“Exciting and rewarding opportunities, accompanied with choice and flexibility… and highly competitive wages and benefits.” That’s how the Canadian Operating Engineers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Council describes the careers of Canadian operating engineers.
Operating engineers enjoy some of the best careers in Canada, and they depend on pipelines. That’s just one reason why pipelines matter for Canada’s future. Here’s 17 reasons to back pipelines in 2017, from Canadian operating engineers.
- “My brothers were operating engineers for most of their lives – they convinced me to go into it. It was decent pay for a day’s work. I’ve never looked back.” —Paul Yakymow
- “Want to see a local economy thrive? Then build a pipeline. My hometown is living proof.” —Ashley Underhill
- “We need more opportunities for our young people… I’m a perfect example of that. I found a job that pays a good wage for a hard day’s work – I’m an operating engineer.” —Shawn Bjornson
- “Before [I became an operating engineer], I was living paycheque-to-paycheque. I became an operating engineer precisely because I wanted to escape that lifestyle.” —Gilles Carriere
- “I’ve been operating engineer for 35 years. From my first day in the field to today, safety has always been the top priority.” —Paul Yakymow
- “The pay is phenomenal. All those well-paid workers who live and stay in Miramichi [New Brunswick] are investing in the local economy. Every day, they are pouring money into motels, into restaurants, into fuel and machinery. It’s made a huge difference to the people who live here… a difference you can’t fully appreciate unless you’ve lived here as long as I have.” —Ashley Underhill
- “Communities in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and across the nation depend on pipelines for their livelihoods.” —Gilles Carriere
- “Pipeline work is a great opportunity for young people looking for a good career. More young people should get more of those opportunities.” — Shawn Bjornson
- “This industry is full of experienced men and women, folks who have been working on pipelines for as long as half a century. Our philosophy is simple – build right, build safe, and build to last.” —Paul Yakymow
- “We check and monitor pipelines daily. We build in numerous safety features. These features work: 99.999 percent of crude oil moved by pipeline arrives safely at its destination.” —Gilles Carriere
- “Right now, major pipeline projects across the country are being delayed… these delays are getting in the way of good jobs for small communities.” —Ashley Underhill
- “Pipelines are the family business!” —Gilles Carriere
- “For operating engineers, pipeline safety isn’t just about respecting laws and regulations – it’s about protecting our own families. After all, we live in the same communities where we build.” —Paul Yakymow
- “[Pipeline work] lets you save money, work, take time off between jobs. Pipelines are safe.” —Shawn Bjornson
- “Every weld on every joint is tested – X-ray tested, pressure tested, tested again and again. Pipelines are constantly monitored. Pipelines are the safest means of moving energy products, by far.” —Paul Yakymow
- “We’ll have more secure jobs and less people living paycheque-to-paycheque.” —Ashley Underhill
- “You will get a job if you’ve got the training and the skill sets!” —Ashley Underhill