star out of Alida, or Spearing

Service Ltd. out of Oxbow. Plains is another impor-

tant employer. Many are independent operators.

“Th ere’s a lot of younger people here. Otherwise,

they would be gone,” Lorette said.

Henrion lists off a number of family members,

including, “My two boys, two son-in-laws – all four

are on the rigs.”

Indeed, later that evening, Pipeline News encoun-

tered Brad Henrion, one of those sons, as he was

drilling for Eagle Drilling Services.

Th e hotel has reopened, and is run by a former rig

hand, Caroline Chicoine. Appropriately enough, the

bar is known as the Dog House.

Th ings are likely going to stay busy for the RM

of Storthoaks this year. “It’s very positive for drilling,”

Henrion said. Th er was a lot of seismic done here be-

fore Christmas.”

Lorette anticipates work will happen on the gas

collection side. “Th ey’re going to have to do some-

thing with it,” he concluded.

This densely drilled eld can be found in the northeast corner of the RM of Storthoaks, south of Antler. A rig was seen drilling just a mile or so down the road.

Oilpatch and farm drive the local economy


QualityLAMICOIDS

Estevan Trophy & EngravingPhone: 634-6005 • Fax: 634-6405

Email: [email protected]

Call Linda for more information

& metal cable tagsEf cient Service

Hei-Bro-Tech Petroleum ServicesA Division of 24-7 Enterprises Ltd.

Box 4, Midale, SK S0C 1S0Phone: (306) 458-2367 or (306) 861-1001

Fax: (306) 458-2373

• Fluid levels• Dynamometers

• Pressure surveys (automated & manual)

• Foam depressions• Equipment sales (new & used),

rentals & repairs• Repairs done on all models including:

Sonolog, Echometer, DX, etc.• Major parts and supplies in stock

at all times

“MORE THAN JUST GRAVEL”• Top Soil • Gravel • Top Soil • Gravel

• Sand & Crushed Rock • Municipal & Oil Lease • Sand & Crushed Rock • Municipal & Oil Lease Road Gravelling • Aggregate Screening Road Gravelling • Aggregate Screening

• Excavating • Loaders • Graders • Lowbeds• Excavating • Loaders • Graders • Lowbeds

Cell: 577-7553Cell: 577-7553Fax: 455-2433 • ARCOLA Of ce:Fax: 455-2433 • ARCOLA Of ce: 455-2429455-2429

Fresh WaterFresh WaterNOW AVAIL ABLENOW AVAIL ABLE

for Frac Water, Drilling Rigs, etc.

Water location is:3 1/2 miles South of Estevan on Hwy 17

NW 35-1-8W2

Pongo Holdings Ltd.Pongo Holdings Ltd.421-9576 or 421-2244421-9576 or 421-2244

Oxbow – Th e message on his cellphone goes

something like this, “You’ve reached the big guy, from

Big Sky...”

And that would be about right.

A barrel-chested man, Brian Chicoine is the gen-

eral manager of Big Sky Drilling, a division of Ensign

Energy Services Inc. He’s been in that position for

quite a while now, including back when Oxbow-

based Big Sky was an independent operation. At the

time, he was a minority owner.

Chicoine hails from Storthoaks, and it’s probably

fair to say he’s had a sizeable impact on the commu-

nity. “I’m on the same spot where I was hatched,” he

said of his farm, a couple miles northeast of the vil-

lage. It was his father’s farm, and his grandfather’s

before that.

“I’ve got some cows. I farm about 300 acres,” he

said.

He’s been active in the patch for 33 years, but

now at the age of 54, Chicoine has pegged a day

when he’s getting out.

He started at the bottom, in Medicine Hat, at the

Suffi eld Block. At night, he could see the army exer-

cises nearby. “Didn’t make much money that winter,

but sure drank a lot,” he said with a wide smile.

Over the years he worked his way up to driller,

then toolpush, fi eld supervisor and part owner.

He moved back to Storthoaks and went to work

on Westburn Drilling Rig 35. In the early 80s he was

at work with Bird Drilling at Waskada. “Th en it went

broke. It changed to Viper Drilling, same rig.”

“Th en one day Rick Hayward phoned me and

asked if I wanted to work for Big Sky Drilling-26

years ago. He started Big Sky.”

Chicoine drilled for a couple years, then pushed

for fi ve. Next he was fi eld supervisor followed by an

offi ce job that he’s held ever since.

“When I was fi eld supervisor, we had four rigs.

He comes up to me one day and asks if I want to buy

into these rigs,” Chicoine recounted.

His response?

“I don’t have any money.”

Hayward off ered a percentage of ownership for

work done. “Th ere were a lot of days and nights I

slept in my pickup. When the phone rang at two in

the morning, you were on the road,” according to

Chicoine.

“I owned 10 per cent in the end.”

Ensign bought out the company in Novem-

ber, 2003. “I do remember that day,” he says, having

cashed out. He stayed on as general manager.

When Ensign bought the company, Big Sky had

eight rigs, and Ensign had 12 in the area. Now they

operate 24, based at Oxbow.

About half the people in Storthoaks have worked

for Big Sky at one time, he says. Being local, he want-

ed to hire local. “Big Sky’s trained a lot of guys in

southeast Saskatchewan,” he said.

Besides having a substantial drilling company

nearby, Storthoaks also benefi tted from having some

houses for cheap. Real cheap.

“I paid more money for a hockey sweater for

charity than my daughter did for a house,” he said.

Th at purchase was made several years ago. Word got

around that houses were cheap, and now there’re

pretty much full up.

He’s only got a few months left in his job, how-

ever. He will retire on “10/10/10,” he said.

“I turn 55 on the ninth, and I ain’t going in on the

10th,” he forecasted.

So what will he do on Oct. 11?

Chicoine says he doesn’t know yet. “It won’t be

oilfi eld related, put it that way,” he said, smiling.

The big guy from Big SkyThe big guy from Big Sky

Brian Chicoine has had a major impact on his home town of Storthoaks, hiring locally.


Sales Representatives

Troy Smith Moosomin, Sk 306-435-7095 Garth McLearn Lloydminister, Ab 780-808-1902Clint Busse Swift Current, Sk 306-672-7672

Does your oilfield waste go to a safe place?

There is a safer way to dispose of your waste.

For more information Phone (306) 728-3636 Or look us up at www.plainsenvironmental.com

Did you know that Plains Environmental is the first class 1A rated disposal facility in Saskatchewan and that our facil ity secures your waste from ground, water, as well as airborne contamination?

Did you know that our facility is the only one in Saskatchewan fully licensed to accept Upstream, Midstream, Downstream, NORM and Industrial waste?

Generous DonationKatrina Mantei accepts a donation of $10,000 from ARC Resources. The money will go toward stem cell treatments for her cerebral palsy. Left to right: Mary Lawrence of ARC, Vivyan Mantei, Katrina Mantei, and Ken McK-ellar of ARC. Photo courtesy the Estevan Mercury.

Packers Plus increases well production.Our focus is to help you make better wells

through innovation and operational excellence.

Caps offDriller Steve Stelwagon takes the caps off tubing his rig, Mayco Well Servic-ing Rig 4, is about to use on a frosty January day near Stoughton.


Makingmemories.

1-800-267-WISHwww.childrenswish.ca


Make Yourselves At Home

Here Under the Open Skies of

Rural Saskatchewan!

Beautiful home and shops on more than 50 acres on the outskirts of the town of Arcola, Saskatchewan.

For more information callFor more information call

Don or Lucille at 306-455-2752Don or Lucille at 306-455-2752

Enjoy local amenities such as:Enjoy local amenities such as: • School K-12 • School K-12

• Hospital • Hospital

• Skating/Curling Rink • Skating/Curling Rink

• Airport• Airport

• Theatre• Theatre

• Community Centre• Community Centre

• 3000 sq. ft. home• HiSpeed Internet• Natural Gas • Fenced• Town Water & Well• Mature Landscaping

• 32’ x 40’ Shop• 12’ x 40’ Green House• 12’ x 40’ Cold Storage• Barn Suitable for Cold Storage

ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE & SERVICE

PLC’S, VFD’SBATTERY CONSTRUCTION

TRENCHINGMOTOR SALES & REPAIRS

24 HOUR SERVICE62 DEVONIAN ST. ESTEVAN, SK.

PH: 637-2180 FAX: 637-2181LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

Enform COR Certi ed

Estevan – If hydraulics are the muscles of the

oilpatch, then hydraulic oil is the lifeblood. But just

like people, when it gets really cold, they don’t want

to move very fast, either. It takes a bit of a warming

up to get things going.

Kelly Schnell is the service manager for Wil-

Tech Industries, a locally-owned Estevan fi rm that

specializes in hydraulic systems. Barry Gervais is the

shop foreman.

Asked about how hydraulics perform when the

temperatures bottom out, Schnell said, “Obviously

the oil is so much thicker. Th e viscosity of the oil

changes drastically at that -35 Celcius point.

“It’s really hard on hoses at -35 as well.”

He notes that you might want to avoid having

someone near hoses or valves operating at extreme

cold temperatures, in case of a failure. Th e cold is felt

on the crimp ends and the hoses themselves.

Th e relief valve operates diff erently as well.

“It thickens so much, it can’t fl ow as well,” Ger-

vais added.

Th e pair recommended going to the operator’s

manual fi rst, looking up cold weather warm up and

operating procedures. However, there are certain

practices that will make life easier.

Th ere is the option of changing to an oil meant

specifi cally for the cold, but that can get very pricey,

according to Schnell. “It’s not cost eff ective. You’re

better to run with an oil recommended for the ambi-

ent temperatures specifi ed in the operators manual.

“Doing a warm up procedure is one of most ef-

fective ways to get around that,” Schnell said of the

cold, stiff hydraulics.

It’s common practice these days to have a hy-

draulic tank heater, which has a similar eff ect to

warming it up. However, the heater does not warm

the oil that has been in the lines and cylinders all

night.

To warm up the hydraulics, you can do a series

of stretches.

Engage the hydraulics. On a service rig or tank

truck, that may mean engaging the PTO at idle to

get the pump circulating.

Page A29

Warm up your hydraulics

Allan Gervais works on a pipe spinner at Wil-Tech Industries.


DUSTIN DUNCAN, MLAWeyburn - Big Muddy

35-5th Street NE, Weyburn, SK S4H [email protected]

(Tel) 842-4810(Fax) 842-4811

(Toll Free) 1-877-842-4810www.dduncan.ca

For Bulk Fuel Orders For Bulk Fuel Orders call 306-538-2125 or call 306-538-2125 or

after hours leave message after hours leave message or call 306-736-7457or call 306-736-7457

Langbank Langbank Co-opCo-op

Serving The Oil PatchServing The Oil Patch&&

Farming CommunityFarming CommunityWith Petroleum With Petroleum

Since 1921Since 1921InIn

Langbank 538-2125Langbank 538-2125Fuel, Oil & Grease, Groceries, AgroFuel, Oil & Grease, Groceries, Agro

9AM to 5:30PM9AM to 5:30PM

Wawota 739-2230Wawota 739-2230Full Convenience StoreFull Convenience Store

6AM to 9PM6AM to 9PM

Wapella 538-2125Wapella 538-2125Cardlock 24/7Cardlock 24/7

Kipling 736-2740Kipling 736-2740Full Convenience StoreFull Convenience Store

6AM to 9PM6AM to 9PM

1210 4TH STESTEVAN634-8232

202 MAINCARLYLE453-6167

112 2ND ST.WEYBURN842-3006

RON’S The Work Wear Store Ltd.RON’S The Work Wear Store Ltd.

Fir

e R

etar

dan

t Co

vera

lls •

Bib

Ove

ralls DuPont™

NOMEX

Kodiak CSA Workboots • JB Goodhue

CA

T H

ard H

ats • Rep

lacemen

t Su

spen

sion

sSafety Glasses • Work Gloves

Page A28Start cycling the functions, but without a load

applied. Extend the rams to just about the full stroke,

but not quite. Maxing it out is a bad idea. “When you

dead end, the relief kicks in. You’re doing more harm

than good.”

A good wiper seal should peel off overnight frost

on the rams, however, it is possible for frost to sneak

in past the seal and end up as water in the system.

Cylinders splitting is a phenomenon caused by

heating and cooling cycles. Th e oil gets warmed up

during operation, but chills quickly on the ride home.

Once in the shop, it warms again, and expands. Th is

can result in a cylinder rupturing. “Th at can split a

barrel in the shop overnight,” Schnell said.

“Quite often, it’ll split a cylinder before a hose,”

Gervais added.

Water Water is the bogeyman of hydraulic systems. But

how does it get in?

“Th e biggest reason is through the breather on

the tank,” Schnell said. It is commonly damaged,

and rain can get in. Being overzealous with the wash

wand doesn’t help, either.

Eight out of 10 times, it’s through that breather,”

Schnell said.

Condensation also causes problems.

“Your oil will get past the saturation point, and

then you’ll get free water in your system. Water causes

extreme corrosion on components.”

One of their busiest times of the year is not when

it’s -35, but rather when the mercury dips just below

zero, in the fall.

Th at’s when water in a hydraulic system that may

not have been noticed before will rear its ugly head,

causing blockages and failures. A motor not spinning

or a cylinder failing to retract are indicators of a likely

ice blockage.

“We have more freeze ups due to cold in early fall

than we do in January,” Schnell said. “Every fall we

have a two week busy stint due to water in oil.”

“Th at ice is surprising. It’s like metal in there,”

he added.

A quick look at the oil, such as through a site

glass, will indicate the presence of water. Any sort of

milky appearance, and you’re hooped.

Getting rid of it is a big job. One method is to

drain all the oil, disassemble all the cylinders, remove

all the oil and purge all the lines. “It is not cheap,”

Schnell said.

Th e other, more common method is to repeat-

edly fl ush the system. “We’ll drain all the oil in the

tank, and fi ll only to the point where you can function

things, then purge all that fresh oil into the cylin-

ders.”

Th e oil is then drained and new, fresh oil is put

in, and then cycled out again. Whatever comes out is

now useless. Sometimes it takes three, four, or even as

many as six times to do the job, each time with a new

batch of oil.

Th is procedure is seen on service rigs, specifi cally.

It’s cheaper than the fi rst method, but is still expen-

sive.

Wil-Tech is adding a third method to its capa-

bilities. Th ey have ordered a purifi cation system that

essentially cooks off the water in the system.

You hook it up to the return line, fi re up the

equipment, and cycle all your oil through it. “It lays it

over a tray as big as this table. It’s a heated element.

It will fl ash out all your free water in the oil,” Schnell

said.

Th e oil then goes through a high-end fi ltration

system that will recondition the oil to a certain de-

gree.

Th is hardware costs a fair amount, and the com-

pany has been looking at it for two years. It’s antici-

pated to be in operation in the spring.

Not only will the purifi cation system substan-

tially reduce the amount of oil needed to purge water

from a hydraulic system, it will also reduce the time,

from days to hours.

A frost plug can be a real headache in your hy-draulics, especially if it ends up putting your ser-vice rig out of commission, as happened here.

Photo submitted

Keeping the water out of hydraulics


OIL & GAS MINERAL OWNERSHIP

TOM SCHUCK

You can minimize your income taxes upon production and later upon your death with a proper

Oil & Gas Family Trust.You can lose money without

proper advice!

Taxation of Mineral HoldingsFamily Trusts & Joint VenturesLeasing Oil & Gas PropertiesPurchase and Sale of Oil & Gas Interests

Mineral & Royalty TrustsIncorporations of Oil Field companiesRe-organizations

319 Souris Avenue N.E., Weyburn, SK

(306) 842-4654www.nswb.com

Over 35 years of legal experience

Gas & Diesel Performance PartsSuspension Upgrades - Lift Kits, Leveling Kits, AirbagsAccessories - Headlights, Grilles, Tonneau Covers

Oxbow Tire Ltd

Now Stocking Cooper Tires!Premium Light Truck & Passenger Tires

Full Lineup of Hardworking Tires. In Stock - Ready to Install. Call Today!

PHONE: 306-483-2660

91 MARION AVE - OXBOW, SK - 306-483-2660

Call us with your application. We will recommend what tires will work for you.

We Do A LOT More Than Just Tires!

GET YOUR LIFT KIT, LEVELING KIT, COLD AIR INTAKES, EXHAUST KITS, WHEEL & TIRE PACKAGES, FENDER FLARES, LARGER REPLACEMENT FUEL TANKS (TITAN) & A WHOLE LOT MORE - WE STOCK IT HERE!

DIESEL PERFORMANCE: INJECTORS, TURBOS / TURBO KITS, DPF DELETE, EGR DELETE & MORE!

#6 - 461 King St. • Estevan, SK 637 - 3460 www.petrobakken.com

Storthoaks – What

does a former rig hand

name her bar? The

Doghouse, of course.

Carolyne Chicoine

bought the local bar in

Storthoaks after it has

sat idle for five years. At

the time, she was a rig

hand, working with her

two brothers and father

for Big Sky Drilling.

“I was on there for

four years. I rough-

necked for a year, and

I was ‘motors’ for three

years,” explained the

27-year-old. At first she

was on Big Sky 91, then

Ensign Big Sky 9.

She opened the bar

in August, 2007.

She lives in the bar

now, as the hotel no

longer rents out accom-

modations. It’s simply

a bar and restaurant.

Prior to that, she lived

in a house she paid all

of $5,000 for.

“We got to do lots

of renos,” Chicoine ex-

plained, referring to the

assistance of her boy-

friend. He just happens

to work on the rigs as

well, as a derrickhand

for Advance Drilling.

So what was the

inspiration to buy a de-

funct bar?

“I’m not sure, really.

I planned to do both,”

she said of operating

the bar and working on

the rigs. The bar was her

backup plan. However,

finding staff in a com-

munity of only about

100 people can be a

problem. A large num-

ber of the men work on

the rigs, like she did,

and many of the women

are looking after young

families, according to

Chicoine.

A year ago she ded-

icated herself solely to

the bar, but she does

pick up an occasional

shift on the rigs. Her

sister, Jennifer Millions,

occasionally helps out.

Just in case you get

lost in the bar, there

are plenty of rig signs

inside pointing which

way to go. Where do

they come from? “You

just ask the rig man-

agers,” Chicoine said.

“They’ll bring their

own in.”

She’s making a go

of it. As the only place

in town to order a meal,

she said the food por-

tion of the business is

really big, with steaks,

burgers and wing night.

Having the occasional

rig crew working near-

by doesn’t hurt, either.

After all, they’re

just heading to The

Doghouse.

Heading off to The Doghouse

Rig signs line the wall of The Doghouse, the bar in Storthoaks, including signs belonging to rigs the owner worked on.

I’m going to The Doghouse, dear.


NW Sask - for all of your advertising needs contact: Ph: 780.875.6685 Fax: 780.875.6682


SE Sask and SW Manitoba - for all of your advertising needs contact:Ph: 306.634.2654 Fax: 306.634.3934


SE Saskatchewan and SW Manitoba

Jan BoyleSales Manager

[email protected]

Cindy [email protected]

Glenys [email protected]

Deanna [email protected]

Saskatchewan’s Petroleum MonthlyPIPELINE NEWS

Saskatchewan’s Petroleum Monthly

Over Over 28,00028,000 circulation circulation targeting the Oil and Gas Sector!targeting the Oil and Gas Sector!

YOUR ADVERTISING TEAMYOUR ADVERTISING TEAM

SW Sask - for all of your advertising needs contact:

Ph: 306.773.8260Fax: 306.773.0504

SW Saskatchewan

Doug EvjenSales Manager

[email protected]

Stacey [email protected]

NW Saskatchewan and NE Alberta

Daniela ToblerSales Manager


NEW STATION IN WEYBURN

PIPELINE NEWSSaskatchewan’s Petroleum Monthly

B-SectionFebruary 2010

Story and photos by Brian ZinchukEstevan – It started out as a sideline business,

but became full time after a previous full-time posi-

tion dried up. Now Clinton Gibbons is glued to his

phone, waiting for the next call to deliver the next

piece of hardware to an awaiting rig.

More specifi cally, the phone is glued to him, or

rather, stuck in his ear, with a Bluetooth earpiece be-

ing a constant companion. You have to be accessible

when your business is last-minute deliveries.

Mission Hot Shot Services Inc. of Estevan was

founded in 2008, when Gibbons identifi ed an oppor-

tunity in the market. Gibbons would know, since he

was working as a dispatcher at the time.

He fi red up Mission with one truck, then a sec-

ond. “I caught the tail end of the boom, more or less,”

he said.

“I saw a need in 2008 with the job that I had. For

cost, it isn’t too bad to buy a truck, and I knew a few

retired guys that would like to work.”

Having delivered chemicals for fi ve years, he also

has built up a fair bit of knowledge of the back roads

of southeast Saskatchewan.

“It was getting to the point where guys were

sending out personal trucks.” Gibbons explained that

was not legit. “You need commercial plates. You need

your tickets.”

“I’m in the process of getting my SECOR and

registered with HSE.” ISN Networld is next on the

agenda.

“When people look at our rates, it includes a lot

of things you have to take care of. Suddenly, your sat-

ellite radio looks insignifi cant,” he said, compared to

items like insurance.

He was laid off from the dispatcher position in

the fall of 2009, making Mission his full-time gig

now.

Gibbons operates two Dodge 4x4 trucks, a 3500

dually with a conventional box, and a 4500 dually

with a 10-ft. fl atdeck.

“I’ve never heard guys complain about too much

truck, but I have heard them complain about not

enough.

“I bought this one with promises of hauling oil

tools. Th at fell through,” Gibbons said of the 4500.

He’s got one 33-ft. fi fth wheel trailer, and access

to a second, as needed. Th e purchase of a 35-ft. trailer

should be wrapped up shortly. “If you need 40-ft., you

probably need a semi,” according to Gibbons.

