This post was brought to you by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers via sheblogs. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
When I was approached to do a sponsored post for the oil and gas Industry, I was unsure if I should do it because my knowledge of the industry is limited. But then I decided that it was because I didn’t know that much that I should do it, as there are likely lots of others who are like me and we could all stand to learn a little bit more.
One thing that almost anyone living in Canada does know is that the oil and gas Industry creates a lot of jobs. More than 550,000 people across Canada (both directly and indirectly) are employed by the industry, and over 2,000 Canadian companies in 2013 supplied goods and/or services to the Oil Sands in order to construct and operate their projects, mines, and upgraders. I’m sure all of us know at least one friend or family member that is employed by the industry. I know I certainly do. And of course it makes up a big part (20%) of the value of the TSX, Canada’s main stock exchange, the return of which goes to investors and shareholders, including paying pensions.
While many of us think that our exposure to products from our oil and gas Industry ends with putting gasoline in our cars and using oil to heat our homes, it really goes much further than that. So much of what we use and take for granted everyday is touched by the industry. For instance, did you know that they made payments to the government which average $18 billion/year? That money goes towards hospitals, school, roads, and social programs, making it an essential part of our quality of life for everyone in our communities.
We often complain about the cut-backs in our educational system, the state of our roads, wait times at hospitals, and the health care system in general. How much worse would all of these be without that money coming in to help support those systems?
It is also because of this industry that it is possible for us to travel in our gasoline and diesel fuelled vehicles,
by air,
and locomotive.
There are so many experiences that I personally would have missed out on if those possibilities didn’t exist. So many friends I never would have had the chance to meet, and sights I would never get to see.
The obvious uses aside, did you know that many common household items start from crude oil? Things like CD’s and DVDs, tires, ink, eyeglasses, asphalt and even dishwashing liquids. I had no clue it was used to make so many other products!
If nothing else, it makes you stop and think. What would our lives in Canada look like without our thriving oil and gas Industry? Farm equipment, most of our personal and public forms of transportation (including air travel), and access to fresh foods year round.
What would happen if it stopped tomorrow?
We would learn how to adapt certainly, but it wouldn’t be easy. Travelling a long distance wouldn’t be as easy as hopping on a plane, and fresh vegetables in the winter would certainly look a lot different than they do now when we can get almost anything regardless of whether it is in season or not.
Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world, making it a huge part of our economy. I am by no means an expert on the topic, and my objective with this post is to help bring more awareness to the industry and how much of our lives it touches.
For more information about the Oil Sands industry visit oilsandstoday.ca
This post was brought to you by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers via sheblogs. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
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