Fort Mac's been good to Torbay's Tom Jennings ... until now
Terry Roberts | CBC News | Posted: February 17, 2016 10:41 AM | Last Updated: February 17, 2016
Casualties of the Collapse: After 9 years in oilsands, Alberta experience is likely over for 64-year-old
It's a mid-afternoon in early February and Tom Jennings of Torbay is less than 18 hours away from flying back to a work camp in Alberta, where he oversees maintenance.
Before he heads out, he takes one more look at his pride and joy — a classic 1968 Mercury Cyclone.
It's a piece of nostalgia for Jennings, who owned a similar car when he was a young man, in the early 1970s.
"I always wanted one of those cars, and I wasn't making enough money that I could afford to buy one," Jennings said in a recent interview.
"So when I seen my chance to go to Fort McMurray, I said I'd go, and three years after I ended up buying car," he said.
A dream car
Nine years ago, he retired from his government job, and like many, took off for the riches of Alberta.
It's been a rotation of 14-and-14 ever since, and it's paid off handsomely for the 64-year-old.
The Cyclone says it all. Rebuilt from the ground up ... bright red in colour ... beefy new engine and transmission ... hell on wheels.
His income swelled considerably when he began work in Alberta, making the Cyclone, and other purchases, possible.
The car will soon be ready to hit the highways, and it's possible Jennings may have more time to enjoy his sporty ride.
His latest stint in Alberta ends this week, and it will probably be his last.
A new company has won the contract to operate the work camp, and they're only hiring locals.
"Not east coasters," said Jennings.
Job losses like this are becoming all too common as the oil industry and other natural resource sectors reel under the pressure of falling prices.
It's not the end of the world for Jennings, though. He is at retirement age, and Fort McMurray has given him a lot.
He's more concerned about the younger generation.
"I wouldn't want to be starting off today as a young guy going to Fort McMurray. A lot of the work is not there. It may come back at some point, I suppose ... but when, we don't know. No one seems to know."