“It’s basically light oilfi eld trucking, kind of a

Johnny-on-the-spot for tools. ‘We need this now,’”

Gibbons described of the hot shot business.

Typical loads might be packers, fi shing tools, or

sucker rod. “Th ey get at the job and discover they

need something, or something broke. When going

full-tilt, the lists are long, and guys are in a hurry, and

guys forget.”

“I’ve been to Slave Lake and Calgary. Something

got sent to the wrong place, and they needed it there

by morning,” he recalled.

Ride alongMonday starts with a quick run with an anchor

sent out for a completions company. Th ey had called

Sunday evening, arranging for the necessary item to

be on site near Benson for 8 a.m.

Gibbons was at the pickup shortly after 7 a.m. A

few minutes later, and he was on the road.

“I had mapped it out last night. I have a big LSD

map on the wall downstairs,” Gibbons said.

He has GPS units for each truck. Between the

map, GPS, and 5 years of driving in the area, he knows

his way around. Th e GPSs are of particular benefi t

for part-time employees. “I’d rather spend $600 for a

GPS than lose $600 because they got lost.”

Th e previous Friday he had a run lined up, but

it was delayed because of cold weather. “At least I’m

on the list to take it out,” he said. “Now, there are so

many hot shots, everybody has a hot shot.”

Th e next run came from a call just after 10 a.m.

An anchor needed to be taken out to a service rig,

west of Stoughton. Pipeline News came along for this

ride, and it turns out, a few more.

Th e air in the morning is a damp cold, with fog

depositing ice. Until the sun cuts through the fog, it’s

downright chilly – something that’s refl ected by the

bundled up workers on the service rig we visit.

Th e item is an anchor for a service rig. Th e crew

is measuring pipe when we get there, and soon af-

ter Gibbons delivers the anchor, they fi red up opera-

tions.

Being based in Estevan has its advantages.

“You’re either coming or going to Estevan,” Gibbons

explained. Page B2

Riding shotgun with a hot shotNadine Elson, who’s recently signed on with Mission Hot Shot, places timbers on the trailer to sup-port a load of tubing.

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010B2

Page B1Irregular

A hot shot is a high-

ly irregular business. It

can be busy one day, and

dead the next several

days. Calls might come

in at 2 a.m., asking for

something to be taken to

a rig.

As such, Gibbons

noted that hot shot driv-

ers are usually retired, or

young and single. When

you have a family, you

basically need the other

person to step in at a

moment’s notice. “If I’m

at a hockey game with

my son and I get a phone

call, she has to come, and

I’m out of there,” Gib-

bons said of his wife, Ni-

cole.

She handles the

books for the company

when not looking after

their two kids, ages six

and nine. Gibbons used

to have a full time job

that was a very regular

8 to 5, with hardly ever

the need to work a week-

end or overtime. Th en

his next job was more

demanding. Now, he has

to be ready at a moment’s

notice.

“It’s a fi ne balance

between work and fam-

ily,” he said.

At 37, Gibbons

noted, “I’ve done soup

to nuts – pipeline, sand-

blasting, crew work, pipe

inspection.”

He was a part owner

in a pipe inspection fi rm

when it fi rst fi red up,

but sold out early. More

recently, he delivered

chemical for a local fi rm.

He’s originally from Es-

tevan.

Gibbons said he’s

slowly building up a cli-

entele. “You have to get in

and build their trust,” he

says. Personality comes

into play, and getting to

know what some people

like, and don’t like. Some

clients like to chat, oth-

ers just want you to drop

off the cargo and be on

your way.

Th e calls usually

come from the consul-

tant.

Busy day

It builds up into a

busy day. He drives over

to another well about 10

miles east, where he picks

up some equipment from

one of the trailers that’s

being used by a service

rig.

Departing, he col-

lects a sticker for the in-

voice. It’s a crucial part of

the system of payment,

with tracking codes and

an AFE number for each

well.

Billing is done by

the hour, as opposed to

by distance, and the total

time includes the return

trip.

A part-timer he’s

just brought on brings

out the other truck, with

the trailer. She needs to

load tubing at a boneyard

for one of major opera-

tors and make a delivery.

Gibbons meets her near

the highway, and assists

in tying down the load at

the boneyard.

Another call comes

is, this one for a load

meant for the Kisbey

area. Yet another comes

in for a trip to the Mi-

dale area, originating

at a packer supplier in

Estevan. It’s been good

fortune that the second

truck is already on the

road today.

It’s a welcome change

from the slow days, when

he spends his mornings

doing paperwork. Wait-

ing for a call can drive

one nuts, Gibbons as-

serted. “I actually con-

sidered carpentry on the

side,” he said. “If all days

are like today, awesome,”

he said of the steady pace

on this day.

• Full line of Excavating, Grading & Compaction Equipment• Full line of Excavating, Grading & Compaction Equipment• Tri Axle Sealed End Dumps, Tandems, Low Beds• Tri Axle Sealed End Dumps, Tandems, Low Beds• Sand, Gravel, Rock & Topsoil• Sand, Gravel, Rock & Topsoil

306-435-8085MOOSOMIN SK

Running Steady Always Ready

A DIVISION OF 101100468 SASK LTD

24 Hour Service24 Hour Service

TRUCKINGTRUCKING• Pickers• Pickers• Bed Trucks• Bed Trucks• Winch Tractors• Winch Tractors• Texas Beds• Texas Beds

RENTALSRENTALS• 400 BBL Tanks, Lined, • 400 BBL Tanks, Lined, Sloped, Steam Coiled, Sloped, Steam Coiled, Sumped & Sour Serviced, Sumped & Sour Serviced, • Enviro-Vac Units• Enviro-Vac Units• Rig Mats • Rig Mats • Invert Systems• Invert Systems• Surface Sump Tanks• Surface Sump Tanks• Caterpillar Loaders• Caterpillar Loaders• Vapor Tight Equipment• Vapor Tight Equipment

• Portable Flaring Equipment• Portable Flaring Equipment• Flow Back Separators• Flow Back Separators• Pre-Mix Systems• Pre-Mix Systems• Surface Tanks• Surface Tanks• Acid Tanks• Acid Tanks• Mixing Bins• Mixing Bins• Shale Bins• Shale Bins• Flare Tanks• Flare Tanks

(A Division of Total Energy Services Ltd.)

MIDALE 306•458•2811

midale@totaloil eld.ca

CARLYLEPh: 306•453•4401Fax: 306•453•4402

carlyle@totaloil eld.ca

Clinton Gibbons of Mission Hot Shot delivers an anchor to a service rig, near Stoughton.

Clinton Gibbons’ GPS sits in the corner of the dashboard. GPS units are particularly useful for part-time staff, he explains.

Go here, go there

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010 B3

Estevan Office:Phone: (306) 634-2681Fax: (306) 636-7227

Phone: 634-5519 or 634-734124 Hwy. 39 E. Estevan

• GENERAL OILFIELD HAULING • TANK & TREATER MOVING • 24 HOUR PERSONALIZED SERVICE • PIPE CUSTODIAN • PUMP JACK HAULING

L & C Trucking

Vacuum Truck For Sale

Accepting Bids on 2004 Peterbilt Model 379 VIN: 1NP5GGGG20D835483C/W 2004 DOT 407/412 Code WT82 Vacuum Unit. VIN: WT040492 Hibon VT B820 Vacuum Pump.

In excess of $23,000 work order done on the engine. (Dec. 2009) Engine warranty is transferable to purchaser. Accepting off ers for immediate sale,

contact McDougall Auctioneers LTD, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. 1-800-263-4193. Accepting off ers up to February 16, 2010 at 12:00 noon. There is a

10% buyers premium charged to you, the purchaser, on this unit. Call 1-800-263-4193 to receive a bidding package.

Go online for more pictures at www.mcdougallauction.com in Regina, Saskatchewan

www.mcdougallauction.com

Ph 306-757-1755 Toll free 1-800-263-4193

Financing

Available OAC

Tender closes

Feb. 16, 2010

12:00 PM

Cory BjorndalCory BjorndalDistrict ManagerDistrict Manager

DownholeDownhole

93 Panteluk Street, Kensington Avenue N93 Panteluk Street, Kensington Avenue N

Estevan, SaskatchewanEstevan, Saskatchewan

PHONE:PHONE: 306-634-8828 • 306-634-8828 • FAX:FAX: 306-634-7747 306-634-7747

[email protected] • [email protected] • www.nov.com

Estevan – ATCO

Structures and Logistics

announced in mid-Janu-

ary it will be setting up a

202-bed camp just east of

Estevan, just off the road

to the Shand Power Sta-

tion. Ground work start-

ed in December, 2009,

and assembly began in

January.

Th e Estevan Board

of Tourism, Trade and

Commerce has spent

much of the last year try-

ing to line up a camp for

the community.

Th e ATCO project

comes as hotel construc-

tion is already underway

in the community, while

another hotel opened last

year.

Th e new full-service

camp will be known as

ATCO Lodge Estevan.

It is slated to open Mar.

1, just a few weeks be-

fore spring breakup. It

comes at a time when

Saskatchewan drilling,

since the new year, has

outpaced both 2008 and

2009 for the same period,

according to Nickle’s Rig Locator. By mid-January,

Saskatchewan had al-

ready exceeded the post-

Christmas, pre-breakup

peak seen in 2008.

Th e end of 2008 saw

accommodations getting

to the crisis stage in Es-

tevan. Th e situation was

so dire in that boom year,

that churches started to

get involved and called

an emergency meeting to

deal with the issue. One

of the solutions talked

about at that meeting

was camps.

George Lidgett is

executive vice president

operations and fi eld ser-

vices, ATCO Structures

and Logistics. He told

Pipeline News, “We’re ex-

cited about getting our

facility up and being part

of the community.”

“We do not come in

a fl y-by-night style.”

Asked how long the

company planned on

having the camp at Este-

van, he responded, “We’re

there for the long haul

- fi ve years plus, or what-

ever the market needs.”

Th e company doesn’t

plan on setting up, and

then pulling out. “We

work quite a bit with

industry. We do a lot of

market research. What

you don’t want to do is

set up a facility and you

have to move it in a year’s

time.”

Th ey started seri-

ously looking at Estevan

in mid-2009. He said

there is a lot of industry

in the region, with lots of

market segments. As for

the camp opening just

before spring breakup, he

responds that the facility

is not just about oil.

“Our goal is to meet

the needs of the area. You

want to get in, get the fa-

cility built, and be ready.”

Regarding new hotel

construction in the com-

munity, Lidgett said, “I

think the region can sup-

port all the lodging that’s

coming into play.”

Staffi ng will run

around 10 to 12 people.

Amenities for the

camp include satellite

TV, high speed Inter-

net access in rooms, a

recreation centre, busi-

ness centre, and 24-hour

security. Th e daily rate

includes breakfast, bag

lunch and dinner.

“You need to make

sure you have good food

and people enjoy what

you’re cooking,” he said.

“ATCO has been in

workforce housing for 60

years,” Lidgett said.

Estevan is also on

track for the construction

of a new Energy Train-

ing Institute this year,

and a truck route around

the city has been in the

works. Work is continu-

ing on the new hockey

arena. Waiting in the

wings are the clean coal

project at Boundary Dam

Power Station, and the

Saskatchewan-Montana

carbon capture project,

although when either will

begin is uncertain.

ATCO announces large Estevan camp


The No MaintenanceMulti-Purpose Fiberglass Storage Unit

The No MaintenanceMulti-Purpose Fiberglass Storage Unit

ESTEVAN PLASTIC PRODUCTS LTD."Custom Vacuum Forming and Fibre Glass Specialist"

Phone: (306) 634-6400 • Toll Free: 1-888-638-6433 • Fax: (306) 634-7828P.O. Box 950, Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada S4A 2A7Email: [email protected] • http://www.estevanplastics.ca

Comes in 4' Modular sections so lengths of buildings Comes in 4' Modular sections so lengths of buildings can be 8 - 32'. (16' width under development)can be 8 - 32'. (16' width under development)

• TOUGH FIBREGLASS CONSTRUCTION• TOUGH FIBREGLASS CONSTRUCTION• LIGHTWEIGHT• LIGHTWEIGHT• EXTREMELY PORTABLE - In sections• EXTREMELY PORTABLE - In sections• PORTABLE - As a unit• PORTABLE - As a unit• NO MAINTENANCE• NO MAINTENANCE• WEATHER RESISTANT• WEATHER RESISTANT• CAN BE ADDED TO OR MADE SMALLER• CAN BE ADDED TO OR MADE SMALLER• BOLTS TO ANY FOUNDATION OR SURFACE• BOLTS TO ANY FOUNDATION OR SURFACE• MULTITUDE OF SIZES• MULTITUDE OF SIZES• EXPANDABLE - Additional panels can be • EXPANDABLE - Additional panels can be added added• ASSEMBLE YOURSELF OR ASK ABOUT • ASSEMBLE YOURSELF OR ASK ABOUT OUR ASSEMBLED UNITS OUR ASSEMBLED UNITS

Versatile Uses:• Single Garage• Hot or Cold Storage• Kiosks• Small Equipment Storage• Construction Site• Workshop

• Green House• Guard Shelters• Chemical/Pesticide Storage• Outhouse (at the lake, park or cabin)• Golf Cart Shed

SVEIN BRYEIDE CONSTRUCTION Ltd.SVEIN BRYEIDE CONSTRUCTION Ltd.

HWY. 47 N. AT BENSON Fax: 634-9798 • Cell: 421-0203

• Trackhoe and Backhoe• Lowbeds and More

Celebrating 30 Years in SE Saskatchewan!

• Earth moving and Oilfield Construction• Lease Preparations and Restorations

• Pipeline Construction and Maintenance

• Snow Removal, Dugouts• Dozer Ripper and Winch Cats

• Motor Scrapers, Graders

634-6081

GPS application for oil eld By Brian ZinchukEstevan – So your

spouse was kind enough

to get you a GPS for

Christmas, and while

handy, it hasn’t exactly

knocked your socks off

when out in rural areas.

Th at changes when you

install an oilfi eld-specifi c

mapping package like

PatchMap. After using it

for a few days in the fi eld,

you’re going to fi nd it as

indispensible as your cell

phone.

Most Garmins have

the ability to install ad-

ditional maps by way of

a SD or Micro SD card.

A closet industry has

developed in the Cana-

dian oilpatch, develop-

ing maps specifi cally for

the patch. Each is meant

to work with Garmins,

making them the default

GPS to be used in the

fi eld.

In 2009, Grande

Prairie, Alta.-based Sky-

base Geomatic Solutions

Inc. joined forces with

JuneWarren-Nickle ’s

Energy Group, the pub-

lishing powerhouse be-

hind publications like Oil & Gas Inquirer, Oilweek,

Nickle’s Daily Oil Bulle-tin, and the Bible of the

patch, the Canadian Oil-fi eld Services and Supply Directory (COSSD). Full

disclosure: JuneWarren-

Nickle’s and Pipeline News are both part of the

Glacier Media group of

publishing companies.

JuneWarren-Nick-

le’s supplied Pipeline News the PatchMapSD

version with topographic

mapping of software for

the purposes of testing.

“Th e Garmin seems

to be what the industry

uses,” said Rob Pent-

ney, sales director with

JuneWarren-Nickle’s.

COSSD on GPSTh ere are actually

two components at play

here. One is the directory

itself, and the second is

the PatchMap software.

Launched in Au-

gust, 2009, Th e COSSD

is now available to be

downloaded, for free,

from its website. Go

to www.cossd.com and

look for the GPS fi le

on the top right of the

home page. Paid adver-

tisers who have provided

their geographic location

are able to be found on

GPS, wherever you are.

Pentney said that almost

everyone in the COSSD

is now available on the

Garmin GPS package.

“We’re almost there,” he

said.

So how does this

work in the patch? If

you are in the middle

of nowhere, and need a

tow truck, you can search

on the Garmin for the

nearest towing company.

Similar things can be

done for any other cat-

egory in the directory,

such as hot shot service.

It’s a way for the

COSSD to expand its

reach, beyond the ubiq-

uitous book form, DVD,

and website, according to

Pentney.

Th e COSSD is

now integrated with the

PatchMap software, so

that when you install

PatchMap, you also get

the COSSD. PatchMap

can be found at www.

skybase.ca.

PatchMapTh e PatchMap soft-

ware is not cheap, nor are

any other oilpatch pack-

ages. Indeed, it’s worth

more than twice of a

lower-end GPS, mean-

ing you don’t want to

leave it on the dashboard

when parking in town.

Th e GPS and software

combined is worth more

than higher-end car ste-

reos, and is a lot more

portable. Th at makes it a

perfect target for thieves.

Because it is loaded

and locked to the card,

Patchmap is portable.

You can pull it out of one

Garmin GPS and eas-

ily load it into another.

Garmin’s own maps are

locked to the individual

GPS. Th ere is copy pro-

tection on the card to

prevent duplicates being

useful.

Page B5

Contact your local pipeline

sale rep. to get

28,000 Circulation

on your career ad!

Speci c Targeting


Page B4Installing the soft-

ware is easy enough. In-

sert the memory card,

and the Garmin recog-

nizes it. Th ere are a cou-

ple of things you’ll need

to do though.

First you have to turn

off the factory-installed

North American cities

basemap, otherwise you

end up with issues.

Th e second item is

how to enter LSD (legal

subdivision) land loca-

tions. It’s not obvious,

and apparently it is dif-

ferent than other, similar

programs. Basically, select

“Where to,” then “Points

of Interest.” You need to

enter it by choosing the

“Spell Name” function.

Once there, enter in the

numbers with a space

between each one, end-

ing with W2, for west of

the 2nd Meridian, if that’s

where you are. It takes

a minute, but the GPS

will cook up the exact

land location. If there is

a well on that site, it will

give you the operator of

the well, and their con-

tact information as listed

with the provincial gov-

ernment. It will even tell

you when it was spud-

ded.

It provides the loca-

tion of the wellhead, not

the bottom of the well,

according to Rob Coutts,

president of SkyBase.

Th at’s particularly im-

portant, because the bot-

tom of the well could put

you on the wrong side of

a stream, for instance.

Highly detailedIf you were driving

near the Manitoba bor-

der, several things may

stand out. Th e current

data set includes Brit-

ish Columbia, Alberta,

and, since late 2008,

Saskatchewan. But it

does not include Mani-

toba. “Here be dragons,”

might as well be written

on that portion of the

map, across the border.

Th at was actually an in-

joke within SkyBase for

areas that aren’t done yet.

Manitoba is in the works

for future incarnations

of the software, however.

COSSD data for Mani-

toba is included.

While Manitoba

is still on the drawing

board, the level of detail

for points west is sub-

stantial.

As you zoom in,

more detail is revealed.

Once it shows a scale

of 300 m, a lot of detail

comes into play. Grey

squares indicate leases,

for instance. In Alberta,

it will even indicate sour

gas facilities in yellow.

Even near a very

densely drilled fi eld, with

a string of new pump-

jacks. Th e GPS will not

only reveal the leases for

each, but also the path of

underground horizontal

wells.

Pipelines are also in-

cluded. Watch where the

pipelines converge, and at

a glance, you can surmise

the locations of batteries.

If you move the cursor

over the lease, it will give

you information on it.

“Crowdsourcing”Th e data comes from

government databases,

as well as a “whole pile

of proprietary data,” ac-

cording to Coutts.

Coutts says their us-

ers provide a lot of the

information that is not

provided from govern-

ment databases.

Page B6

The series of grey squares indicates leases, while the thin lines show the horizontal wells are indicat-ed by the thin lines. In the background, you can see the pumpjacks from the series of wells indicated on the map, south of Antler, Sask.

workers is indispensable

1-800-267-WISHwww.childrenswish.ca

Hope.


The Lampman United Church is being built out to accomodate 16-20 workers on a per month basis. Two oors with separate entrance and kitchen.

Clean brand new rooms will have satellite and in-ternet. If you can nd a hotel for 16 employees the

rent would be about $30,000 per month. Building rent rate will be $11,500 per month.

Lampman is 40 K’s N.E. of Estevan. For more information please call Brad

at 403-880-6476 or email [email protected].

Industrial • Industrial • CommercialCommercialAgriculturalAgricultural

Quality Workmanship GuaranteedQuality Workmanship Guaranteed

“ Safety & Satisfaction”

Ph: 1-306-634-8700Ph: 1-306-634-8700Ph: 1-306-634-8700

• Electrical Contracting• Electrical Service Work• Underground Wiring• Aerial Lift Equipment• Electrical Design & Engineering• Electrical Supply & Lighting Sales

• Electrical Contracting• Electrical Contracting• Electrical Service Work• Electrical Service Work• Underground Wiring• Underground Wiring• Aerial Lift Equipment• Aerial Lift Equipment• Electrical Design & Engineering• Electrical Design & Engineering• Electrical Supply & Lighting Sales• Electrical Supply & Lighting Sales

Serving Southeast Saskatchewan, Southwest Manitoba &

North Dakota since 1956.

24 Hour Dispatch24 Hour Dispatch306-483-2848306-483-2848

• 16 million & 21 million BTU Super Heaters

• Propane Fired • 80m3 axle mounted horizontal Frac Tank

Page B5

“I can get a wellsite

quickly, but I can’t get

the road into it,” he said.

Th ey’ve turned to

“crowdsourcing,” where

users submit information

to be added to the pack-

age. Th is information,

like the location of roads

into leases, is then incor-

porated into the next up-

date. As a way of thanks,

SkyBase provides a break

on updates in return.

Indeed, the feedback

has been more than they

anticipated, he noted, as

users are excited to see

their additions included

in updates. “Th ey’re pret-

ty excited about that,” he

said.

First hand experienceOne evening I (Brian

Zinchuk) was near Ant-

ler, Sask., my next stop

was a drilling rig south-

west of Stoughton. Th e

drilling company emailed

me the land location and

directions to the rig from

the main intersection at

Stoughton.

