The effect is spanning too. As Alberta has sucked up the trades for the associated housing booms, pay has jumped in Saskatchewan, and now is jumping in Manitoba.
Ontario hasn't really seen it yet, but they've started advertising for skilled and unskilled trades here too.
As someone trying to start a business it's actually a great time. 5 years ago work was getting poached by fly-by-nighters who did shoddy work for cheap prices, but now it seems they've cleared out and headed west.
Interesting that the other provinces are only now seeing the effects. I would have thought 2006 was the peak skills drain. My first year economics professor at been working in the provincial economic advisor office at the time. He said about $60 Billion was being put into Oil Sands at the time.
This may not seem like much but it works out to 30k per man, woman, and child in Alberta. Most of whom are not welders...
It meant every job was paying above minimum wage. McDonalds was paying $1 above min wage. I've heard stories of 14 year olds running gas stations all by themselves, despite the illegality of it.
2006-2007 was pretty insane in Calgary. Fort Mac would have been Hell.
Ontario hasn't really seen it yet, but they've started advertising for skilled and unskilled trades here too.
As someone trying to start a business it's actually a great time. 5 years ago work was getting poached by fly-by-nighters who did shoddy work for cheap prices, but now it seems they've cleared out and headed west.