It was another day of demonstrations in Alberta on Sunday as just over 100 people gathered in Drumheller, showing their support for the energy industry while wearing the now iconic yellow vests.
The protesters said they’re upset at the provincial and federal governments for leaving them behind and ignoring their needs.
“I think it’s important that everybody comes out,” said Heather Dyck. “We just want the best for Alberta and the best for Canada.”
She said Alberta is just a small drop in the ocean of problems that the world is facing, but they need to be recognized by everyone.
“Rachel, Trudeau and the rest of Canada. They’ve got to start listening and supporting Alberta [and] supporting the oilpatch.”
Rick Molyneux agrees with the sentiment because he sees the country becoming bankrupt because of the pipeline problem that Alberta is facing.
“We’re fed up, we’ve had enough. We’ve got a lot of unemployed people in Alberta right now, it’s getting ridiculous. You go to downtown Calgary right now, the buildings are empty.”
While he’s retired, he said he felt the need to participate and take action himself because of how often he hears that the country is going broke.
He said that ever since some major corporations pulled up stakes in Drumheller, the community hasn’t been the same.
“We had Trican here, we had BJ Services here, everybody pulled out. There are so many houses for sale in this town right now, it’s going to go broke.”
Linda Gerlinger has lived in Drumheller for the past 42 years and has seen lots of businesses, both small and large, close up shop. She blames the economy and current government policies for the crisis.
“Because of the higher minimum wage, restaurants are shutting down. Businesses are shutting down because of the oil problems over the past year or two. We’ve got to start to revitalize our community.”
Many of the protesters also said that the current situation has influenced the mood in their town greatly.
“Everybody’s just feeling down. A lot of people are pissed off,” said Darren Toffan. “I’ve never been so mad and pissed off in my life. You’re happy to go to work every day, but there’s no future this time around.”
Toffan added that Premier Notley is focused on election talk right now, but he wants to see her take a stronger stand against Justin Trudeau.
“When this government got elected, it was sad to see because I knew what they were about. The people didn’t, they just wanted change.”
Last week, the federal government made an announcement of additional funding to help the oil industry with its current situation, but many critics say the move was an empty gesture.
(With files from Bill Macfarlane)