I entered the land lo-

cation as described above,

and in a minute or so, the

GPS started giving me

directions.

By the time I got

to the turnoff west of

Stoughton, I wasn’t sure

if I was on the right road.

Th e directions from the

drilling company said

turn south 14-km from

the intersection. Howev-

er, the GPS said to turn

one road sooner than

my odometer indicated.

I followed the GPS, and

sure enough, 8-km later,

I was at the drilling site.

However, there were

not one, but three rigs at

this location, drilling side

by each along the same

side of the road. Th e GPS,

with the PatchMap soft-

ware, took me directly to

the correct rig, even the

proper approach.

Th is was particularly

useful, because it was

pitch black at night, in

an area I was unfamil-

iar with. Going home,

I selected “Home” and

it gave me the correct

roads to get me back to

Estevan. It even kept me

from going down some

blind roads.

If all you do in your

travels is drive to towns,

then the basic GPS

basemap will do you

fi ne. But when it comes

to visiting leases in the

backwoods, such tech-

nology like PatchMap

is indispensible. Coutts

refers to how many times

a person is “temporarily

misplaced,” i.e. lost. Th e

savings in lost time alone

will soon pay for the

software and GPS.

“Th e guys on the

ground see the value to

them instantaneously,

and see the value on the

pocketbook,” Coutts said.

Convincing offi ce people

is not so easy, however.

Th e payoff is typically

within a month, some-

times substantially less,

he explained.

Th e company also

produced a PC-based

version which is meant

primarily for dispatchers.

It allows them to cre-

ate and print maps for

distribution to drivers

and their GPS units. It’s

more expensive, however.

It can be used to share

datasets from one GPS

to another, i.e. routes to

get to a particular lease. It

also works with Google

Earth.

PatchMap came to

the fore about four years

ago, when the technol-

ogy became available to

do what they wanted to,

according to Coutts. Ini-

tially, it was broken down

into smaller geographic

areas, but with the im-

provements in the size

of memory cards, it is

now possible to put then

entire northeast British

Columbia, Alberta and

Saskatchewan package

on one 4 GB memory

card, with plenty of room

to spare.

Pry it from my cold, dead ngers


Lyle Leclair - Cell: 306-421-7060Larry - Cell: 306-421-7131

LECLAIRTRANSPORT

General Oilfield Hauling

518 6th St. Estevan, SK.Of ce: 306-634-6325 - 24 hour service • Fax: 306-634-6326

Rental Items:• Frac Heads (3” & 4”) 10,000# • Frac Valves• 7 1/16” 2000/3000# Full Opening Gate Valves• Gate Valves, any sizes or pressures• Any miscellaneous Well Head Equipment

Lyle Grube Burt Blondeau

• Laydown or Pickup Casing, Drill-Pipe, Linears, Tools, etc.

• Operating the past 12 years in Saskatchewan• 4 Trucks setup for both Drilling Rigs

& Service Rigs• SECOR SAFETY PROGRAM

• ISN Networld.com Accredited• HSC Accreditation• #1 in Saskatchewan

4” HWDP - W/4” Full Hole Connections4” HWDP - W/4” Full Hole Connections4” HWDP - W/4” Full Hole Connections4” HWDP - W/4” Full Hole Connections4” HWDP - W/4” Full Hole ConnectionsKey Seat Wiper ReamersKey Seat Wiper ReamersKey Seat Wiper ReamersKey Seat Wiper ReamersKey Seat Wiper Reamers

(306)-739-2263 • Cell: (306) 577-9818email: [email protected]

BRAD LBRAD LBRAD LBRAD LBRAD LAMOAMOAMOAMOAMONTNTNTNTNTAAAAAGNEGNEGNEGNEGNELateral Key Seat Wiper ReamersLateral Key Seat Wiper Reamers

SURFACE BIT RENTALQUALITY RERUN & RETIP

24 HR SERVICECELL: 306-421-3726RES: 306-634-7538

CHAD FROESE OFFICE: 306-388-2941

Th ere’s a Facebook

group for everything

these days, and now

there’s one dedicated to

some of the more inter-

esting moments in the

Saskatchewan oilpatch.

Called Th e Rig and Oil Production in SK!!, there were 325 members

as of Jan. 13.

Dale McLeod, Jr. is

the creator of the site.

His description of it

reads, “Pictures of rigs

and oil production side,

whether it’s rig thrills or

production spills. Rig

moves or an interesting

moment in your day.”

“I just put it up there,

to see what goes on,” he

told Pipeline News. McLeod noted

there have been a num-

ber of job inquiries, say-

ing, “It’s been really nice

that way.”

Th e photos section

has a mix of everyday

photos and oops mo-

ments, including several

trucks getting stuck up

to their axles.

A video shows the

results of a blowout in

southern Manitoba sev-

eral years ago.

On the wall you’ll

fi nd some chatter about

looking for work.

In one of the discus-

sion forums, a member

named James writes, “It

never ceases to amaze

me that for an industry

that touches every life

on the planet most peo-

ple have no idea what is

involved or what it ac-

tually takes to be an oil

worker.

“We spend 2/3 of

our life in a camp or

motel, we miss our kids

and wives and more

often than not are di-

vorced real fast as our

wives don’t understand

what is involved either.

When we fi nd a wife

that does we hold on to

her as hard as we can.

“I tell the younger

generation the same

thing every time they ask

about a job in the patch

that it is not a job but

a way of life and if you

can’t live it, you won’t be

able to work it.”

A responder named

Dale writes, “Th at may

be true for drilling rigs,

but don’t forget that

there are other rigs out

there. We usually only

work ten hours a day,

and we are always home

at night. Th e life style is

great and the money is

not too shabby either. I

have been on the service

rigs for 9 years now, and

every time some asks

me for a job I tell them

if you like the outdoors

and don’t mind change

from job-to-job this

is perfect for you. By

the way, real rigs have

wheels!”

Facebook home for Saskatchewan oilpatch

Cory Himmelspeck sandblasts the tailgate of a truck on the west side of Es-tevan on Jan. 15. How does he deal with working in cold weather? “Hand-warmers,” he responds. Photo by Brian Zinchuk


106 Souris Ave. N., Estevan, Sask.

Ph: (306) 634-4087 • Fax: (306) 634-8817E-mail: [email protected]

ASAS&& OILFIELD OILFIELD OPERATING LTD.OPERATING LTD.

Shelley Schroeder• Construction Safety Of cer

• Health & Safety Administrator

• External Safety Auditor

Cell: (306) 421-3351

Andy Schroeder• Battery Operating/Oil eld Consulting

•Construction & Pipeline Supervision

• Service Rig Supervision

Cell: (306) 421-9288

• 24 Hour Service • Oil Hauling

2 Locations: Kisbey & Lampman Phone: 462-2130 • Fax: 462-2188

CLIFF NANKIVELLTRUCKING LTD.

WATER & CRUDE VACUUM TRUCK

SERVICE

CARLYLE

453-2262

REDVERS

452-3216

ALIDA

443-2466

OXBOW

483-2826

ESTEVAN134 4th Street

637-4370

Girard Bulk Service Ltd.Girard Bulk Service Ltd.PROPANE

STOUGHTON CARDLOCKNOW OPEN

- Oil eld Maintenance - Service Crews- Pressure Welding - Pipeline Construction

- Battery Construction - Rent or SellNew & Used Equipment

Randy: 634-5405 - Cellular 421-1293Darcy: 634-5257 - Cellular 421-1425 • Fax: 634-4575

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATEDBOX 843, ESTEVAN, SK.

24 Hour Service - 634-8737

Melita, Manitoba – Need a hotel room in southwest Manitoba? Good luck.

Th ey might be able to squeeze you in when spring breakup comes.

Todd Fischer, owner of the Melita Hotel By Th e River, said they’ve been

really busy, almost exclusively with oilpatch business. “It’s been excellent. We’ve

only owned the place two years.”

At fi rst there was service rig work, and then in January, 2009, it was “like

someone hit a light switch.” But business picked up again in June, and in the fall,

they were chock full of pipeliners. “Now, it’s mostly drilling rigs, boiler trucks,” he

told Pipeline News Jan. 14.

Th ey have 12 rooms and a house available for rent. Each rig crew will usually

take three rooms, with the day and night shifts sharing the rooms. It means the

hotel has to turn around the rooms quickly in the morning, but Fisher doesn’t

mind, because as a hunter, he’s used to getting up early in the morning.

“Most of the crew members we have now are planning on staying until

spring,” he said.

Th e Melita Inn Motor Hotel has 20 rooms. Th ey’ve also been busy, with two

or three diff erent groups such as drilling rigs or service companies, at a time.

Th e person at the desk declined to give her name, but said, “It’s oil, oil, oil.”

Th ey, too, expect to be full until breakup.

About 20 minutes to the east, Richard Mercier, owner of the Deloraine Mo-

tor Inn, said there’s an oil boom going on. He wishes the media based in Win-

nipeg would take notice. “I’m surprised, it’s a big economic boom for Manitoba.”

Th ey too, are full. He’s heard of several companies, each with several dozen

wells on their agenda over the next few months.

“It’s going to be crazy. More companies are calling every day. As they drill

more, more service companies come.”

Mercier’s 11-room hotel, restaurant, bar and beer vendor have all been very

busy, he noted.

Th e Manitoba drilling rig count, according to Nickle’s Rig Locator (www.

nickles.com/rig) spent most of 2009 with 10 rigs. Th at number had climbed to

14, by mid January this year, with most of them active. As of Jan. 15, eight of nine

Manitoba service rigs were active, as were 12 of the 14 drilling rigs.

Need a room in SW Manitoba? Good luck

Drilling in southwest Manitoba has kept the hotel business hopping. This rig was seen just north of the US border, southeast of Waskada, at the end of November, 2009.


... Your Non-Destructive Testing Specialists

Units available to work in Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia & Manitoba

* RT * MT * PT * HT * UT * PMI (Positive Material Identifi cation)

• COR Certifi ed• IRP 16 Certifi ed• Mainline Production Units• Internal Gamma Crawlers• C.G.S.B. Certifi cation

Serving Western Canada for 22 years

For all your Non-Destructive Testing call: 1-800-667-6747Box 463, Cabri, Saskatchewan, S0N 0J0

Locations• Brooks, AB

• Camrose, AB

• Cabri/Swift Current, SK

• Kindersley, SK

• Saskatoon, SK

• Weyburn, SK

• Carlyle, SK

• Regina, SK

Leading the industryin production

and specialty chemicals

Estevan: 634-7627HWY 39 West(#10 Lamoro St.)

Carlyle: 453-6494HWY 9 North

www.champ-tech.com

#306 Wicklow Centre - 1133-4th Street, Estevan, SK#306 Wicklow Centre - 1133-4th Street, Estevan, SK

SUN VALLEY LAND LTD.

306-634-6684

www.sunvalleyland.ca • [email protected]

Storthoaks – A.E.

Chicoine Farm Equip-

ment Ltd. is the biggest

operation in Storthoaks,

with a staff around eight.

Th e Case IH dealer

may specialize in agri-

cultural equipment, but

some of that hardware

fi nds use in the oilpatch,

particularly for land

spreading of drilling mud

or plowing snow.

“We’ve sold quite

a few four-wheel-drive

tractors that are run-

ning the vac wagon,”

said Th omas Chicoine.

He’s the next genera-

tion of Chicoines in the

business, which is cur-

rently run by his father,

Roland Chicoine, and

uncle, Richard Chicoine.

Th e brothers are two of

12 siblings in the fam-

ily. Th e dealership was

founded by his grandfa-

ther, Alfred Chicoine.

Th is year will be the

dealership’s 60th in busi-

ness.

“In the last fi ve years,

we’ve picked up more

business in the patch,”

Th omas said. Some of

those units see work

pulling scrapers for pre-

paring leases. Th e total is

around 15 to 20 units, he

estimated. “If you sell one

or two a year, it all helps

our bottom line. Th at’s

one more unit to service

and maintain.”

Some tractors are

used by farmers for their

own work, plus supple-

mental oilpatch work,

like clearing snow. Other

units are strictly be-

ing used for the oilfi eld

work.

Indeed, his father

was out of town that

day, getting a blade to

be put on a farm tractor

for snow clearing. Such

blades, from Regina

manufacturer Degelman,

are usually 12- or 14-ft.

in length.

While they don’t car-

ry new skid-steer loaders,

they do get some used

ones in. Th ey see use in

lease maintenance.

Tractors for the patch help out

Thomas Chicoine is the third generation working in the family business.

Large four-wheel-drive tractors similar to this one see a lot of use clearing snow for leases. A.E. Chicoine Farm Equipment’s bottom line bene ts from the additional sales of large equipment.


Day Day Construction Ltd.Construction Ltd.

Lease ConstructionLease ConstructionLease Restoration • MulchingLease Restoration • Mulching

Carnduff, SK.Carnduff, SK.Phone: (306) 482-3244Phone: (306) 482-3244

“EXPERIENCE, “EXPERIENCE, SERVICE & SAFETY SERVICE & SAFETY YOU CAN TRUST.”YOU CAN TRUST.”

www.ensignenergy.comwww.ensignenergy.com

Tel (306) 634•5522 • Fax (306) 634-3238Box 549, Estevan, Sk., S4A 2A5

Serving Southeast Serving Southeast Saskatchewan’s Saskatchewan’s

well servicing needs well servicing needs since 1972since 1972

Phone: 634-7892 • www.ipc-sk.ca

Locally Owned and Operated

Proud to be an active part of the community

SOLUTIONSTO YOUR PUMPING CHALLENGESTO YOUR PUMPING CHALLENGES

Competitive Prices • Quality Products • Great Service

We wish all of our customers a Happy New Year!

By Brian ZinchukEstevan – A year

ago, Trent’s Tire & Ser-

vice set up shop in Es-

tevan, expanding from

their original location at

Oungre. Trent Emmel,

the owner, set up shop

in a building owned by

his brother Davin Em-

mel, and Davin’s busi-

ness partner in Dart

Services. Now they are

just in the process of

moving into their own

digs on the same prop-

erty, on the west side of

Estevan.

The new shop is set

way back from the road,

providing lots of room

for manoeuvring large

trucks like B-trains.

Tim Nixon is the

store manager, having

joined Trent’s in Sep-

tember. He came on

just in time to oversee

the construction of the

new facility, which be-

gan in late October.

“We’ve got a place

to park the trailer and

pull just the truck into

the shop,” Nixon said.

By mid-January, it

was all but complete,

with workers putting

the final touches on

pipe racks. The inte-

rior of the office was

just about done, with

the final electrical work

being completed and

computers being set up.

They planned to be in

operation for Feb. 1.

That’s about a month

behind initial plans, but

actually pretty quick

compared to similar

projects in the region.

The company acted

as its own general con-

tractor, with A-Fab of

Rocanville providing

the shell of the build-

ing, Eric Salmers Con-

struction is doing the

interior of the shop,

and Lampman Electric

handling the electrical

side. A lot of work was

done by Trent’s Tire

and Service staff.

Page B11

Lifts are being assembled in the new Trent’s Tire and Service location.

Local tire shop expanding


738 5th Street (back door) Phone: 634-3522

24 Hour Service - 7 Days A Week!

• Two Way Radios• Alarm Monitoring

• Safety Checks

"We Dispatch for the Oil Patch"

WE RENT• Scissor Lifts/Electric & Dual Fuel

• Man Lifts/Straight Boom & Articulating Boom• Zoom Boom Forklifts

G. T. & H HOLDINGS INC.Chad - Cell: (306) 421-1896Garry - Cell: (306) 421-0529

Estevan, SK

Electrical Construction& Service

Lampman487-7770

Estevan637-2512

Safe-Tee Management ,Saskatchewan’s only comprehensive Occupational Health & Safety Consulting Firm

MOBILE TREATMENT UNIT & SITE SAFETY/EMT SERVICEWe are more than just a “FIRST AID” service! Our Mobile Treatment Unit will assist employers and consultants in meeting all first aid regulations!

• FULLY STOCKED WITH ALL SUPPLIES • AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR • EMT’S & REGISTERED NURSES

WE HAVE THE ONLY PROGRAM DEVELOPED & MANAGED BY A REGISTERED NURSE:

THIS ENSURES THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF STANDARDS AND FOR YOUR WORKSITE ! WE HAVE FULL TREATMENT PROTOCOLS FOR OUR EMT’S!

• CPR-FIRST AID/AED TRAINING, H2S ALIVE• TDG, WHMIS, GROUND DISTURBANCE

• WORKING SAFELY WITH FLAMMABLE & COMBUSTIBLES, CONFINED SPACE ENTRY

• QUANTITATIVE FIT TESTING USING THE PORTA COUNT PLUS!

• HEALTH & SAFETY MANUALS

• PROJECT HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT

• CONTRACT SAFETY COORDINATORS

• COR/SECOR PREP

• DRUG & ALCOHOL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

• FLU SHOT CLINICS

• EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING

• EMPLOYEE HEALTH ASSESSMENTS

• HEARING TESTING AND SOUND MAPPING • INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SERVICES

Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.safe-tee.com Tel: (306) 634-9050 (Estevan) Tel: (306) 483-2480 (Oxbow) Fax: (306) 483-2175

Page B10

The office area is

36 ft. x 50 ft., while

the shop area is 72 ft. x

116 ft. It has five large

bay doors – three on

the north side, two on

the east. They are big

enough to handle a ser-

vice rig. The south end

of the shop has a pit

meant for steering and

suspension alignments

and adjustments.

“We made a bridge

platform on the front

so we can accommodate

tandem steer trucks,”

Nixon said. They are

becoming more preva-

lent in the area, he not-

ed.

There is also a car

and light truck align-

ment hoist.

In addition to tires

the company will be of-

fering service work like

oil changes, brake jobs

and alignments. The

intention is to gain SGI

inspection certification

in early 2010. That’s

something they couldn’t

do in the old shop, in

the back of Dart Ser-

vices, he explained.

They are in the

process of adding staff.

With five tire techs,

two administrative staff

and a manager in place

already, the intention is

to bring on three me-

chanics. “We’ve been

doing some shopping

locally, and will prob-

ably be bringing over

some Filipinos,” Nixon

said.

“I interviewed them

over Skype,” he ex-

plained, noting that the

web-based video phone

application is very use-

ful for reading body

language.

He anticipates hav-

ing two Filipino me-

chanics here by the end

of February or early

March.

About 70 per cent

of their business is

commercial, with the

rest being retail. The

majority of their work

is oilpatch related.

“We’re doing good.

We’re a new business in

town. We want to sup-

port local people,” he

said.

The company has

remained an indepen-

dent tire shop, as op-

posed to branding with

one of the large tire

firms.

Workers lay out curb stops for the front of Trent’s Tire and Ser-vice new building.

A year in Estevan, now Trent’s Tire expandsShawn Skidmore works with a torch to custom t a tire rack for place-

ment along the wall at Trent’s Tire and Ser-vice’s new facility in Estevan.

B12 PIPELINE NEWS February 2010

5 – 22nd Avenue S.E. Weyburn, Sask. S4H 2L2

Tel: (306) 842-6100 Fax:(306) 842-6101

The First Western Tremcar Tanker Trailer Repair Shop .

Tremcar West Inc. offers our customers a certi ed repair shop with quali ed workers, who specializes in: • Tanker Trailer Repair • PIVK B620 Inspections • Auto Greasing • SGI Inspections

New 406 & 407 Stock Units on location

Phone (306) 842-6100 for PartsFor 24 hour emergency service call:Francis Lessard - Service Manager at (306) 861-2841Suzanna Nostadt - Vice President at (306) 861-2315

• Trouble Shooting ABS Systems • Stock and Sell Parts • Leasing available

When it’s really cold, you want to be warm

Estevan – Most jobs

have some sort of uni-

form. For a corporate ex-

ecutive, spending $1,000

on an Italian suit is just

part of doing business.

What one may not

realize is that for workers

who brave the extreme

cold, they can spend a

similar amount to be

properly equipped.

Quality doesn’t come

cheap, but when the tem-

perature bottoms out, and

the wind will chill you to

the bone, that’s when you

notice it, according to

Rick Tourand, one of the

owners of Ron’s Work

Wear Store.

“It is an expensive

product, but the fi rst day

you’re out in – 30 weath-

er, it’s worth three times

as much,” Tourand said,

particularly of the Helly

Hansen underwear that

is a staple of the oil-

patch.

With locations in

Weyburn, Estevan and

Carlyle, Tourand said,

“We’ve got the Bakken

play surrounded.” At

their Estevan and Car-

lyle locations, about 70

per cent of their business

is oilfi eld-related, while

in Weyburn, it’s around

half. Th e company has

been around for 27 years,

founded by Ron Tou-

rand, who is now semi-

retired.

While there are oth-

er brands, Helly Hansen

is the far and beyond

leader when it comes to

cold weather gear in the

patch. Ron’s three stores

are the leading distribu-

tor of Helly Hansen in

Saskatchewan, Tourand

asserted, despite the fact

that big box work wear

stores with multiple lo-

cations carry the same

product.

Asked what people

are looking for when

they come in, Tourand

responds by asking what

do they do? Diff erent

workers have diff er-

ent needs. We’ll start by

equipping, from scratch,

a rig worker who is go-

ing to be outside much

of the day. Note the fol-

lowing prices listed are

approximate industry

norms, and do not refl ect

promotions or discounts.

Layers“It’s a layering sys-

tem. Helly Hansen wants

to get you into a base lay-

er, a thermal layer, and an

outer layer. Both [under-

wear] layers, for an active

person, can be overkill,”

Tourand said.

“If you’re a rough-

neck, I probably wouldn’t

show you the base layer.

If you’re roughnecking,

you’re moving a lot.

“Th e whole principle

is: if you move, you sweat.

When the sweat stays

beside your body, that’s

how you get cold.”

