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VOL. 25 NO. 35
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Alberta firm scouts northwest A TUG of war for the hearts, minds and skills of northwesterners is taking shape as demand grows for people to work on large-scale industrial projects in Western Canada. Already, one Albertabased energy company has scouted the area in hopes of attracting northwesterners. Devon Canada, which is building up a workforce of 1,200 people at its heavy oil extraction project at Jackfish
Lake, northeast of Edmonton, took part in a Province of B.C.-sponsored job fair at the Sportsplex here Nov. 16. Its pitch to potential employees is simple – you will work in Alberta but you can continue to live in B.C. thanks to its use of chartered aircraft to fly people back and forth. Chartered aircraft already fly from Vancouver and Kelowna in B.C. to Jackfish Lake and the company
That’s just 1.5 per cent of
said.
White said Devon seized In the mean time, a local program works the company’s workforce but as that figure grows in B.C., on the idea of looking beto draw workers home. See story page 28.
will subsidize the travel of employees to get to those departure points, explains Jackson White who carries the title of Devon’s talent acquisition manager. Promotional material prepared by Devon highlight the private accommodation,
food service and recreational and fitness amenities offered by the company at its Jackfish Lake complex. To date, about 30 Devon employees live in B.C. and commute to work on a seven day in/seven day out rotation.
the company could very well add more departure points, White continued. And while it may seem odd at first that an Alberta company was taking part in a B.C. government jobs fair, the logic is simple, says White. “They still live in B.C. and they pay taxes in B.C., but they work in Alberta,” he
yond Alberta’s borders to find employees when it realized it was locked in a fruitless competition for workers within that province. Companies were poaching from each other as the number of overall workers wasn’t growing and the result was continual turnover, he said.
Cont’d Page 16
Erb’s big win: one month in MEGA-MILLION lottery winner Bob Erb wants to clear up a few rumours. He’s not interested in acquiring real estate of any kind—he’s not buying a strip club, the Northern, the Inn of the West, or fixing up Little Ave.’s derelict properties. “I’ve heard all sorts of rumours, people coming up to me saying this and that,” said Erb last week while having lunch at his favourite table at a local pub. “I’m 60 years old and single,” he said. “I’m not interested in developing. My main focus is the legalization of marijuana and the local charities here in town.” It’s been just over a month since Erb, local marijuana activist, antiques dealer, seasonal construction worker, and former mayoral candidate, won $25 million from a Lotto Max ticket he bought at the Hazelton Chevron last month—and Terrace has been buzzing with stories about his generosity. Nearly everyone knows someone with an Erb story, and the general consensus tends to be that it couldn’t
have happened to a better guy. And no wonder. At this point, he says he’s given out nearly $7 million to neighbours, friends, local charities and businesses. He’s gone through half-a-dozen chequebooks at 25 cheques each. And he has plans for a $3 million trust that will give out $100,000 a year to community groups for years to come. Erb’s been pulling 18hour days entertaining family and friends who poured into town, at his invitation, after his big win. The weekend after he won, he rented out the Lodge at Skeena Landing so the people he was flying in could have a home base (other people who had reservations there switched hotels so the Erb clan could stay together). “I’m the only one out here, maybe a bit of the black sheep of the family,” Erb said. “I hadn’t seen many of those people in 20, 30, 40 years, and I just hustled them through my house in a few minutes.” His family, hailing mainly from Saskatchewan, has its roots in farming and poli-
Anna Killen PHOTO
Here’s Lottery winner Bob Erb in his regular corner at the Back Eddy pub. He always gets the same thing for lunch—escargot with garlic toast. tics. His great-uncle Walter was the health minister for NDP predecessor Cooperative Commonwealth Federation premier Tommy Douglas when he introduced
health-care in the 1960s. “[I gained my] social consciousness from growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s and having that political, grassroots connection with my
uncle,” Erb says. So when he won the lottery, deciding what to do with the money wasn’t a challenge. “After buying lottery
tickets for 40 years, I knew exactly what I was doing with the money. I was getting a little frustrated that it was taking me so long.”
Cont’d Page A2
Christmas read
Pool plan
Season starts
Local writer publishes her longest fiction work as novella with pen name \COMMUNITY A17
City council is talking about rebuilding the Terrace Aquatic Centre \NEWS A5
Shames opens this weekend—and they are opening on a high note \SPORTS A25