UnderwearTourand recom-

mends holding off on

putting on the full un-

derwear set when you feel

the fi rst cool breeze in

fall. If you dont wait, the

full eff ect of its warmth

will be diminished when

it gets really cold.

Th e base layer is

polypropylene long johns

and shirt.

It’s thin, and doesn’t

look like much com-

pared to the old style

waffl e-type long johns

you may have gotten in

your Christmas stocking

as a kid. Its purpose is to

wick moisture away from

the body, while the heat-

locking fi bre traps body

heat. Each top and bot-

tom runs around $50, or

$100 combined.

Th e second layer is

your thermal layer. Th is is

where you fi nd some no-

ticeable thickness. “Th is

is for extreme cold tem-

peratures,” Tourand said.

Th e thermal layer

again comes in a top and

bottom, with a hooded

top being a common

choice. Th e hooded

jacket will run around

$130, while the bottoms

are around $85. If you’re

counting, we’re at about

$315, and still talking

underwear.

“Th at’s why the oil-

fi eld pays what it does.

It costs money to make

money,” Tourand ex-

plained.

Th ere are fi re retar-

dant versions available,

too, but it almost doubles

the cost. “I bring it in be-

cause some of the guys

need it. Some companies

are demanding fi re retar-

dant right down to the

underwear,” according

to Tourand. “I can get

you Nomex briefs, if you

need them.”

Outerwear“Th e whole key is

you have to have an out-

er layer to cut wind and

shed moisture,” Tourand

said.

Th ere are usually two

ways this is accomplished.

First and foremost, most

oilfi eld applications re-

quire a fi re retardant out-

er layer. Many companies

will provide fi re retardant

coveralls.

In that case, the

worker may choose to go

with a Helly Hansen bib

(e.g. pants) and jacket,

worn under the coveralls.

Th e other option is

to go with a Nomex bib

and jacket, bomber or

parka style, or one piece

snowsuit-style Nomex

insulated coverall. While

Helly Hansen does make

a fi re retardant insulated

coverall, the price is suf-

fi ciently high that Ron’s

doesn’t carry them.

A bomber style ends

at the waist, while a par-

ka design ends below the

buttocks, and is called

“instructor length.”

Getting a two piece

Helly Hansen combi-

nation is around $380,

while a one piece is

around $320.

For a typical Nomex

coverall, unlined, you’re

looking at $200. A two-

piece Nomex lined suit

will set you back around

$500.

“A lot will layer their

clothing and put Nomex

coveralls over top,” Tou-

rand explained.

Th ere are a lot of dif-

ferences in fi re retardant

clothing, he notes. An

electrician may need a

higher arc rating, while

an oilfi eld application

may specifi cally require

Nomex, as opposed to

another brand.

Page B13

Contract operator Tony Thompson shows his layering of clothes while picking up some boots at Ron’s Work Wear Store in Estevan.


BADGERDAYLIGHTING™

SafetyIt’s What We Do.

It’s What We Deliver.

Full Service Hydrovac FleetAvailable to Saskatchewan

• Tandem Tandem • Tri Axle• Tandem • 4 x 4

Regina................................ (306) 531-9487Saskatoon ......................... (306) 934-2964Swift Current ..................... (306) 773-0724Lloydminster ..................... (306) 875-1640Kindersley ......................... (306) 463-6006Carlyle................................ (306) 577-3400Weyburn ............................ (306) 848-0906Carnduff ............................. (306) 482-5270

Toll Free: 1-800-465-4273www.badgerinc.com

• 5 Mobile Steamer & Washer Units • 8 Tractor Mower Units - For Lease Mowing • Lease Seeding • Bale

Shredding • Rotorspike • Straw Crimping • Straw for Reclamation • Rock Picking • Texas Gates • Wellhead Enclosures • 4 Wheel Drive Tractors with Blade, Wing

Blade & Blowers for Snow Removal & Towing

Office: 306-538-4487Box 278, Kennedy, SK S0G 2R0 Cell: 577-7694

ARKSIDE OILFIELDARKSIDE OILFIELDPPSERVICES LTD.SERVICES LTD.

COMPLETE ROD PUMPING, SUPPLY, OPTIMIZATION, DESIGN & FIELD SERVICES

- Steel and Fiberglass Sucker Rod Sales- Dynomometers- Fluid Levels- Vertical and Horizontal Well Rod Design- SAM Pump-off Controllers- Wermac VFD Sales

BUS: (306) 634-7399FAX: (306) 634-698958 Devonian StreetP.O. Box 667Estevan, Saskatchewan S4A 2A6

website: www.pentarods.com

[email protected]@[email protected]@pentarods.com

Penta CompletionsPenta Completions Supply & Services Ltd.Supply & Services Ltd.

Page B12Either combina-

tion – Nomex coveralls

and a Helly Hansen

outer shell underneath,

or a lined Nomex outer

jacket and bib, will set

you back about $500 to

$600, all in.

FootwearSocks are typically

a nylon/wool blend,

and can vary from a

few bucks a pair to as

much as $18 for the top

of the line. Commonly

purchased socks run

around $8 a pair.

Boots have trended

back towards rubber

boots – but with mod-

ern updates. Unlike the

felt-lined boots grand-

pa might have bought

at the Macleods store,

these rubbers have no

removable liner. In-

stead, there is a thin

polyurethane lining

that works on a similar

principle to diver’s wet-

suits. Microscopic cells

help retain heat.

A modern rubber

boot can have a -50 C

rating.

One of the reasons

for the growth in rub-

ber boots is their im-

proved resistance to in-

vert or distillate used in

drilling. Whereas older

rubber boots would dis-

integrate when exposed

to invert, these new

models will stand up.

The boots will also

stand up to the caustic

nature of manure and

urine for farmers, Tou-

rand pointed out.

Some models have

composite instead of

steel toes and shanks.

Inside the boot, a

product the store has

carried from day one is

known as the “Bama.”

Calling them “sock-

ettes,” they look like

little booties. They

were popular at first,

then hardly moved for

years, and now are pop-

ular again, according to

Tourand. They go for a

little under $20.

Not everyone wants

or needs a rubber boot,

though. There’s a wide

variety of convention-

al, Thinsulate-lined

workboots to heavily

insulated, snowmobile-

styled work boots.

All told, it ’s not

uncommon to spend

about $150 for boots,

with a wide variation

on prices from top end

to bottom.

ExtremitiesWhile hoodies may

be common and popu-

lar, they are becoming

frowned upon from a

safety perspective – es-

pecially if they get tan-

gled up. Hard hat liners

can either fit under the

hard hat or over, with

the under-variety being

much more common.

They, too, can be ob-

tained in fire retardant

varieties. Prices again

vary widely, ranging up

to $70 for fire retardant

versions.

A terry-cloth

sweatband makes wear-

ing a hardhat a lot more

comfortable, keeping

your forehead warm in

winter, and keeping the

sweat out of your eyes

in the summer. They

are a few bucks each.

Gloves are typically

leather and lined, or

rubber. Tourand calls

the Red Baron line

“The oilfield glove. It ’s

the glove out in the oil-

patch.”

Rubber gloves, such

as the “Monkey Grip,”

are also common. “Get

a liner in these, and

they are pretty warm,”

Tourand said.

Gloves will set you

back between $7 and

$17 a pair.

When you add up

the underwear, outer

layers, coveralls, boots,

gloves and hard hat

liners, it ’s easy for a full

set to exceed $1,000 –

and that’s only for one

set, never mind having

spares for laundry day.

“A lot of guys will

buy two sets of the base

layer,” Tourand noted.

“It ’s such an individual

thing.”

As for how often

they get washed, well,

that too is an individ-

ual thing.

With such a large

investment, it ’s good to

know they should last a

while. One client once

came in complaining of

a broken zipper on his

thermals. It turned out

he had been using the

same set of Helly Han-

sen thermal underwear

for 14 years.

VariationsNot every job re-

quires the extremes in

cold weather protec-

tion. Truckers, for in-

stance, will often go

with lighter-weight

boots. A number will

choose rubber boots.

The trick is to find

boots where their feet

don’t get too hot in the

truck, and then corre-

spondingly cold, from

sweat, when outside.

Pipeliners are hard

to put a finger on, and

are very individual in

their preferences. They

may go from a regular

work boot to a -100 C

rated Baffin.

Field operators are

in and out of the truck,

so they will often have

Nomex coveralls and a

base layer. Nomex par-

kas are common.

Seismic crews often

don’t have time to shop,

and a purchasing agent

for the crew will often

come in with a laun-

dry list of needed items

and an envelope of cash

to pay for it, collected

from each of the work-

ers. They tend to go for

lighter, less expensive

clothes.

“When you’re 18

and bulletproof, it

doesn’t matter. When

you turn 40, the 18

catches up to you,”

Tourand concluded.

The wiser are generally the warmer

Rubber boots, socks, gloves, re retardant jacket, and thermal underwear are all part of winter attire required.


MASSIVE INDOORMASSIVE INDOOR

Thursday to Sunday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday to Sunday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.Monday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.Monday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Brandon, MBKeystone Centre UCT Pavilion

February 11 - 15

Brandon, MBBrandon, MBKeystone Centre UCT PavilionKeystone Centre UCT Pavilion

February 11 - 15February 11 - 15

SHOW & SALESHOW & SALECome See the NEW!Come See the NEW!

Huge Factory Huge Factory Discounts!Discounts!

On The Sopt On The Sopt FinancingFinancing

O.A.C.O.A.C.

All Under One Roof!All Under One Roof!SeaRay Boats

SeaRay Boats

Harris Pontoons

Harris Pontoons

Lowe Pontoons

Lowe Pontoons

Bayliner Boats

Bayliner Boats

Lund Fishing Boats

Lund Fishing Boats

Honda ATV’s & Dirt Bikes

BOX 968 VIRDEN, MB R0M 2C0Toll Free: 1-888-934-4444 PH: (204) 748-1539

421 King St PO Box 2458 Virden, MB R0M 2C0421 King St PO Box 2458 Virden, MB R0M 2C0Contact us Toll Free: Contact us Toll Free: 1-888-877-76231-888-877-7623 or 204-748-2060 or 204-748-2060

www.virdenrec.comwww.virdenrec.com(((( ))))))

www.fourseasonssales.com

Cougar 307BHS (2 Slides)BLOWOUT PRICE

$29,995Sundance 315RD (2 Slides)BLOWOUT PRICE

$33,995 26’ Jayco Bunk Bed ModelBLOWOUT PRICE

$19,995

REG $41,495

(2 Only)REG $44,995

(2 Only)

REG $23,995

4025

4135

•01/

22/1

0

It all started with a conversation about raising

money for cancer, and ended with an overjoyed own-

er of a new Harley, a kid going to Disneyland, and a

pile of money going to charity.

“We were working for Louisbourg Pipelines Inc.,

doing tie-ins, compressor station dig-ups throughout

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” explained

Ron Gellert, one of the instigators of the project.

He’s a mainline pipeline welder and pipefi tter based

in Lloydminster, and a member of UA local 179 Re-

gina. Th e job at the time was TransCanada’s Keystone

project, which saw a natural gas pipeline converted to

oil usage throughout 2009.

“It started from a conversation in June,” Gellert

said.

“We had our straw boss on our crew who went

through four cancer operations. He always wanted

to give back to the Cancer Society,” recalled Gellert.

Th ere were several pipeliners having the discussion,

including Gellert, Rob Perchuk of Douglas, Man.,

Murdock MacDonald of Sherwood Park, Alta., and

Leroy Keller of Winnipeg, the strawboss.

Th ey bounced around a few ideas, including raf-

fl ing a quad, until they settled on raffl ing a Harley

Davidson motorcycle.

Several of them were bikers, and they had good

relations with the Harley dealer in Brandon. Soon

they had their prize lined up: a two-tone maroon and

gold Ultra Tour Classic, with a white, enclosed trailer.

A leather jacket would be included.

Second prize would $2,500 cash, with third prize

winning $1,000.

Th e men got together a deposit, and paid off the

bike with ticket sales. Th ere were 500 tickets printed,

at $100 a pop. All but seven sold.

Th e bike was taken to pipeline spreads across the

prairies, coming out in the morning for the workers

to look at and drool over, and hopefully buy a ticket.

Tickets were sold in the yard. Th e bike would go back

in the trailer as the men went to work.

Th e Harley was seen on spreads from Morden,

Man., to Brandon and Regina. Th e group gave out

numerous t-shirts and hats in support of the cause.

In the end, the payoff was worth it. “We con-

tributed a $10,000 donation to the Cancer Society in

Winnipeg, $5,000 to the Autism Society, and $2,500

to the Children’s Wish Foundation,” Gellert said.

Th at last donation enabled a child from Winni-

peg to visit Disneyland.

Th e big draw came on Oct. 15, at the Louisbourg

yard in Brandon. Th ey had planned to go another two

weeks, but there was a layoff pending, so it was time

to give it away while the guys were still around. Th e

draw was made during a safety meeting, with about

400 people standing around.

Th e fi rst prize went to pipefi tter Pat Raviers. He

must have had a good feeling about it, because Gel-

lert said, “He told everyone he was going to win. He

was nearly doing backfl ips. He was jumping up and

down like a little kid.”

Second prize went to a senior man for Waschuk

Pipeline Construction, a gentleman who has a habit

of winning prizes, according to Gellert.

Finally, a labourer on the Bannister crew tool third

prize. When Gellert called him, he thought it was a

joke, and hung up. Th en he called back and asked,

“Are you serious? Can you drop it off in Brandon?”

Pipeliners rally behind raf e for charityPipeliners rally behind raf e for charity

Getting readyThe crew of Mayco Well Serving Rig 4 prepare tubing for use.


B15PIPELINE NEWS February 2010

OPPORTUNITYWELDING/FABSHOP

FOR SALE

ONLY $325,000.00

40' X 60' BUILDING, 3 PHASE 400 AMP POWER,HEAVILY REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR

14'W X 18'H DOORS FRONT AND REAR WELLPRESENTED ON

1.38 ACRES

LOCATED IN THE PROMISING COMMUNITY OF MAPLE CREEK SASKATCHEWAN

AFFORADABLE HOUSING, SCHOOLS, GOODGROCERY STORES

CALL:BLYTHMAN AGENCIES

MAPLE CREEK SASK. S0N 1N0PHONE: 306-662-2604 FAX: 306-662-4555

40

25

41

30

•01

/22

/10

www.caltechsurveys.com

CALGARY403 |263 |8055

REGINA306 |775 |1814

UNITY306 |228 |4366

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYORS Wel l S i tes P ipel ines Mapping As-Bui l ts Construct ion SurveysSubdiv is ion/Property Surveys

40242872•0

3/0

6/0

9

Storthoaks – Th e Case 4690 four-wheel-drive tractor may be old – nearly

30 years, but it’s busy when the snow fl ies. Richard Paradis, a former rig hand,

picked it up a few years ago to complement his farming operation. It’s not

pulling harrows, however, but pushing snow, exclusively.

“Th at’s all I use it for. I don’t use it for farming. Th at’s all that tractor does

– push snow,” he explained.

Now four years into his snow clearing venture, Paradis has about 150

leases he looks after, having just picked up a few more. He does all that with

one tractor, but said, “I’m getting somebody to help me.”

His farm yard is literally the southern edge of Storthoaks, a stone’s throw

from A.E. Chicoine Farm Equipment, the dealer he bought it from.

Most of his work is for Penn West, but he also does some for Arc Re-

sources and Crescent Point.

“When there’s a snow storm, everyone’s really busy,” he said.

Th e companies have prioritized lists, starting with batteries, and then test

tanks, and fi nally, pumpjacks. “Th at’s the last I usually do,” he said.

Asked if he runs around the clock after a big blow, he says no. “I’ll put in

12-hour days. Th at’s long enough pushing. You’re tired then.”

Paradis had worked the rigs for 15 years, but his heart wasn’t in it any

more. Instead, he wanted to farm. He says you can’t work the rigs and farm

and do both well. “I was looking for something that would fi t in with farming,

something I could do in the winter. Pushing snow in the patch worked really

well.”

Former rig hand now clears snow, farms

Richard Paradis picked up this Case 4690, with a 14-ft. Degelman blade, exclusively for clearing snow from leases.

This snow blower was so powerful, it was creating a temporary whiteout along Highway 47, south of Stoughton, after Christmas.


Clear the way


Lloydminster –T r a n s C a n a d a

Automatic Truck Wash,

west of Lloydminster

on Highway 16, can be

viewed as weight loss

and fi tness facility to

keep heavy haul oilfi eld

and transport trucks on

the move and making

money during the cold

of winter.

One ride through

the eight minute truck

wash cycle can remove

tons of excess ice, corro-

sive salt and sand from

every nook and cranny

allowing carriers like

Heavy Crude Hauling

LP in Lloydminster to

carry fuller loads, save

fuel and maintain equip-

ment easier.

Heavy Crude Haul-

ing owns a fl eet of over

two hundred bulk crude

trailers that carry crude

oil and produced water

in the Bonnyville, Edam,

Lloydminster and Maid-

stone areas and has be-

come a regular customer

this winter at TransCan-

ada Truck Wash.

“We wash them

for maintenance and if

they get too much ice on

them,” said Ron Mac-

Donald, a driver evalu-

ator for Heavy Crude

who has driven as many

as 85 company trailers

through the wash bay in

one week this winter.

“We wash them

when they are empty

and drive them back to

the shop. It’s for main-

tenance purposes and

makes it easier to fi nd

the nuts and bolts.

“It’s also extra

weight if we have to go

over a weigh scale. It

cuts down on your loads.

You have make allow-

ances for that.”

Heavy Crude Haul-

ing also has a fl eet of

pups, tandems, tri-

dems, super Bs, tanks

and bodyjobs that need

washing.

It was -20 Celsius

the day the Pipeline News visited the truck

and car wash facility that

opened last winter. It is

undergoing continual

improvements to ensure

customers get the best

possible wash for their

money especially during

frigid temperatures.

“We added a double

wash last summer and

we knew we would need

it this winter,” said man-

ager Morten Merrild.

“Washing cold sur-

faces is just a diff er-

ent story. Th e soap can

freeze and that’s why we

don’t put the soap on the

fi rst run during a double

wash.

“We focus on blast-

ing off the mud and the

ice in the fi rst run. And

in the second one, we

give it a full wash. It gets

way cleaner.”

“A lot of guys don’t

really care too much

about the details,” said

Merrild. “Th ey can go

through without soap

just to work on their

weight – mud, salt and

ice. At this time of the

year, we have that as an

option.”

Rates and wash ser-

vices vary according to

vehicle type and cus-

tomers’ needs.

Th e automated

truck wash has lowered

its high volume spray

to reach no higher than

fi ve feet off the ground

to reduce the amount

of water that could leak

into windows and door

seals.

“If you look at most

trucks, 90 per cent of

the mud and ice is from

fi ve feet and below,” said

Merrild. “Th at keeps

water out of the door

and window. We only

put about 20 per cent of

the volume on the door.

“We did a lot of re-

search on the washing to

determine how we can

get a truck clean without

putting too much water

on.

Page B17

Truck wash sheds tons of road weight and salt

Farmer Leon Hougham from Frenchman’s Butte washed his semi on a cold day to remove salt buildup.


Page B16“In the beginning,

we felt the more water

the better and now we

are kind of thinking the

less water the better to

get a clean wash.”

At least 15,000 gal-

lons of water are used for

each cleaning – enough

to put a smile on the

face of farmer Leon

Hougham who drove

his Lone Wolf Hauling

semi through the wash

bay on his second visit.

“I have quite a

buildup of salt and it

would take quite a bit

to clean at a regular car

wash,” said Hougham,

who says he hauls “a

bunch of cows” from

his farm at Frenchman’s

Butte.

“Th is is pretty pain-

less to come in and

quickly get “her” done.

When it’s cleaner it’s

easier to do mainte-

nance on it but it’s

mostly for getting that

salt off so things aren’t

rusting out.

“My biggest con-

cern is the salt. All that

undercarriage and ev-

erything around the

fi fth wheel – it’s a hard

place to get cleaned out

by yourself. I don’t know

how you would do it.

“You would have to

lay on your back with

the wand. It would be

quite a job to get that

out of there properly.”

Hougham pulled

in dressed for the cold

with the ear fl aps on his

hat pulled down but he

said if it were too cold

he’d be worried about

water freezing all of his

doors shut.

Merrild counters

that by reporting a lot of

drivers tell him “it’s not

a big deal if they take it

right back on the road.

“We’re up against a

change of habit. Th ere

was nowhere you could

go and knock off that ice

before they could come

here. Th ey could start

working on it with a

hammer but that would

take forever.

“A lot of them will

be pulling a lot of ex-

tra weight with the salt

and ice – tons of extra

weight. Th ey lose money

on stuff they can’t haul

and the extra weight af-

fects fuel economy.”

As fate would have

it, the heated concrete

entrance and exit pads

have failed in the cold

and the automatic door

sometimes malfunctions

with heavy ice buildup,

but none of these prob-

lems aff ects the quality

of the wash.

“Like any other

business we have start-

up things to learn,” said

Merrild. “We still have

a lot of stuff we want to

change to get out prod-

uct better. We are not

100 per cent satisfi ed.

“Business is starting

to come in and a lot of

guys are starting to make

it a habit. Th at’s a good.

It shows us that there’s

a need for this service in

the area and that we are

here to stay.”

Assistant truck wash manager Dean Haan and wash operator Martin John-son remove the exhaust covers when a truck pulls out of the wash bay.

Driver Ron MacDonald drove this crude hauling trailer for Heavy Crude Hauling through the truck wash. Heavy Crude Hauling is a regular wash customer.

Truck wash provides a much needed service


Lloydminster – Th e best way to keep warm in

the winter is to do what Pam and Neal Beznoska

did.

Th ey are the owners of Northern Factory

Workwear shops in Lloydminster and Saskatoon

who fl ew south to escape the cold of January before

they were able to be interviewed about their cold

weather clothing garments.

Fortunately for readers, they left instructions

with staff to talk about how their store is geared to

keeping everyone they left behind warm and cozy

at work and play, come snowstorm or blizzard.

While the Beznoskas were in warmer climates,

sales associate Brandi Pedersen knows from her

experience that it’s cold weather and goose bumps

that keep the company in business.

“As soon as it’s cold, that’s when guys in the

oilpatch want to buy stuff ,” she said. “Th at’s when

we are the busiest. Most people don’t actually buy

cold weather clothing until it actually gets cold.”

Small talk about the weather is also Pedersen’s

opening to “get the ball rolling for getting some

clothing on them,” as she puts it.

“Oilpatch workers are looking for warm boots,

warm coats, something for their head and mitts

and gloves for hands – you name it anything to

keep them warm.”

Northern Factory Workwear has become

known as the place to shop for brand name winter

work wear and fi re retardant clothing regulated or

required by the oil industry.

Th e store has its own in-house embroidery

shop to provide a one-stop service for oil compa-

nies and industries wanting their logo on all cor-

porate employee outerwear.

Th e Lloydminster-based retail fi xture is also

slowly morphing into a family store for spouses

and kids of oil workers and the general public to

meet the demand for warm and fashionable winter

clothing.

“What’s unique and diverse about us is that we

see people coming in who are all types and ages,”

said Nadine Walker-Perry, a marketing associate.

Page B19

Factory Workwear out ts the west for winter’s worst

Two year-old Jenessa Younghands volunteered to model this snazzy pair of coveralls with help from her mom Marilyn and four year sister Laney

Contact your local pipeline sale rep.

to get 28,000 Circulation on your career ad!

Speci c Targeting


Page B18 “Th e kids are coming in to get geared up for

when they are going skating or sledding or their

parents are making sure they’re warm going off to

school with right boots and jackets.

“Th e guys in the oilfi eld are looking for those

items they have to have but we also have people who

are just looking for good and warm clothing that

will last through the winter.”

Wanting to look cool in the cold or while at-

tending an after-work function or chore could be

solved by wearing a Canada Goose jacket made in

Canada.

Th e trendy parkas have been worn by actors in

such movies as Th e Day After Tomorrow, Eight Below

and National Treasure.

Th e women’s Expedition model features a wa-

ter-repellant fi nish, heavy-duty zipper and duck

down fi ll for warmth and dryness, along with a styl-

ish coyote fur collar.

“Most people want one for warmth but some

people have mentioned fashion,” said Ruth Rendle

who receives some of the e-mail inquiries from

around the world from people who have browsed

the business web site.

“I had a fellow call me from Ottawa and he

wanted to know if some specifi c coats were warm

enough for the climate there and what I would sug-

gest for that area.”

Walker-Perry says what helps drive local and

domestic sales of the non-workwear stock is the

fact a lot of oilpatch companies give their employees

gift certifi cates or safety bonuses that can be used to

purchase anything in store.

“So if the dad comes in with his wife and the

kids come along, they get whatever they want with

it. It’s defi nitely family oriented,” said Walker-Per-

ry.

Th e kids’ clothing section includes coveralls

from Finnmark for boys and girls from size two and

up so they can “look like daddy in the oilpatch” as

Walker-Perry jokes. “We also have socks, toques,

mitts and winter coats for kids.”

For the oilpatch recreationist, the store carries a

good selection of snowmobile suits from Ganka and

casual winter jackets by brands such as Columbia,

CAT, Merrill, Helly Hansen and the iconic Canada

Goose line that is a favourite of Walker-Perry’s.

“People see Canada Goose and they love that

brand,” she said. “It’s warm and stylish and has be-

come a fashion conscious product.

“If they are looking for something warm going

to their kids’ hockey game or shoveling the drive-

way, they know this will keep them warm.”

Th is winter is the fi rst full winter that Walker-

Perry has worked at the store and she says all the

talk about cold weather actually warms her up to

come to work.“When you start here everyone tells you in the

winter it’s going to be really busy,” she said. “You don’t really comprehend that until you see big line ups at the till and whole store just swarming with people.

“It’s super fun and exciting.”Ditto for Pedersen who said when it comes to

cold weather, “We thrive off it. When I see it snow-ing outside or it it’s cold, I get excited because I know it’s going to be a busy day. It’s really good for our store.”

Brandi Pedersen reaches up to take down a kid sized Canada Goose jacket for winter warmth.

Sales associate Brandi Pedersen models a warm, stylish Canada Goose parka for women.

Cold weather shopping starts here


Heavy Oil: Revolutionizing the future of heavy oil recovery by sonically applying specialized heavy oil treatment chemistries either in batch or continuous mode. Both completion and production related skin damage have been effectively removed restoring sustained production to many CHOPS (Cold Heavy Oil Production) wells.

Injection Wells: Selectively cleaning large perfed intervals or horizontal injection/disposal wells using sonically conveyed treatment fl uids. The horsepower and vibration energy associated with sonic pulse activation enhances dramatically the effectiveness of acids and solvents applied to remove both organic and inorganic scale.

Serving Canada, USA and Worldwide Markets

403-650-1052 • www.canasonics.com

Sonic Stimulation Tools,Completion Tools And Techniques

Innovative Technologies Including

• SST-001 : Coil conveyed sonic tool. patent pending

• APT : Coil conveyed pulse tool with fl ow and Hertz control. patent pending

• PST : Production/Injection Enhancement Pulse Stimulation Tool. patent pending

• LF HAPIT : Coil conveyed pulse tool with fl ow and Hertz control. patent pending

• EHAP : Enhanced Hydraulic Attenuated Pump – no moving parts. patent pending

• HAWII PAST : Combines the EHAP & SST technologies for ‘toe to heel’ heavy oil sweep. patent pending

• HIT : Hydraulic Isolation Tool – Selective fl uid fracturing without packer requirements• TRANSLATOR : Surface Measurement & Mapping of Down-Hole Disturbances i.e. fracture propagation, injection sweep and production infl ow profi ling.

Enhance production, improve sweep effi ciencies,and reduce work-over costs

Making Waves in the Oil PatchTRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

www.energytrainingcentre.ca1.888.ETC.7972

COILED TUBING WSBOP Feb 24 Swift Current CampusCOMMERCIAL PESTICIDE APPLICATOR - Industrial Feb 24, 25, 26 Kindersley CampusCONFINED SPACE ENTRY - Level 1 & 2 Feb 10 Kindersley Campus Feb 24 Swift Current CampusFALL PROTECTION (1 Day) Feb 11 Kindersley Campus Feb 26 Swift Current CampusFALL PROTECTION (2 Day) Feb 20 & 21 Kindersley CampusFIRST AID Feb 6 & 7 Kindersley Campus Feb 9 & 10 Swift Current Campus Feb 17 & 18 Kindersley Campus Feb 20 & 21 Swift Current Campus Feb 26 & 27 Kindersley CampussFIT TESTING Feb 10 Kindersley Campus Feb 23 Swift Current CampusFORKLIFT OPERATOR Feb 24 Kindersley Campus Feb 25 Swift Current CampusGROUND DISTURBANCE Feb 12 Kindersley Campus Feb 22 Swift Current CampusH2S ALIVE Feb 9 Kindersley Campus Feb 23 Swift Current Campus Feb 25 Swift Current CampusTRUCK DRIVER TRAINING - 5 & 10 DAY 10 Day Feb 1-12 Kindersley Campus 5 Day Feb 22-26 Kindersley Campus

CUSTOMIZED TRAINING

The majority of our training and education is

specialized to meet speci c client needs at their location and on their schedule.We will train and

effectively educate your staff to meet your company’s

needs and goals.

Story and Photos by Geoff LeeLloydminster – Cold winter weather

is money in the bank for Action Towing

& Recovery. Th ey are busier than ever

this season, but it’s no picnic for employ-

ees towing and recovering vehicles from

accidents in frigid temperatures.

“In a normal rollover, it only takes

about 15 minutes to get hooked up to

the unit and then you are back inside

driving again,” said owner John Buhnai

at his snow covered yard, 16 kilometres

west of Lloydminster on Highway 16.

“Normal towing isn’t that bad. It’s

when you’re doing recovery work at an

accident and you are out there for a few

hours. Th at’s when the cold really gets to

you.

“When it’s -35 Celsius and you have

a wind chill factor on top of that it’s hard

to dress for it. We supply our employees

with Helly Hansen insulated coveralls

and we found that’s the best thing to

wear out there in the cold.

“We also supply the guys with Helly

Hansen balaclavas that cover up your

whole head. Our trucks are equipped

with two heaters in case one breaks

down.

“Th is isn’t our fi rst rodeo. We know

how to keep our trucks serviced and

ready to go in the wintertime. Nothing

looks worse than a tow truck behind a

tow truck.”

Action Towing is the fi rst area re-

sponder for heavy oilfi eld tow jobs and

accident recovery with its specialty fl eet

of vehicles that includes a 40-ton slid-

ing boom recovery unit and a monster

60-ton tandem-steering, tri-drive tow

truck dubbed “Tow Mater” and painted

in bright yellow company colours.

“Th e recovery unit has got winches

on it so you can stretch the boom out

and run winch lines out to the unit that’s

rolled,” explained Buhnai. “With the use

of the boom and winches you can stand

things back up.”

Action towing also has an air cush-

ion recovery unit used for righting tipped

trailers, tankers and fi fth wheel trailers at

accident sites and there have been plenty

of those this winter.

“We’ve had a couple of two-truck

collisions on Highway 16 – one in Al-

berta and one in Saskatchewan and

we’ve had some guys just rolling their

trucks on the back roads,” said Buhnai.

“Sometimes it’s due to icy roads and

poor visibility and sometimes it’s the

same as accidents in the summertime –

just not paying attention.” Page B21

Warm wear key to cold winter heavy towing

Tow truck driver Dan Lougheed is bundled up for towing in the cold. His gloves are warming in the truck.


Page B20Action Towing also provides safe-

ty and traffi c control services at acci-

dents and drivers are trained to react to

safety and environmental threats from

leaking fuel or spilled engine oil and

antifreeze.

“In the winter when it’s cold, we

get quite a few calls at nighttime,”

added Buhnai. “Highway trucks and

oilfi eld trucks are running 24/7, so lots

of guys break down at midnight as well

as dinner time.

“Safety is always a concern but at

night time you have to be that much

more careful.”

Cold weather leads to vehicle

breakdowns with frozen air systems

and brakes prompting most of the tow-

ing calls from stranded oilfi eld drivers.

“Breakdowns can occur in transit

and while they are going down the

road. Sometimes they are working on

a lease site for a few hours and things

freeze up,” said Buhnai.

“If it gets too cold, we tell our em-

ployees to jump in the truck. Th ere’s no

sense losing fi ngers over a tow job.

“We supply the gloves for most of

the guys and they have three or four

pairs of gloves going at the same time

so they’ve got gloves warming on the

heater.”

Tow truck driver Dan Lougheed

knows a thing or two about working in

the cold. He got the call to work that

memorable frosty weekend this past

December when it dipped to -51 C

with the wind.

It was his coldest day of work dur-

ing his three and half years with Ac-

tion Towing.

“I was up north pulling drive shafts

and towing trucks,” he said. “Basically,

Action Towing dispatched one its boom recovery trucks to a winter rollover of a mobile home near Maidstone. Photo courtesy of Action Towing & Re-covery.

it just froze up trucks. I caged lots of

brakes – the air lines wouldn’t release

brakes.

“Th e wind – like laying under a

truck to pull a driveshaft off or some-

thing like that with the wind blowing

underneath the truck – that’s gotta be

the worst part.”

To stay warm, Lougheed bundles

up in his Helly Hansen coveralls and

balaclava along with warm gloves and

winter boots.

On the day of the story interview

it was -26 C and Lougheed was also

wearing a hoodie and wool socks to

drive off in his 30-ton C500 tri-drive

tow truck.

Lougheed works outside in the

cold for about 15 minutes during a ba-

sic hook up buy says “It’s a tougher one

when you’re running air lines or having

to cage brakes. It could be a half hour

to an hour.

“If you get too cold you just jump

in the truck for few minutes and jump

back out and keep going.

“Th e heat is always on in the truck

so you jump in and take your gloves off

and boots to warm up your toes. I usu-

ally have a thermos in the truck too.

“It’s always nice to see to see warm

weather come around.”

Action Towing has added a few

lowboys to its fl eet recently that will

give the company the ability to haul

heavy service rigs, fl ushbys and coil

tubing trucks to well sites during

spring breakup and road bans using a

new a 40-wheel trailer combination

“We also added a towing unit to

the fl eet,” said Buhnai. “Th at gives us

more diversity and more units and al-

lows us to keep up with the demand

better.”

Supervisor Ken Cryderman gets set to hook up a fuel truck to a 60-ton tandem steering, tri-drive tow truck on a cold winter’s day.

Stranded drivers make the bulk of winter tows


Lloydminster – Th e H2Oil dual level gauge manufactured and distributed

by Sign Language Ltd. in Lloydminster is literally raising the bar on fl uid level

measurements in oilfi eld tanks.

Th e fl uid measurement system measures both oil and water levels in tanks

and indicates the measurement on the same gauge

board enabling operators and haulers to better

manage fl uid levels and avoid hauling mixed loads.

Th e product has been four years in the making.

It is offi cially being launched in the marketplace by

lead inventor Brian Watchel along with his broth-

ers Gerald and David at Sign Language following

fi eld trials and modifi cations.

“Controlling mixed loads of water and oil saves

money,” he said. “You’re not mixing loads or hav-

ing to separate them again which will cost more

money.

“If you haul water to your own disposal well

you will not have to spend the extra time and mon-

ey to recover oil that has been dumped into the

disposal.

“We knew about one guy who hauled 30 me-

tres of water but actually he hauled 10 metres of

water and 20 metres of oil and took it to a disposal

that wasn’t his company’s and dumped it. He lost

120 barrels of oil at $60 a barrel. Th at’s $4,000 he

gave away right there.”

Th e H2Oil gauge follows on the success of

the Watchels’ gauge board manufacturing that the

brothers started years ago to diversify their oilfi eld

sign making business.

Th ey improved that product by making a 6-inch

wide board out of 18-gauge galvanized metal that

prevented them from being torn off in high winds

and followed that up by making a complete gauge

board system.

“Th e signs were our main business but with the

guys we are selling our normal one fl oat system to,

it’s getting to be a bigger part of it,” said Watchel.

“We haven’t tried to sell too many of the dual level systems until now.

We’ve been testing it for a few years. Now, we’ve got it to where we want it to

be. We’re going to start pushing it.

“Our system with the board is about $2,500 with installation. It can pay

for itself pretty fast.”

Th e H2Oil dual level system is also environ-

mentally friendly and safer since no climbing is

needed to open taps when measurements are taken

and overfl ow and spillage is eliminated. Water lev-

els can be recorded easily simply by reading the in-

dicator.

“If a company sends a water truck and the op-

erator is sucking off the three foot level, it tells him

if he’s got a full load of water so he knows he’s not

mixing the loads up,” said Watchel.

Watchel says he got the idea from his custom-

ers who like the one fl oat system but wanted to

know the interface to determine how much oil and

water is in the tank at any time.

“It just came to us one day,” said Watchel.

“We made a little one and put one in a tank and it

worked. We changed the vent cap so it couldn’t be

knocked out. We also patented a pulley arm and it

doesn’t freeze the pulley or cables.”

Th e water level fl oat consists of a stainless steel

cradle and a polyethylene tub fi lled with liquid that

helps it rise from the bottom with the water level

aided by a set of cables and pulleys that feature

sealed bearings.

“Even if the pulleys get oil on them they will

still turn on the bearings,” said Watchel.

Th e H2Oil dual level gauge can also be linked

to a SCADA system to automatically monitor wa-

ter and oil levels in remote wells.

Monitoring the oil and water enables the op-

erator to maximize production. Th e wellhead pump

speed can be varied to obtain the best fl ow rate for

the oil.

Dual level gauge raises bar on uid measurement

Brian Watchel shows off some of the unassem-bled components of a new H2Oil dual level gauge system to easily measure water and oil in tanks.


1 888-773-4646 www.collegeparkgm.com 1 780-853-4646

#5537 2010 CHEVROLET #5221 2009 PONTIAC #5471 2009 GMC #5177 2009 CHEVROLET #5546 2010 CHEVROLET #5468 2009 CHEVROLETCAMARO 2SS G5 SE Sedan CANYON 2WD EXT COBALT LT COUPE SILVERADO EXT DIESEL CREW 4X4

NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW

MSRP 51085 MSRP 25380 MSRP 30680 MSRP 25425 MSRP 37580 MSRP 60760

SALE $49,900 SALE $17,550 SALE $20,200 SALE $18,150 SALE $29,000 SALE $49,500

#5516A 2009 Pontiac #5534A 2009 Chevrolet #5594A 2006 Chevrolet #5607A 2009 Pontiac #5505A 2005 Chevrolet #5508A 2005 PontiacG 8 GT Impala LT Cobalt Vibe Malibu Maxx Grand Am GT

V 8 Coupe Auto

10000K 14000K 55000K 75000K 110000K

$35,900* $20,900* $9,500* $14,500* $8,900.* $8,900*

#5176B 2001 Chrysler #5504A 2006 Chevrolet #CCVA 2008 Pontiac #5584A 2006 Pontiac #5502A 2006 Chevrolet #5559A 2006 ChevroletConcord Cobalt LT G 5 Auto G 5 Cobalt LT Cobalt SS

Auto Only 10,000 K Auto

#5191A 2004 Pontiac #5579A 2006 Chevrolet #5400A 2004 Dodge #5576A 2004 Chevrolet #C429 2008 GMC W/T #5563A 2007 GMC SLEGrand Prix Silverado Ext 4x4 Quad cab Ext 4x4 Ext 4x4 Ext 4x4

Diesel 4x4 Z71

#CGD 2002 Chevrolet #CDCA 2003 GMC SLE #5476A 2007 Chevrolet #5179A 2008 Chevrolet #5429A 2007 Chevrolet #5525A 2007 GMC SLESilverado 1 Ton Ext 4x4 Silverado Crew 4X4 Ext Cab 4x4 Ext 4x4

8.1 w Allison Trans Crew 4X4 Colorado Z71

27000K 118000K 45000K 40000K 61000K

$5,500* $26,500* $23,500* $21,000* $23,900* $23,000*

#CCN 1995 Chevrolet #5549A 1998 Chevrolet # 5430B 2004 Chevrolet #5503A 2007 Chevrolet #5376A 2007 GMC #5366B 2007 GMCExt 3/4 2wd 2wd Ext 3 Door Crew 3/4 4x4 Reg Cab 4x4 Reg cab SLE Z71 4X4

Nice Diesel Short box

#5590A 2007 GMC SLT #5592A 2009 GMC SLT #5490A 2008 Pontiac #5560A 2009 Chevrolet #5561A 2009 Chevrolet #5550A 2008 PontiacYukon 4x4 Yukon 4x4 SV6 Trailblazer 4x4 Trailblazer 4X4 Torrent AWD

DVD

227000K 60000K Take over payments

$2,400* $8,900* $320/* $8,500 $9,900* $11,900*

165000K 99000K 140000K 70000K 20000K 55000K

$6,900* $11,500* $24,900* $18,500* $14,900* $22,900*

95000K 31000K 29000K 26000K 11000K

$32,500* $43,500* $15,500* $29,900* $29,900* $23,900*

26000K 205000K 90000K 105000K 48000K

$47,500* $8,900* $14,500* $21,000* $8,900* $39,500*

149000K 200000K 81000K 98000K 150000K under 20000K

$5,900* $3,900* $19,500* $14,500* $21,500* $17,900*

#5521A 2003 Dodge #5616A 2001 Isuzu #5319A 2007 Dodge #5475A 2005 Ford Escape #5483A 2003 Ford F250 #5421A 2008 Ford RangerCaravan Sport Rodeo Nitro 4x4 AWD XLT Supercab 4x4 4x4 Sport

Leather Sunroof Diesel 5 Speed

#5393A 2009 Chevrolet #5488B 1999 Chevrolet #5492B 2002 Chevrolet # C433 GMC SLE #5489A 2003 Chevrolet #5553A 2009 GMCTahoe LT 4x4 Tahoe 4x4 Tahoe Sierra Ext 3/4 4x4 Blazer 4x4 SLT Sierra Crew

4x4

*CASH PRICES LISTED NEW UNITS

MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR EXTRA

CREDITS CALL DONNA FORYOUR FINANCE REQUIREMENTS

169000k 105000K 167000K 160000K 15000K 67000K

$7,500 $29,000 $10,900 $15,500 $27,000 $24,500

VERMILION AB

PIPELINE NEWSSaskatchewan’s Petroleum Monthly

C-SectionFebruary 2010

Lloydminster – Ron Milne is not only this year’s Oilman of the Year for the

43rd annual Lloydminster Heavy Crude Open Bonspiel March 17-21, he’s also a

69-year-old action fi gure for the industry.

Retirement in an easy chair is not the life for him, although he likes fi shing

and enjoys summer camping at Ministicklin Lake north of Paradise Hill.

Fresh from a vacation in Disneyland with his wife Phyllis and four grandkids,

he was right back into his daily routine that starts with a brisk morning walk in

the park.

In fact, he was set to fl y out the door of Northwell Rentals Inc.,

when Pipeline News came calling. He works there part-time in

outside oilfi eld equipment rental sales.

“Ron is a very active person. He needs to have a purpose

and something to do every day,” said his boss Dave Heck. “He

is a very fi t and walks to stay in shape.”

He joked that he hopes to get 10 more years of work

out of him before he does pack it in.

One of Milne’s next physical tasks is

to type out his work resume and accep-

tance speech for the bonspiel banquet,

but he could run out of paper covering

all of his bases.

His career is a “been there, done

that” type of career, highlighted by 19

years of working on drilling rigs in

western Canada. He learned the ropes

along the way.

He was just 16 when he landed

his fi rst oilfi eld job with Canadian

Oilfi eld Maintenance in 1956 in Ox-

bow, Sask.

He followed that up with some

trenching and pipeline work with other

companies in Oxbow before Common-

wealth Drilling Rigs signed him to rig work

in 1960 in Estevan.

“I worked from Manitoba right through

to B.C. travelling over all the country. I did

everything from roughneck to pushing tools. I

did all of the steps,” said Milne.

His fi nest hour though was his role supervising the building of single drilling

rigs for Bow Island Drilling in Calgary from 1973-78. For oilfi eld history buff s,

Bow Island was a division of Th ompson Drilling.

“I loved building the rigs,” said Milne. “I stayed in the yard and built rigs all

the time. I built single drilling rigs. I worked with welders and mechanics and

labourers. I was the supervisor.

“Every day you saw the result of what you were doing. I had about six to eight

portable welders working for me.”

Another major 20 year chunk on his work life was running his own company,

R & P Pressure Washing, that he and his wife Phyllis started in Calgary in 1977.

Th ey moved it in 1978 to Lloydminster, where it grew and thrived before selling

in 1997 to a local buyer.

Milne’s only failure was sticking with his retirement plans that he shelved

after just eight restless months.

“You got to do something,” he said. “I plan to keep working unless my health

fails.”

Surprisingly, Milne never suff ered an injury on the rigs and during a four year

block of solid drilling he and his crew earned a safety award ever year.

“What we used to do when I started on the rigs – don’t even try that – don’t

even talk about that. It’s all together diff erent now,” he said noting safety and

technology are the biggest changes he’s seen during his career.

Milne worked his way out of retirement driving a pilot truck for Kam’s Gen-

eral Oilfi eld Hauling in 1998 and followed that up by launching his own hot shot

company called RPM Enterprises with a one-ton picker truck.

He sold the company in 2004 and drove relief for the new owners into 2005.

Th e same year he waded into selling two days a week for Northwell Rentals and

two days for Lash Enterprises that his daughter Kathy co-owns. His other daugh-

ter Colleen also works there as a bookkeeper.

Last summer, Milne made the move to sell part-time exclusively for North-

well, a decision that Heck says has worked out great.

“We have been building a team here for years that works together and has

common goals about the way we go about our business, Ron fi ts very well into

that philosophy.

“He is service oriented and I am sure the guys on our team

will be very happy he has been chosen as the Oilman of the Year,”

added Heck.

“I am quite proud one of our staff members has

reached that elite level. It speaks well for us at

Northwell to be associated with that

quality of people.”

Heck says he has known Milne

for 15 years and hired him partly

based on his knowledge of the in-

dustry and the contacts he has.

“He was also generally well

liked and accepted in the commu-

nity which is important when you

have someone in outside sales,”

added Heck.

John Stanyer, chair of the bon-

spiel, says the selection of the Oil-

man of the Year candidate is based

on picking someone like Ron who

has been in the oilpatch in the area

for years and has been a good sup-

porter of the community.”

Milne has been a member of the OTS for 27 years and helped to organize

numerous annual Heavy Oil Technical Symposiums.

He is also the president of the Lloydminster Oilfi eld Social Club which hosts

an annual contractors’ banquet each summer that attracts a crowd of 600 to 800

people to the Stockade Convention Centre.

Milne says he was surprised when Stanyer phoned him to off er him the hon-

our of being Oilman of the Year.

“I asked him why it was me?” and he reports Stanyer told him, “Your name

came up.”

“It means a lot to me for all the years I have been in the oilpatch,” said Milne.

“As soon as I was called I went home and told my family. My daughters were so

happy.”

In fact, Colleen told Pipeline News it was great to hear her dad call and tell her

he was appointed Oilman of the Year.

“I told him ‘good for you.’ ”

“It’s very exciting and I am very proud of him. He has accomplished a lot

through the years.”

Oilman of the Year just not the retiring type

Ron Milne, who works part-time at Northwell Rentals, will throw the rst ceremonial rock at the Lloyd oilmen’s bonspiel.

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010C2

Stoughton – Astro Boiler is fi nding the Stoughton

and Estevan oil and gas market to be a hotspot this

winter for its mobile steam service business based in

Tilley, Alberta.

Th e company recently purchased a 10-acre prop-

erty northwest of Stoughton to base a Saskatchewan

fl eet of fi ve mobile steamers.

Several crews are busy providing steam services

to frac crews working around the clock south of Es-

tevan and the company is eyeing the North Dakota

area.

“I’ve contacted some people in North Dakota

and they are very interested in our equipment,” said

owner Syl Tateson, who also sells and rents mobile

boilers.

“Th ey don’t have any of that down there. I am not

sure if we can get it across the border with all of the

restrictions. We are just looking into that.

“We’d like to make more of a foray into southern

Saskatchewan, too.”

At the frac site near Estevan, Astro Boiler is using

two 80-hp mobile boilers mounted in a 27-foot long

gooseneck trailer equipped with a 500 gallon water

tank. It can produce 3.2 million BTUs of dry steam

per hour needed to keep oilfi eld equipment warm.

Th ey also have three 50-hp mobile boilers on

hand that can produce 1.75 million BTUs of dry

steam.

“If it’s -30 Celsius with the wind blowing every-

thing goes to hell in a hurry,” said Tateson.

“When they are fracing the well, they need heat

on the wellhead so it won’t freeze up. Th ey usually

frac with fresh water so they would start out with

nine 400 barrel tanks.

“Th e water is pre-heated and we come in when

the frac crews arrive and heat the valves so they don’t

freeze up.

“We have to heat the wellhead and the manifold

where they pump the fl uid through.”

Th e company has provided steam services to the

oil and gas sector and for pipeline and river cross-

ings and for mining companies in Alberta, British

Columbia, North West Territories and Yukon since

1997.

“Th is is our fi rst year in Saskatchewan,” said

Tateson. “We were down here for a short period of

time last year and did very little work so we thought

we’d try it again.

“Th is is where there are lots of opportunities.

Alberta is still in the doldrums as far as oil and gas

goes.

“We’ve been in Fort McMurray when they were

drilling under rivers for pipelines. Th ey need heat on

their fl uid. It’s the same as a drilling rig.

“Th ey have to have mud to drill with. We keep

the mud warm so it doesn’t freeze up and their pumps

don’t freeze up.”

Heat is required to warm blowout preventers

(BOPSs) on service rigs and Astro Boiler supplies

16-inch by 20-inch “ruff neck” heaters for that work.

“Th ese are big heaters about two feet square

and they’ve got an electric fan on them. Steam goes

through the coils in it so when the fan blows, it blows

hot air on the BOPS,” explained Tateson.

“You cover the BOPs with canvass tarps so the

temperature in there is about 70 or 80 degrees Fahr-

enheit. Th at’s what you need for the hydraulics to

work properly if there’s a blowout.

“Th e industry really couldn’t operate without

steam. Steam is usually required when it’s anything

below freezing.

“If a valve or anything minor freezes up they’ve

got to have steam on it otherwise they are shut down.

Th ere is probably six or seven million dollars worth of

equipment sitting on the lease and they don’t want it

tied up over a little bit of frost.”

Th e alternative to using mobile boilers is a boiler

mounted in a skid shack but a large truck is needed to

move those units from location to location.

“Because ours are mounted on those gooseneck

trailers we have trucks that hook up and tow them

behind the service rig or the frac crew. Th ey are as

mobile as they are,” said Tateson.

Astro Boiler is busiest this winter in the Brooks,

Alberta, area and in the oilpatch around Stoughton

and south of Estevan where the company’s mobile

units continue to be put to the test in cold condi-

tions.

“On one particular job in the Estevan area they

started out fracing,” explained Tateson. “Th is is a

major well where they fi gured they would be for fi ve

weeks. Th ey fraced the zones and as they were com-

ing out of the hole, they sanded off (plugged the hole

with sand) and lost a tool down there.

“So right now they are fi shing for it with a service

rig. Th ey have all this fl uid and water because they

need it on a service rig to go down and fi nd this tool.

Th ey need heat as well for their blow back tanks and

pumps.”

Astro Boiler steaming aheadAstro Boiler steaming ahead

This is the heart of an Astro Boiler unit.Photo courtesy Astro Boiler

PIPELINE NEWS February 2010 C3


Saskatchewan Energy and resources Minis-

ter Bill Boyd was interviewed by Pipeline News by

phone in late January from his constituency offi ce

in Kindersley and asked to share his thoughts about

where the energy sector and the province are headed

for the remainder of 2010.

Q. What is your take on the oil and gas sector for 2010?

A: We are very optimistic about the oil and gas

sector for 2010. We believe that drilling will be very

strong and production will be very strong. Th ere is a

possibility that Saskatchewan will overtake Alberta

in terms of conventional oil production in 2010 for

the fi rst time ever.

Th e prices are relatively strong on the oil side

which promotes growth, drilling and increased pro-

duction.

Q. What are your thoughts about the prospects for the gas sector this year?

A: Gas prices are a little soft right now, so we are

not expecting a great deal of activity in that area. Of

course, you just never know though. If prices all of a

sudden spike for some reason like a cold snap in the

eastern market in Canada or in the eastern U.S. this

winter, we could see prices move up. Th at always has

a tendency to encourage development.

Gas is a fairly small part of the overall equation in

Saskatchewan. It’s much diff erent than in Alberta.

Q. Do expect land sales to continue their mo-mentum like we saw in the latter part of 2009?

A: Yes we do. We anticipate strong land sales in

2010. Th ese things, of course, are always based on the

price of oil. If we see oil in that $80 and plus per bar-

rel range, we will continue to see strong land sales.

We think that the new technology that’s being

used in many areas across Saskatchewan right now

– horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracing – that’s

really unlocked some resources that weren’t available

before. Th e recovery rate is a lot greater and as a re-

sult of that, stronger payback.

Q. Do you think the planned carbon capture project with Montana and the Canada/U.S. federal governments will move ahead this year?

A: We still are of the opinion that this is a very

good project. We have been working back and forth

with the federal government to provide them with

all of the information that is necessary. We under-

stand our application is being viewed favourably. We

are anticipating a positive response. We still haven’t

received it, but we are hopeful.

Page C5

Boyd bullish on the impact of newQ&Awith Bill Boyd

Minister of Energy and Resources

Th ere is a possibility that Saskatchewan will overtake Alberta in terms

of conventional oil production in 2010 for the fi rst time ever.

SERVICES SERVICES COMPANYCOMPANY eOilfi eld

For SaleFor Sale

Serious inquiries please call Serious inquiries please call 780-871-1238780-871-1238will sell some equipment seperatewill sell some equipment seperate

Nice Equipment & Trucks all in Good ShapeNice Equipment & Trucks all in Good Shape4 Tridem Vac Trucks4 Tridem Vac Trucks

2 Pressure Trucks2 Pressure Trucks3 Body Vac Trucks3 Body Vac Trucks


recovery technologies for 2010

Page C4Q: Are you disappointed nuclear power has

been shelved until at least 2020 before another re-view?

A: Th e numbers didn’t add up to allow for a

nuclear facility at this point. Th at may change in

the future and we would look forward to reviewing

that. However, we see our growth needs in terms

of electrical demand for the next decade or so be-

ing approximately 1,100 megawatts. If the economy

grows quicker than anticipated that demand may be

greater and then there would be a need to review this

policy.

Th at’s the demand for this time period and it

doesn’t grow all in one lump sum. It grows in incre-

ments on a yearly basis. To bring on a nuclear facility

was just too much additional capacity at this particu-

lar time. We will look at in the future.

Q: Does that mean more power will be gener-ated by natural gas or from coal?

A: Not necessarily. It’s a possibility to have more

electrical generation from natural gas. Th ere are oth-

er sources that we are looking at. We have a request

for proposals out for wind energy right now. We are

looking at the potential of biomass and other renew-

ables – potentially more hydro resources coming on

in the future. Th ose come in smaller increments so

it’s easy to match that kind of growth to the growing

need for electrical generation.

Q: What type of economic opportunities do you see coming from greener energy and practic-es?

A: Certainly, we think that wind, potentially so-

lar, biomass and hydro – all green sources of energy

are sources that the province is looking to utilize in

the future.

Q: What projects are moving ahead in 2010?A: I am very optimistic that the continued use

of new technology such as horizontal drilling and

multi-stage fracing will open up a number of areas.

I expect there will be more development in Swift

Current and the Lower Shaunavon areas and the

Kindersley/Coleville and Kerrobert/Dodsland areas

right through up to Lloydminster. Th ese are very vi-

able areas for that kind of technology.

We are also optimistic that we will see some oil-

sands development in the province in 2010.

Q: What are the priorities for your ministry and province?

A: Our priorities are to see a continued growth

for the oil and gas sector and the minerals sector of

our economy. We hope we will see a strong return

of potash sales in 2010 and renewing contracts with

important countries like China and India. Th ey are

very important consumers of Saskatchewan potash.

In agriculture which this constituency (Kinders-

ley area) has a vast amount of, we are always looking

for a season that promotes a good crop. Th is area is

dry so we are very hopeful of lots of snow this winter

and an early spring rain. (Bill Boyd and his wife Lynn

operate a pedigreed seed feed farm near Eston).

And for the livestock sector, we are optimistic

that we will see prices improve to provide for stron-

ger returns for farmers and ranchers.

Note: Premier Brad Wall and Montana Gover-nor Brian Schweitzer signed a Memorandum of Un-derstanding in May 2009 to work together on a joint project to capture carbon from coal and gas-fi red power generation and store it deep underground.

Th is $270 million project would help Saskatchewan to meet the federal government’s target and the prov-ince’s target to reduce GHG emissions by 20 per cent be-low 2006 levels by 2020. Saskatchewan has committed $50 million for the project and awaits a $100 million contribution from Ottawa to proceed.

Similarly, Montana has requested $100 million for the U.S. government and is waiting for further word on funding from Washington.

Saskatchewan Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd. File photo


Lloydminster – Husky Energy will

establish a greener footprint in the

City of Lloydminster with the spring

2010 construction start of a new en-

ergy-effi cient administrative offi ce to

house its expanding operations.

Husky has signed a letter of intent

with Cana Construction Limited to

construct the building. An offi cial sod

turning ceremony is in the planning

stages.

Th e new three-storey structure

will incorporate energy saving fea-

tures into the design including solar

panels and an “intelligent” building

automation system to reduce energy

consumption and maximize building

comfort.

According to Husky spokesperson

Graham White, the construction will

generate numerous jobs and economic

spinoff s for local contractors, suppliers

and tradespersons.

Th e new offi ce will be located just

east of the company’s existing offi ce

tower on Highway 16 and 45th Ave.

on the Saskatchewan side of the bor-

der town.

It will provide staff and visitors

with 9,800 square metres of interior

space with an anticipated comple-

tion by the end of 2011. Th e future of

the current tower has yet to be deter-

mined.

“Th e Lloydminster offi ce build-

ing refl ects Husky’s commitment to

the community and reinforces the im-

portance of Husky’s operations in this

region,” John Lau, president and CEO

said in a news release.

Th e announcement of the new

building follows the closure on Nov.

30, 2009, of Husky’s purchase of Penn

West’s heavy oil properties in east

central Alberta and Saskatchewan and

will make room for additional staff to

operate and manage the new acquisi-

tions.

“We will capitalize on our tech-

nical expertise and take advantage of

operational synergies by integrating

these assets into the company’s ex-

tensive heavy oil operations,” reported

Lau.

Husky is a signifi cant employer

in the area with heavy oil exploration,

production and refi ning assets cover-

ing more than 8,000 square kilometres

of land in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Page C7

Husky to build “green” regional of ce in Lloyd

The future of Husky’s existing of ce tower has yet to be announced.


This is an architectural rendering of one view of Husky’s planned new administrative building.Image submitted

Page C6

In the Lloydminster area, Husky operates an

82,000 barrel per day heavy oil upgrader, an asphalt

refi nery, the Meridian Co-generation Power Plant,

an ethanol plant, a logistics centre and hundreds of

kilometers of pipeline.

Th e integrated oil and gas company is also a ma-

jor player in Canada’s off shore East Coast oil and gas

industry with headquarters in Calgary.

A new Lloydminster offi ce is welcomed news to

new Lloydminster Mayor Jeff Mulligan, who aims

to engage the oil and gas industry in Lloydminster

more closely during his term.

“Th e city has a long history of working in part-

nership with Husky and Mr. Lau on progressive ini-

tiatives,” said Mulligan during the announcement.

“Th e commitment to a new offi ce building rein-

forces the prominent role of Husky as a major con-

tributor to the local economy and energizes the city’s

ongoing economic development plans.”

Th e focal point of the building will be a three

storey atrium and staircase visible from the exterior.

Features include fl exible large open areas, an inter-

pretive centre, high ceilings, a cafeteria, a fi tness cen-

tre and elevator lobbies on each fl oor.

“Husky is building an environmentally friendly

facility that will utilize energy effi cient technologies

and practices,” added Lau.

Additional features include high performance

window glazing and exterior wall systems to reduce

energy consumption and R30 insulation in the roof

along with refl ective materials to further cut energy

use and heat loss.

Husky Energybuilding an environmentally friendly of ce

Calgary - T. Murray Wilson, executive chair-

man of Oilsands Quest Inc., will assume the addi-

tional roles of president and chief executive offi cer

with the resignation of Christopher Hopkins who

will lead a private company pursuing oil shale.

Hopkins, who resigned Jan. 15, is the chair-

man, president and CEO of Canshale Corp., a

company he formed to pursue the development of

oil shale assets near Pasquia Hills in east-central

Saskatchewan.

Th e new company plans to acquire the 198,187

hectares (489,730 acres) of exploration permits

from Oilsands Quest for $1 million in cash and

eight million shares of Canshale. Th e sale is con-

ditional on Canshale raising a minimum of $12.5

million. Following the initial Canshale fi nancing,

Oilsands Quest will retain an ownership interest of

between 10 per cent and 16 cent in the company.

Th e exploration permits provide for the right

to explore, mine, quarry and work the permit lands,

but not to produce or recover oil shales except for

test purposes until a lease has been granted. Th e

permits were granted in 2006 and 2007 and have

fi ve-year terms.

Oilsands Quest CEO resigns to lead Canshale Corp.


Calgary – Drivers of oil and gas vehicles in southern Saskatchewan may not

be as courteous or as safety minded as their counterparts in Western Canada,

while oil and gas companies in the Lloydminster area may be generating too

much noise as they go about their business.

Th ese were just two of the unusual fi ndings of a comprehensive Ipsos-Reid

survey of public attitudes about the oil and gas industry is areas with high oil and

gas activity in parts of western Canada.

Th e survey was conducted in 2009 for the Petroleum Services Association of

Canada that represents the service, supply and manufacturing sectors within the

upstream petroleum industry.

PSAC is responding to public concerns by building a public website, sched-

uled for release early in 2010 to answer the most frequently asked questions about

oil and gas, and provide an open line of communication for citizens to provide

feedback.

“We are pleased to see the overall positive views on the industry,” said Roger

Soucy, PSAC president in a news release.

“At the same time, we recognize we have some work to do in terms of com-

munications, livability and environmental issues in the communities we work in

and around.”

Th e purpose of the survey was to establish what people living in and around

areas of oil and gas activity really think of the industry, and help industry better

understand areas of concern.

Th e telephone survey covered 12 oil and gas regions encompassing over 135

communities across the western Canadian sedimentary basin and was published

in November, 2009.

Survey respondents across western Canada pointed to some key ways in

which the industry could improve, such as strengthening its communication with

local community members, minimizing the impacts that operations can have on

the livability of the area, and protecting the local environment.

Overall, the survey showed that the public has a relatively positive overall

view of the oil and gas industry, citing job creation, economic benefi ts and com-

munity service as key positives.

Almost three-in-fi ve survey respondents (58 per cent) had a positive overall

opinion of the oil and gas industry and over three-quarters (79 per cent) said that

communications from the oil and gas industry in their community are believ-

able.

Th e survey included Bonnyville, Drayton Valley, Edson, Grande Prairie, High

Prairie/Slave Lake, Lloydminster /Vermilion, Medicine Hat/Brooks, Peace River,

Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House in Alberta, as well as northeast British

Columbia and southern Saskatchewan.

Southern Sask.Th e southern Saskatchewan region survey covered the communities of Ar-

cola, Benson, Bromhead, Colgate, Forget, Froude, Goodwater, Griffi n, Halbrite,

Hitchcock, Kisbey, Lampman, Macoun, Midale, Ralph, Stoughton, Tribune and

Willmar.

Almost nine-in-10 of residents surveyed in those communities (89 per cent)

agreed that industry provides local jobs, 88 per cent said the industry is believable,

and 85 per cent agreed that industry contributes fi nancially to the community.

In addition, 72 per cent of local respondents viewed the industry favourably,

compared to the survey average of 58 per cent, and 81 per cent in the south-

ern Saskatchewan area agreed that industry has a positive relationship with local

communities (average 71 per cent).

Local respondents also rated the oil and gas industry signifi cantly higher than

average for participating in the community, treating residents and property with

respect, protecting public health and safety, minimizing mess and noise, listen-

ing to and communicating with local communities, responding to concerns, and

protecting the environment.

Southern Saskatchewan area respondents rated the industry slightly lower

than average for driving safely and courtesy.

To address the quality of life issues identifi ed in the survey, PSAC, in con-

junction with other industry groups is developing tools and information to help

fi eld employees conduct their operations with greater respect for residents and

their property.

A toolkit will encourage and support “good neighbour” habits such as closing

gates when crossing property lines, disposing of garbage properly, slowing down

to reduce dust and noise, driving safely, and scheduling operations to limit extra

traffi c at peak times.

Page C9

PSAC to boost public relations on energy sector survey


CALL US TO DISCUSS YOUR NEEDS:

1-800-746-6646401 Hwy #4, PO Box 879, Biggar, SK S0K 0M0

Tel: (306) 948-5262 Fax: (306) 948-5263Email: [email protected]

Website: www.envirotank.com

ONE OF CANADA’S LEADING MANUFACTURERS OF STORAGE TANKS

AGI Storage Tanks

Above Ground Storage Tanks:Meet All Environmental Regulations

Easy to Install & Move

Affordable

Built to Custom or Standard Specifications

AGI’s innovative design, custom manufacturing process and comprehensive service combine to make ASTs one of the most

cost-effective, efficient means of storage available today.

• We build ULC, UL, Flameshield, API-650, 620, 12F

• 7–2,500 bbl• 2,273–200,000 L Horizontal Contained

• 2,273–110,000 L Jacketed Underground• 2,273–120,000 L Vacuum Monitored• 1,250–5,000 L Rectangle• 5,000–200,000 L Single Wall Vertical

Community service and employment are among the rst good things that came to the minds of people surveyed by the Petroleum Services Association of Canada.

Page C8“We expect these industry-wide initiatives to

have a positive impact on the communications and

quality of life issues identifi ed by survey respon-

dents,” said Soucy.

“But we know this can’t be a one-time shot.

PSAC, along with our industry partners, will con-

tinue to collaborate on programs that strengthen

our communications with the public and protect

that quality of life small communities are known

for.”

Lloydminster areaIn the Lloydminster/Vermilion area, almost

nine-in-10 of residents (87 per cent) agreed that

industry provides local jobs, 82 per cent agreed the

industry is believable, and 78 per cent said that in-

dustry contributes fi nancially to the community.

Th e Lloydminster/Vermilion region survey

covered the communities of Blackfoot, Clandon-

ald, Dewberry, Hazeldine, Islay, Kitscoty, Mar-

wayne, Streamstown and Vermilion.

Local residents rated the oil and gas industry

lower on some other measures.

For example, 56 per cent of respondents viewed

industry favourably, compared to the survey aver-

age of 58 per cent and 54 per cent agreed that in-

dustry participates in the community (average 69

per cent).

Local respondents rated the oil and gas indus-

try higher than average for having a positive rela-

tionship in the community, treating property with

respect and minimizing mess.

On the downside, Lloydminster/Vermilion area

residents rated the industry lower than average for

following local laws, protecting public health and

safety, minimizing noise, responding to community

concerns, and protecting the environment.

“Environmental protection is a more complex

issue,” said Soucy.

“Th e fact is, our industry is already working

hard to reduce its environmental footprint, but we

haven’t been saying much about that.

“We are going to start communicating more

proactively about our environmental initiatives,

while we continue to conduct environmental re-

search, develop and use advanced technologies, and

implement best practices.”

PSAC looking to collaborate on programs with partners within the industry

Calgary – Diaz Resources Ltd. will dip another

toe in the Lloydminster heavy oil pool with the assis-

tance of Harvest Operations Corp. Harvest will drill

fi ve new horizontal wells for Diaz to operate on a 50

per cent working interest.

Th e additional fi ve-well program for 2010 follows

the successful drilling of three new horizontals wells

with Harvest on Diaz’s Lloydminster area holdings

from November 2009 to early January, 2010.

Diaz is an exploration and production company

based in Calgary that acquired approximately 2,000

acres of freehold and Crown land south and west of

Lloydminster in 2009 with a 50 to 80 per cent work-

ing interest.

Th e most recent well was drilled horizontally 450

meters in the Lloyd formation and is currently pro-

ducing 50 barrels of oil per day (25 net). Th is well is

structurally the lowest of four wells drilled in the area

since 2008.

Th e previously drilled horizontal well was brought

on production Dec. 24, 2009, and is currently produc-

ing 70 Bopd (35 net).

Th is well is structurally the highest well of the

four drilled to date. Based on Diaz’s interpretation of

the geology and seismic, the additional fi ve-well pro-

gram being proposed is anticipated to be structurally

as high as the Dec. 24 producing well.

Th e fi rst well drilled came on production Nov. 9,

2009 and has produced 5,500 barrels of oil to date.

Th e well has recently experienced a sand problem

which Diaz believes can be partially mitigated with

a workover that is being planned.

Th e obstruction has resulted in high water pro-

duction and restricted oil production to approximate-

ly 20 Bopd (10 net).

Th e initial well on the property came on produc-

tion in October 2008, and continues to produce 30

Bopd (15 net) with cumulative production of 14,000

barrels.

Diaz also owns about 3,000 acres of land in the

Birdbear horizontal play in west central Saskatch-

ewan where the company plans to drill a horizontal

well in the fi rst quarter of 2010.

In addition they own about 5,000 acres in the

Shaunavon play and have a block of land in the Vi-

king play.

Diaz to drill ve more

heavy oil wells inLloydminster


Specialists in Internal & External Coating ApplicationsEpoxy Linings • Metalizing • Fiberglass • 100% Solids Epoxy

Pipe, Bends, Tanks & Vessels

“Industry Leading Quality and Service Since 1987”6150 - 76 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6B 0A66150 - 76 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6B 0A66150 - 76 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6B 0A66150 - 76 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6B 0A66150 - 76 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6B 0A6

Phone: 780-440-2855 Fax: 780-440-1050Email: [email protected] www.brotherscoating.comEmail: [email protected] www.brotherscoating.comEmail: [email protected] www.brotherscoating.comEmail: [email protected] www.brotherscoating.comEmail: [email protected] www.brotherscoating.com

2007 Western Star with 2008 Tornado F4 hydrovac, pre-emission C-15 Cat,

29,000 km's, Roots 721 Blower with 640 hrs, Cat 3560 water pump with 730 hrs, Hotsy boiler, 8 inch top boom, wireless remote,

fully equipped and ready to work.

$390,000 Call (780)205-7666

FOR SALEFOR SALE

Lloydminster – Being retired has its benefi ts. Ted

Collins has all the time in the world to perfect his

curling skills and scare the competition into believing

he is still a threat to win big at the upcoming 43rd an-

nual Lloydminster Heavy Crude Open Bonspiel.

“I will be 80 this June,” said Collins. “I am hop-

ing that I can curl when I am 80. If I can’t curl maybe

they can get me to sing O Canada.

“I will keep on practising. Hopefully, maybe I can

win something again.”

“I like the competition and the fellowship. I have

known more people all over western Canada since I

started curling when I was young.

“A lot of them aren’t here anymore. I’ve curled

against some of the professional curlers like (Brier)

champs Hector Gervais, Matt Baldwin and Bob Pick-

ering. I’ve had a lot of success and I’ve been lucky.”

One year, he even won the Legends event for se-

niors at the Best Western Wayside Inn Curling Clas-

sic in Lloydminster.

Collins comes into this year’s event, to be held

March 17-21, as a six time A-event champ and a

perennial sentimental favourite as the oilman who

founded the event in 1968 – becoming its fi rst cham-

pion that same year.

He has curled in all 42 previous bonspiels along

with living legends Tom Fischer, Keith Collins and

Howie Cayford, who are all expected to play in 2010

at the Lloydminster Curling Club.

Collins says it’s the combination of competition

and fellowship that motivated him to launch the

event and keeps him coming back to the oilmen’s and

the rink.

“Th e big thing with that spiel was the fellow-

ship,” said Collins, who recalls the story of how the

Lloydminster bonspiel got its start.

“I lived in Lone Rock at the time and we curled

there,” he said. “Me and three other guys used to go

to the oilmen’s bonspiel in Edmonton. It was called

the International Oilmen’s Bonspiel. Everybody took

a week off and went because that was breakup time

in April.

“I got home from one of them one time and

I thought we should have one in Lloydminster. I

phoned the president of the Lloydminster curling

club and talked to him. He said ‘Yes, that’s a good

idea,’ so we started an oilmen’s league of eight teams.

Page C11

A vow to curl forever or sing O CanadaA vow to curl forever or sing O Canada

Ted Collins is one of four curlers to play in all 42 events. The fab four hope to make it 43 in a row this year.

Another great delivery by Ted Collins during the 40th annual event.


FULL FLUSHBY & PRESSURE SERVICES

BODY VACS,STEAMER/PRESSURE WASHER SERVICES

SALTWATER DISPOSAL PUMPING SERVICES

Ken McConnellOwner/Operator

24 HR Dispatch: 780-205-9001Mike #: 403*11*29001

Fax: 306-397-2697Box 238 Edam, SK

[email protected]

24 HOUR SERVICE24 HOUR SERVICE

Racken Enterprises.indd 1 8/21/08 1:00:06 PM

Page C10“Th en I started going around promoting the

bonspiel. At fi rst it didn’t go over too good, but then

I talked with a few other guys and they helped me

out. We started with 32 teams and the minimum

entry fee of $5 per player. Right away, the industry

itself got behind us.”

Th is year’s entry fee is $400 per team and in-

cludes dozens of cash and prize donations and

eight event sponsorships provided by oilfi eld com-

panies who keep it going.

“I had in mind not only the curling but the

people in the offi ces and the people who run the

businesses and the foreman and pushes to get to-

gether and have a celebration,” said Collins. “Th e

bonspiel turned out to be a real success.

“We have a great committee now and without

them we couldn’t hold it. I really appreciate what

they are doing to keep it alive.

“I hope we have 72 to 80 teams like we had

last year. Th ere’s a downturn in the oilfi eld but I

think the bonspiel will get the support.”

At one time, the event drew as many as 160

teams and more interest was added when the com-

mittee decided to select an Oilman of the Year in

1972.

Collins himself was named for that honour in

1992 – the 25th anniversary event.

Th is year’s Oilman of the Year is Ron Milne

and Collins knows how he feels.

“When I won it, I felt honoured,” he said. “It’s

a great thing to have. You are honoured for what

you contributed to the oilfi eld.”

Collins has a lengthy history contracting oil

wells for Husky and other companies starting with

his own business in 1953 in Lone Rock.

He also got involved in the water truck busi-

ness and in 1963 formed another company called

C & L Well Operators serving the areas of Lash-

burn, Maidstone, and Kitscoty.

“I also operated batteries in Waseca, Furness

and Maidstone so I was into quite a bit of areas.

Later on, I worked on exploration,” he said.

“In other words, I would look after an oil well

in Turtleford, Macklin, Ryslyvia and Vermilion and

Frog Lake on an exploration basis. I contracted for

Husky with my own company. I had all the men to

operate a battery 24 hours day. We cleaned the oil

and shipped it.

“Husky was my main employer. Th ey were a

good company to work for all those years.

“Th ey treated me really well. I know that every

time there was a slowdown, the word always came

out of the offi ce that made me feel pretty good – to

make sure I was working.”

Collins retired in 2001 but continues to cheer

lead the bonspiel that his name is forever associ-

ated with.

“Th at’s one of my legacies I guess,” he said. “I

was the founder of it but I had a lot of help. For

instance, Universal Industries was the fi rst sponsor

that I went to see.

“Th ere was a fellow named Walter “Slim” Th or-

pe that was one of the owners and he sponsored

the fi rst event. We still have Universal Industries

as a sponsor.”

Collins says another great thing about the

event is the networking that helped him land jobs

over the years.

“I think they got to know what I did and what

I contracted,” he said. “I worked for a lot of diff er-

ent companies and that was the reason.

“I don’t think anybody comes here to make a

deal. Th ey come to socialize. Th ey meet you and

they know who you are. It’s good for the indus-

try.”

Collins as Oilman of the Year in 1992.

Collins delivered the rst rock at the opening cer-emonies of the 1992 bonspiel, when he was Oil-man of the Year. Photos submitted

Continuing a great oil eld traditionContinuing a great oil eld tradition

C12 PIPELINE NEWS February 2010


of The BattlefordsIndependently Owned and Operated

FOR YOURREAL ESTATE NEEDSIN WEST CENTRALAND NORTHWESTSASKATCHEWAN:

Wally LorenzSales Associate

1391 - 100th St.

North Battleford, SK

S9A 0V9

Day or Night

Cell: (306) 843-7898Bus: (306) 446-8800

[email protected]

35TFN• Residential • Farms/Acreage• Residential • Farms/Acreage• Residential • Farms/Acreage• Residential • Farms/Acreage• Residential • Farms/Acreage

• Commercial • Recreational• Commercial • Recreational• Commercial • Recreational• Commercial • Recreational• Commercial • Recreational

Calgary – Provident Energy Trust is banking on

being a leaner and more profi table energy income trust

this year as it vowed to be last year.

Th e company edged closer to its goal with the

$190 million sale of its oil and natural gas assets in

west central Alberta to Storm Ventures International

Inc.

Th e latest sale announced in the last week of De-

cember is part of an ongoing plan by Provident to

shed its non-core properties and follows the sale of

the trust’s Lloydminster and southern Saskatchewan

properties in 2009.

“Th is transaction is another key step towards re-

positioning Provident as a sustainable growth vehicle

and further enhances our fi nancial fl exibility moving

forward,” said Tom Buchanan, president and CEO in

a news release.

Provident’s previously announced consolidated

2010 capital budget of $142 million remains un-

changed.

Approximately $55 million of capital spending

will be directed towards the company’s key upstream

oil and gas assets in the areas of Peace River Arch/Dix-

onville in northwest Alberta and southern Alberta.

Th e west central Alberta operating area produces

approximately 5,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day,

comprised of approximately 70 per cent natural gas

and 30 per cent liquids.

Approximately 25 per cent of the production is

from trust unit interests and 50 per cent is operated.

Production during November 2009 was 5,130

BOE per day comprised of approximately 667 BOE a

day of light and medium oil, 763 BOE per day of nat-

ural gas liquids and 22.2 mmcf a day of natural gas.

Total proved reserves were 10.5 million BOE as

of Sept. 30, 2009, while proved plus probable reserves

were approximately 14.6 million BOE.

Th e sale refl ects transaction metrics of $38,000

per fl owing BOE a day, $18.15 per BOE of proved

reserves and $13.02 per BOE of proved plus probable

reserves.

Th e sale is expected to close in the fi rst quarter of

2010 and the proceeds will help to reduce the com-

pany’s outstanding debt.

For Storm Ventures, the transaction with Provi-

dent gives the private Calgary-based oil and gas ex-

plorer and producer a solid foothold in west central

Alberta with lots of growth potential.

“Th e west central Alberta properties we are acquir-

ing provide us with a low decline asset with gas exploi-

tation upside and good facility exposure in a prolifi c

producing fairway,” said Matthew Brister, president

and CEO of Storm in a news statement.

“We will use this transaction as a nucleus to de-

velop a core area that we can augment with additional

acquisitions and exploration-led growth as gas prices

recover.”

Provident continues its lean streak with sale to Storm

Calgary – New markets and new uses for natural

gas will be needed to help pull the industry out its

recession in western Canada.

Th at’s the opinion of Roger Soucy, president of

the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, who

spoke about natural gas in an interview aired on Al-

berta’s Prime Time television show on the Access

channel in Calgary in December.

“On the natural gas side we probably need to be

certainly north of six dollars per mcf – probably at

least in the seven dollar range to encourage ad infl ux

of drilling,” said Soucy on Prime Time.

“I think we need to start looking – and a lot of

people are talking about expanding our markets for

the use of natural gas whether that’s exporting it to

other markets other than the United States which is

our only market right now – using it in other things

like heavy transportation.

“Creating electricity is certainly a key one. All

these things I think people need to start seriously

looking at. It’s all going to take some time and we’ve

got another tough 2010.”

Soucy’s comments follow the release of PSAC’s

forecast on the oil and gas industry for 2010 published

in November which predicts on average, natural gas

prices of $5 Cdn/mcf for 2010 and crude oil prices of

$72 US a barrel for WTI (west Texas intermediate).

“We are eff ectively moving into the third year of

a downturn,” said Soucy. “Th e economic recovery is

going to be long and slow and that will continue to

More gas pains ahead in 2010 says PSAC

aff ect energy demand from the United States, Cana-

da’s largest energy customer.

“Th e result of this is that 2010 will be a diffi -

cult year for the petroleum service sector. Companies

have been trying to hold stead, but now we’re going

to see some consolidation as the industry strives to

remain profi table.”


Yoga helps with Stress, Insomnia, Back Pain, Arthritis

and more by Increasing Flexibility, Increasing Lubrication of Joints,

Ligaments and Tendons. Massaging of ALL Organs

of the Body, Complete Detoxification, Excellent Toning

of the Muscles.

Lloydminster – Cold winter weather is helping

Osika Holdings Inc. in Lloydminster build up a head

of steam thawing production equipment for heavy oil

clients in the area.

“We are really busy. Just about every piece is out

every day,” said Jason Osika, who owns the business.

”It’s probably due to the cold weather and lots of rig

activity. Cold weather is our best time. We wait for

this every year.”

Osika has a diverse fl eet of two trailer steamers,

one vac truck, a steamer and vac combo truck, as well

as two tankless pump trucks of his own invention to

tackle everything from fl uid transfers and contain-

ment fl uid removal to steam jobs.

“Th e steamers are used for anything that’s fro-

zen – fl ow lines and gas lines,” said Osika. “We also

use them for washing wellheads and motors and any-

where there’s a spill or leak.

“Mostly it’s thawing fl ow lines and gas lines. It’s

for production. If a producer’s gas line freezes, they

can’t continue. Th eir motors won’t run and their burn-

ers won’t run.”

Osika can save clients a ton of money with his

tankless pump trucks that he invented to cut the cost

of emptying enviro vaults and get his business rolling

back in 2005.

“I am the only guy who has a tankless truck un-

less someone copied mine,” said Osika. “I just thought

it up one day. I heard talk of it being so expensive to

empty an enviro vault and I thought of a way to make

it cheaper.

“Th e average cost of a vac truck to empty a vault

is over $100. Th ese can do it for $40 and that includes

thawing ice.

“We don’t need a steamer. In the winter time, you

normally need a steam and a vac to thaw the ice and

get it all sucked out whereas we can use the resources

of the tank itself to thaw the ice. It takes it from a

$300 bill to a $40 bill.

“We have one hose for sucking the fl uid out and

other one ties onto the tank itself. We pump from

the enviro vault right into the tank. You don’t have to

worry about taking the fl uid somewhere else. It’s just

all done right on site.”

Osika demonstrated how easy it was at a nearby

production tank where he also used his combo steam

and vac truck to show how it works to thaw out fro-

zen gas line that stopped gas fl owing to the burner.

“It could take fi ve minutes or an hour and a half,”

said Osika. “I have to troubleshoot to fi nd out where

it’s frozen. Nine out of 10 times, it’s frozen because

the motor malfunctions.

“Th ere is a heat trace on all the lines and if the

motor goes down, the heat trace doesn’t work any-

more. If there is too much moisture in the gas, the

methanol can’t work properly either.”

Steam is applied to the exterior of the fl ow lines

with a hand-held wand and heats up the entire line.

“I keep the fl ow going for the operator until he

can light it (burner),” explained Osika.

Th e combo steam and vac truck made by Westec

has a diesel fi red boiler and a small triplex pump that

pumps water through it, heating it as steam or water

depending on the job requirements.

Page C15

Osika steams ahead of the Osika steams ahead of the pack with innovationpack with innovation

Jason Osika gets ready to turn off the steam after thawing a frozen ow line.

C15PIPELINE NEWS February 2010

ONE COMPLETE JOB • ONE INVOICE

• Picker Equipped Service Crews • Oilfield Welding & Fabrication • AutoCAD Drawings & Design • Enviro & Project Consulting• In House Rentals • G-55/S01 Containments • Tank Alteration & Repair • Tank Moving Cradles • Pickers up to 60 Tons • Steel Sales

• Bobcats/Backhoes/Trackhoes/Gravel Trucks c/w Pups or Wagons • Hot Taps & A.P.I. 653 Tank QC • New Wellsite Completions/Re-completes• Wellsite Abandonment & Reclamation • Water Injection Packages • Safety C.O.R. • Journeyman Pipefitter • Journeyman Carpenter

• Alberta & Saskatchewan B31.3 QC Programs • Certified A.P.I. 653 Tank Inspector

OILFIELDCONSULTING & CONSTRUCTION

SERVICE LTD.

(780) 808-2272Fax: (780) 808-2273

Clayton, C.E.T. Cell: (780) 205-1599Ken, C.E.T. Cell: (780) 205-1598

Johnny Cell: (780) 205-4090

P.O. Box 1155, Lloydminster, AB T9V 1G1Email: [email protected]

Clayton “C” Gessner, C.E.T./A.Sc.T. /A.P.I.653Manager/Owner

C.O.R.

Ryan Turpin hooks up hoses from the tankless pumper to an enviro vault and another part of the production tank to empty the vault.

Page C14“Th e only thing

unique about is that it

is a steamer and a vac

truck built into one,”

said Osika.

“It’s worked out re-

ally good. Th e service

rigs really like the fea-

ture of it being able to

wash the equipment and

help clean out pipe.

“If they can’t get the

sand out of the tubing,

they have to get a pres-

sure truck in to blow

that tubing clear while

we’re able to slurry the

sand and create a water

and sand mix and then

it just runs out.”

Th e combo steamer

has come in handy for

cleaning up spills and

containments and elimi-

nates the cost of having

two trucks.

“If you have some-

thing frozen and you

have to suck it up – the

oil around here is so

thick – if there’s a spill

a lot of times you have

to heat it up to get it off

the ground,” said Osika.

“Any containments

that have water in them

will have ice. So we just

thaw out the ice and we

are able to suck it up.”

Th e two steam trail-

ers are used for thaw-

ing gas lines and fl ow

lines and for smaller

jobs – regular produc-

tion thawing and wash-

ing. One trailer has an

800,000 BTU and the

other has a built-in

400,000 BTU unit.

As the demand for

his services and equip-

ment grows, Osika is

planning to build a third

tankless pumper that has

proven to be his bread

and butter.

“I started the busi-

ness out with my one-

ton tankless truck,” he

said. “It was supposed

to be a part time job.

We got a steamer with

it and we grew as there

was more use for the

steamers and the one-

ton trucks.”

He says the beauty

of the tankless pumper

is that is can tackle nu-

merous jobs such as do-

ing fl uid transfers from

one tank into another

or transferring hot fl uid

from the top of the tank

and putting it into the

bottom where it’s cold

to help with stinging or

door pulls.

“With those trucks

we don’t have any com-

petition,” said Osika.

“Th ey are competing

with a vac truck which is

twice as expensive. In the

winter, a vac truck needs

a steamer to go with it

or a combo unit. Th ose

tankless trucks we have

don’t need one at all.”

Osika has fi ve em-

ployees who are busy

year round steaming

and washing dozens of

motors and fi re tubes

on production tanks or

cleaning up spills.

“We wash the

equipment like well-

heads and vaults,” said

Osika. “Anything that’s

happened over the win-

ter we have to clean up

once the snow goes away

and starts showing all of

the staining. Th ere’s a lot

of equipment that’s got

to be cleaned and main-

tained.

“With wellheads,

the seals always go on

them and there’s always

a mess somewhere to

clean up.”

Jason Osika applied the steam wand inside the insulated liner of this frozen ow line.

Leading the way with great ideasLeading the way with great ideas


Lloydminster – Nordic Oil & Gas Ltd. starts

off 2010 with the potential to further increase

its oil and gas production, most notably from its

Lloydminster area properties, where it launched a

new 10-well drilling program at the end of 2009.

Th e company has recently announced a new oil

royalty trust to be called Nordic Oil Royalty Trust

to raise $1 million for new exploration capital in

the Lloydminster area.

Nordic is off ering investors the opportunity to

purchase 40 trust units at $25,000; in return, the

fund will receive a fi ve per cent “gross overriding

royalty” on the production from Nordic’s existing

wells plus the new wells that have been drilled. Th e

funds generated from the royalty will be then be

passed on to the unit holders.

Th ere were eight producing wells on the prop-

erties prior to the 2009 drilling. Two of the new

wells drilled at the end of 2009 have been placed

on production.

It is anticipated that the additional fi ve wells

will be put on production in the coming weeks

bringing the total number of wells there to 15.

Th ose additional seven wells were drilled to the

deeper Dina zone in 2009 to a depth of approxi-

mately 450 metres to give the company additional

targets that had the potential to be oil bearing.

Furthermore, an additional three wells will be

drilled near Lloydminster during the fi rst quarter

of 2010 to complete the company’s 10-well pro-

gram.

Nordic has the potential to drill about 25 other

locations on its property. Th e shallower wells at

Lloydminster can produce up to 20 to 25 barrels

of oil a day.

“Th ere is lots of potential that the compa-

ny’s recent drilling program will lead to increased

production from the deeper zones,” said Don Bain,

corporate secretary. “Two new wells are now on

production are we are currently evaluating the pro-

duction levels from them both.

“Th ese things (drilling new wells) don’t come

cheap, so you always want to get some good re-

turns. With oil hovering around the $80 mark, it

makes it that much more attractive than, say, six

months ago, let alone a year ago when oil prices saw

the bottom fall.”

Nordic also plans to begin the exploration of

the gas potential on its 6,000 acres of land at Talbot

Lake in the Peace River area of Alberta in 2010.

“We did some preliminary scouting in the area

last summer and it’s thick heavy bush, so it requires

winter drilling,” said Bain.

“We would like to get into that area sometime

this quarter. Th ere is a lot of good gas potential up

there. It’s an area that Husky Energy and others are

in.”

Nordic also has an 80 per cent interest in 31,999

gross acres of petroleum and natural gas leases in

Preeceville, Sask., with rights to the basement.

“We did some drilling in summer of 2008,”

added Bain. “We would like to get back to that area

again too and drill for oil and natural gas.

“Th e company has a lot of good properties.

Right now, the focus is on areas where we know

there is development and we can generate some rev-

enue. Once that happens, we can turn our attention

to some more exploration work.

“It’s been a busy winter and I expect it to con-

tinue. Th ere is a lot going on. We’re hopeful we will

come away with some success in all of our areas.”

Nordic to complete its 10 well program at Lloydminster soon

Nordic had a busy year in 2009 and is stepping up its activities in 2010. Last summer, operations manager Matthew Barnard showed Pipeline News the inside the engine compartment of a Newco Tank Corp. battery.


24 Hour Service

Oilwell Servicing Ltd.30 years 1978 - 200830 years 1978 - 2008

24 Hour Service

• 3 Free Standing Rigs Available• 1 Mobile Double Double• 2 Mobile Frree Standing Single Doubles

Specializing in...

• Workovers• Completions• Abandonments• Pump to Surface

Specializing in...

Lloydminster

(306) 825-7914

Darryl Garrison Cell (306) 821-2815

(306) 825-7914

ATTENTIONAre boggy leases or roads keeping

you from your service work?you from your service work?MATTING for SALE or LEASEMATTING for SALE or LEASE

Description: Description: 4 section4 section

2” x 6” rough spruce construction placed sideways on ends (6” deep)sideways on ends (6” deep)(8’ x 40’) FLAT (no hinges)(8’ x 40’) FLAT (no hinges)(8’ x 50’) FLAT (no hinges)(8’ x 50’) FLAT (no hinges)

(4’ x 12’) Hinged Matting (hinge in centre)

Call Darryl at 1 (780) 808-1829

Edmonton – Be prepared. Th e Boy Scout motto

also applies to oil and gas explorers and producers in

Saskatchewan and Alberta who require an emergen-

cy response plan (ERP) to protect public safety and

the environment from incidents such as fi re, spills,

leaks, explosions and natural disasters.

Companies in both provinces follow the Direc-tive 071 guidelines set out by the Alberta Energy Re-

sources Conservation Board for emergency response

planning.

Th e need to establish a decision framework and

action plan so a licensee can quickly and eff ectively

respond to an emergency has meant a boom in busi-

ness for ERP developers such as Emergency Response

Management Consulting (ERMC) in Edmonton.

“Th e demand for ERPs is increasing especially

those industries where there is a regulatory instru-

ment,” said Ed Wendlandt, manager of service deliv-

ery at ERMC.

“Th e regulations are also becoming tighter so

there’s more demand for those industries to be com-

pliant.

Th e Canadian Association of Petroleum Produc-

ers, for example, recommends that all members have

an ERP in place to deal with not just sour gas issues

but all types of hazards that could occur.

“Public safety is the number one consideration,”

said Wendlandt.

“Th ere are things going on in the world – the

Sept. 11 attacks and security related events in B.C.

where Encana’s pipelines were targeted.

“Th ose things have changed people’s focus. Th ere

is the realization that the threat is just as real here.”

ERMC provides a complete turnkey ERP pack-

age of audits, plans, training, exercises, consulting

and software to clients from Ontario to B.C.

Th eir clients include public sector organizations,

utilities, fertilizer, chemical mining and nuclear com-

panies and oil and gas companies that don’t have the

in-house resources or expertise to develop eff ective

ERPs.

“Usually with small companies, someone gets

thrown into the role as part of their portfolio on the

health safety and environmental side,” said Wend-

landt.

“Th ose folks have so much on their plate. Th is is

not something you can do 10 per cent of your time.

It takes a lot of time and commitment.

“It’s not just doing the plan. It’s doing the train-

ing, the exercises and it’s working with those stake-

holders and other agencies that are going to be with

you when bad stuff happens.

“One of the things that separates us from our

competitors is that we work with virtually every in-

dustry and government. We work hard to make sure

all parties can work together.”

Typically, one of the fi rst things ERMC does for

clients is to meet with their operations and manage-

ment staff on-site and complete a risk hazard as-

sessment to understand the possible hazards in the

workplace.

“Once you have that you can build an ERP,” said

Wendlandt. “Th at plan is really the foundation of

how you deal with incidents or crises.

“Th e plan should include how you handle alerts

right up to full blown disasters. Th ere would be a very

clear structure, an organization in place, defi ned roles

and responsibilities and acknowledgement of who

your partners in emergency response are.

“Everyone has to realize that you are never in a

crisis or emergency by yourself. If I am an industry

member, I will probably be liaising with a local mu-

nicipal emergency responder or contract resources or

other industry partners.”

A complete ERP will also include a crisis com-

munication component with media relations actions.

ERMC was formed in 1990 and has written

hundreds of ERPs and disaster response exercises for

a growing client base including some companies in

the Alberta oilsands.

Page C19

ERMC trains industry to be disaster ready

Emergency response planning exercises can in-clude an Incident Command Centre and observ-ers to gauge the effectiveness of simulated inci-dent responses. Photo courtesy of ERMC


Lloydminster Paint& Supplies Ltd.

Daryl (780) 875-4454 or(780) 871-41095628 - 44 Street, Lloydminster, AB

ATV / SLED DECKS

Adjustable width decks also available

Re-usable and High Resale Value

• Our customers testify that we have the best looking deck on the market - and it is built to last

• If a customer decides to purchase a different pickup the deck can accommodate either Short & Long Box trucks

• Easy to load & unload

• Reversible ramp for your snowmobile & quad

• High quality brushed aluminum requires no maintenance

• Rounded headache rack

• 4 side LED lamps

• Super Clamps Included

• Strongest (and longest) ramp system on the market

Tim SharpCell: (780) 871-1276

Offi ce: (780) 847-4666Fax: (780) 847-4661

Box 82 Marwayne, AB

Welders, Service Crews, Lease Mowing & Bobcat Service

Troy IllingworthCell: (780) 808-3183

Page C18“One of the risks of oilsands op-

erators is the possible environment

damage as a result of some of their pro-

cesses,” said Wendlandt.

“We don’t do the mitigation, but

we will sit down with our clients to dis-

cuss what the hazards are and the risks

of possible impacts.

“From a planning priority their

job is to mitigate that. We help them

design systems in the event those safe-

guards fail.”

As the demand for ERP services

increases, ERMC is planning to estab-

lish a permanent offi ce in Ontario and

expects to hire one or two new consul-

tants to its nine member Edmonton

headquarters in 2010.

“Everyone has a diff erent back-

ground,” said Wendlandt who once

worked for an aerospace company in-

vestigating aircraft accidents.

Wendlandt is also fully experi-

enced working with clients on Incident

Command and Emergency Operations

Centre set up, training and operation.

“We have an ex-deputy chief and

another fellow whose expertise is in gas

plants,” added Wendlandt. “We have

one worker who has a background with

the Alberta Safety Services branch of

Municipal Aff airs.

ERMC also utilizes a wide net-

work of specialists and subject matter

experts to assist clients when required.

“Our goal is to establish relation-

ships,” said Wendlandt. “We want to

provide that service that the client can’t

and provide a regular update service,

training and helping them develop ex-

ercises.

“Unless you train and exercise the

plan, it’s going to sit on the shelf and

gather dust.

“Th e key part of the process is mak-

ing sure that there is a company-wide

approach to dealing with incidents,

having a system in place and getting

the buy in from senior leadership.”

Emergency response plan

ERMC provides emergency response training and exercises to a wide range of clients including this industrial client.

Photo courtesy of ERMC

On site incident training exercises are essential to emergency pre-paredness for oil and gas companies in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Photo courtesy of ERMC


CareerCareer OpportunitiesOpportunities

Environmental Project Manager - SaskatchewanJob Description:Pioneer is currently looking for an experienced and energetic

environmental professional /technician to conduct remediation

projects in our south eastern Saskatchewan operations. This person

would be responsible for the development of new clients and

explore with the Manager Environmental Services Saskatchewan

areas in which Pioneer could expect natural and reasonable growth

from its present and existing environmental service base.

Responsibilities & Duties:· Conduct fi eldwork activities and reporting for lease and pipeline

development

· Conduct fi eldwork activities and reporting with the purpose of

acquiring acknowledgement of reclamation

· Conducting Environmental Site Assessments, Phase I, II, III Projects

and Environmental Impact Assessments

· Develop and build relations with our existing client base

· Explore areas in which Pioneer could expect natural and

reasonable growth

· Other environmental related projects for clients as directed

Qualifi cations:· Minimum 5 to 10 years of experience in environmental consulting

industry.

· Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

· Environmental experience in Saskatchewan within the Oil and Gas,

Energy, Infrastructure and other industries.

· Strong regulatory experience and relationships with government

organizations.

Location:Currently our Saskatchewan operations are headquartered in

Regina, SK, the ideal candidate would work out in the fi eld based in

south eastern Saskatchewan. Pioneer also has offi ces located

in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat,

Fort St. John and Sylvan Lake.

Interested candidates are invited to a forward a resume, in

confi dence to: [email protected]

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this

position however only those selected for interviews will be

contacted.

www.pioneer-group.ca

Require safety certi cates & valid drivers licence.Competitive wages and bene ts package.

Fax resume to 637-2181 or deliver to:62 Devonian Street, Estevan, Sk.

ELECTRICAL APPRENTICES & JOURNEYMEN

REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYat

We are currently looking for the following:

• Experienced Pressure Truck Operator - Full time position

• Equipment Operator for Cementing & Acidizing - Full time position - Will train the right person

Wages negotiable with great benefits

Contact Randy at 577-9890

STIMULATION SERVICES

15-2

Tubing Inspection Technician/Manager Tubing Inspection Technician will inspect production tubing while the service rigs are pulling it out of the hole. Our company performs work in Southern Alberta and Swift Current. The candidate will have the opportunity to help us start up the Estevan area. The truck will be located in Estevan and will cover the Southern Saskatchewan.

Responsibilities Include• Sales and initial start up• Inspecting production tubing• On call with answering phone• Follow up• Customer relations• Safety upkeep• Keeping truck and inspection unit clean• Er

The successful candidate will have experience in the tubing inspec-tion industry. In addition the candidate will be a team player who is well organized, energetic, adaptable to changing priorities, pays attention to detail and displays excellent interpersonal and communi-cative skills.

Stimtech offers a rewarding work environment, competitive wage and a performance based bonus plan.

If you are interested in joining the Stimtech team please forward your resume to [email protected] or call Steve: (403) 633-0590

586 Edinburgh Rd W, Lethbridge, AB T1J-4Z7

TRICAN WELL SERVICE LTD. is one of Canada's fastest growing well service companies, providing a comprehensive array of specialized products, equipment and services utilized in drilling, completion, stimulation and reworking of oil and gas wells in the Canadian and International mar-ketplace. At Trican, we base our recruitment practices on the belief that a company's greatest asset is its people.

Trican provides services in Fracturing, Cementing, Acidizing, Coiled Tubing, Nitrogen and related services in our field bases ranging from Fort Nelson, BC to Estevan, Saskatchewan.

WE ARE ALSO CURRENTLY HIRING FOR ALL LOCATIONS:

• SUPERVISORS• OPERATORS • DRIVERS

• FRAC HANDS• HEAVY DUTY DIESEL MECHANIC

A valid Class 1 required as well as prior experience in the above pressure pumping operations.

Trican offers a dynamic work environment and a competi-tive salary and benefit package. Please apply in person to any of Trican's field bases or forward your resume and ref-erences, in confidence to:

Trican Well Service Ltd.Box 849

Estevan, SK S4A 2A7Fax: (306) 637-2065 • Email: [email protected]

• Part-Time Office Person Required for Estevan Location

Some experience required

OPERATORThe successful candidate will be responsible for:• Driving Wireline unit to and from various job locations• Serving of various down hole tools and auxiliary equipment• Cleaning and maintenance of Wireline units, shop vehicles and shop• Rig up and rig out of all related Wireline Cased Hole or Open Hole

equipmentThis position is shift work with 24 hours on call and scheduled days off.Individual must be willing and able to travel with wireline crew andmust work well individually and in a team environment.QUALIFICATIONS• Must be able to pass pre-employment drug and physical test• Physically fit• Valid Class 3 Drivers license with air brake endorsement• Valid H2S Alive ticket an asset• Any other industry standard safety courses are a definite assetCandidates must also have excellent customer service communicationand organizational skills and possess the ability to work bothindependently and within a team environment.Fax or mail resume to:

Box 694Estevan, SK S4A 2A6Fax: 306-634-9728

or for more information call:306-634-4726

Wireline Services

Servicing

HELP WANTEDCD Oilfield Servicing Ltd.

is currently hiring for all positions. All tickets & Class 3A License an asset,

experience preferred but will train the right applicant.

Call Adam at 204-851-2118

Ca

ree

r C

are

er

Op

po

rtu

nit

ies

Op

po

rtu

nit

ies


L & C Trucking“Serving the Oil Patch for 54 Years”

• TRUCK DRIVERS • SWAMPERS• YARD HANDS • MECHANICS

Competitive wages, health plan, safety tickets an asset, but will train.

Apply in person with resume or fax or email to:24 Hwy 39 E Estevan

Attention: Blair HunterFax: 634-8699


CNC Plasma / Oxyacetylene Operators

Applicants must have welding background.Driver’s license required. Reliable, team player.

Wages depend on experience. Benefi ts available.Performance bonuses.

Only those to be interviewed will be contacted.

Apply in confi dence to: Fax (780) 808-2689

www.suretuf.com

Estevan Meter Services Ltd. is an Oil eld Service Company.Operating in Southeast Saskatchewan since 1967, specializing in Instrumentation, Combustion Services, Oil eld Repairs, and Specialty Supply Items.

We are currently seeking an individual to ll the position of

COMBUSTION TECHNICIAN The successful candidate should be a Journeyman Gas/Pipe Fitter with a minimum of 5 years oil eld experience. Preference will be given to individuals holding a commercial Gas Fitter license. Consideration will be given to applicants with combustion or oil eld related experi-ence. Individuals without experience may be offered combustion and instrumentation training.

We offer full bene ts, bonuses, pension plan, extremely competitive wages.

Please Apply by Resume to:Estevan Meter Services Ltd.

Box 355 Estevan, Sk. S4A 2A4

or email: [email protected] persons to be interviewed will be contacted.

Sure Flow Oil eld Services Inc.Box 7400 Bonnyville, Alberta T9N 2H7

Fax: (780) 826-7715Email: sure [email protected]

Website: www.sure owconsulting.com

We immediately require full time eld operators for work in the Frog Lake and surrounding area for an intermediate size oil company. Candidates with at least 1 year heavy oil

operations experience would be preferred. Candidates will be required to provide their own truck complete with tools and cell phone.

In addition we also require power engineers for various clients throughout Alberta & Saskatchewan.

Please email or fax resumes to the above address. Successful applicants will be noti ed for interviews.

ResourcesResources GuideGuide

JUSTIN WAPPEL - Division Manager

401 Hwy. #4 S. Biggar, SaskatchewanPO Box 879 S0K 0M0Ph (306) 948-5262 Fax (306) 948-5263Cell (306) 441-4402 Toll Free 1-800-746-6646Email: [email protected]

a l t u s g e o m a t i c s . c o m

Specializing in well site and pipeline surveys

Yorkton

306.783.4100

Weyburn

306.842.6060

Regina

800.667.3546

Swift Current

306.773.7733

Lloydminster

780.875.6130

Medicine Hat

403.528.4215

Edmonton

800.465.6233

Calgary

866.234.7599

Grande Prairie

780.532.6793

Lloyd Lavigne • Kirk ClarksonOwners/Managers

6506 - 50th AvenueLloydminster, AB

Phone: (780) 875-6880

5315 - 37th StreetProvost, AB T0B 3S0

Phone: (780) 753-6449

Fax: (780) 875-7076

24 Hour ServiceSpecializing in Industrial & Oilfield Motors

OIL / INDUSTRIAL / AGRICULTURAL / AUTOMOTIVE

352-7668

1404 SCARTH ST., REGINA, SASK.website. www.continentalengine.ca FAX 525-8222

[email protected]

TOLL FREE 1-877-778-7460WEEKDAYS

7:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.SATURDAYS9 A.M. - 1 P.M.

STOCKING ENGINE PARTS

• Pressure Vessels• Well Testers• Frac Recovery• Wellbore Bleedoff• Ball Catchers• 400 bbl Tanks• Rig Matting

Dale (306) 861-3635 • Lee (306) 577-7042Lampman, Sask.

• Complete Trucking Services

Saskatchewan Owned & Operated

Bulk Agency

912 6th Street, Estevan

634-7275Toll Free: 1-866-457-3776

Box 208 Estevan, SK S4A 2A3

461-8471 • 461-8472 • 461-8473

Call: Clinton Gibbons

311 Kensington Avenue, Estevan • 634-1400

www.pennwest.com

SONAR INSPECTION LTD.Head Of ce1292 Veterans CrescentEstevan, Sk. S4A 2E1F: 306-634-5649

E: [email protected]: www.sonarinspection.ca

“Serving All Your Inspection Needs”UT - MT - PT - RT - VISUAL

Estevan Of ce: 306-634-5285Regina Of ce: 306-531-5939

Certi ed Level II CGSB Inspections


FUSION INDUSTRIES LTD.FUSION INDUSTRIES LTD.Kevin Anderson/Darwin Krall

• Quality Control • Pressure Welding• Oil eld • Portable Welding

• Fabrication • Breaking • Shearing• CNC Plasma & Torch Cutting

• P1-P1 Carbon Steel Procedures• P1-P8/P8-P8

Stainless Steel Procedures24 hr Service

301A Kensington Ave. Estevan, SK.

Phone: 634-6177Fax: 634-6178Cell: 421-5441 421-6179


pipeline news february 2010

Documents

heavy oil pools

net wells

barrels of oil equivalent

swap penn west energy

bashaw area of alberta

th e focus

capital budget

oc day