Weyburn 鈥� Cory Hicks, president of Weyburn-based Panther Drilling, was one of the first people to post a video saying his company would be taking part in the Regina Rally Against the Carbon Tax. And they did just that, on April 4.
On March 21, he explained why they were taking part.
鈥淏asically, I鈥檓 against the carbon tax. The carbon tax will decimate an industry that鈥檚 already going through a lot right now.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the oil industry. It鈥檚 going to affect all industry. It鈥檚 going to affect the single mom with three kids that has to pay her heating bill. It鈥檚 going to affect, obviously, my business. It鈥檚 going to affect farmers. It鈥檚 going to affect the bottom line of the hotel owners. It鈥檚 going to affect the quality of life, quite frankly, and it doesn鈥檛 make any sense to me.鈥�
He hadn鈥檛 yet calculated the cost to Panther. The next bid season is coming up.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of uncertainty,鈥� he said, regarding dealing with the carbon tax in those bids.
Beyond the carbon tax, the convoy and rally focused on three other points 鈥� building pipelines, killing Bill C-69 and Bill C-48.
鈥淓ssentially, with the pipelines, we need to get to tidewater. As an industry, we鈥檙e selling to one customer. Anyone in business knows that鈥檚 not healthy, because if you only have one customer that you鈥檙e selling to, they can essentially dictate price. People can talk about the world market and supply and demand. If we have too much, the price goes down. It also depends on the grade of oil, too; heavy, light, medium, whatever they need to blend.
Asked if the lack of new pipelines has affected the amount they have drilled in the last year, Hicks said, 鈥淥h, for sure. It鈥檚 affected the amount we鈥檝e drilled for the last four years. Basically, if the oil companies are not drilling, if there鈥檚 not investment money going into Canada, into the oilfield, it makes it hard for me to drill for somebody. There鈥檚 only been a few oil companies that have been staying with Canada, and Saskatchewan, where I鈥檓 predominantly based in. The numbers went down exponentially. It鈥檚 absolutely crazy.鈥�
Regarding the direct impact on jobs, he said, 鈥淚 had 106 employees in summer of 2014. Over the course of the last five years, it went up and down, but essentially I lost half my staff. It鈥檚 hit and miss, too. There鈥檚 a chance, perhaps, after breakup, I could get all four rigs out. It could change, too.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much uncertainty. If you asked me, after breakup, how many rigs you鈥檝e got going, I鈥檝e got two rigs going for sure. But you never know how 鈥榝or sure鈥� for sure is. If I had a 10-well program, until we TD鈥檇 (total depth) the tenth well, I wouldn鈥檛 know for sure.
鈥淭he thing is, in the oilfield, we鈥檙e not looking for handouts. We need domestic policies. If bill C-69 comes to fruition, which I鈥檝e actually sat and read parts of that bill, but the premise I get out of it is that anybody that wants to object to a pipeline can have their day in court. They can have their day to basically discuss in front of the regulators to say whatever and hold things up. If you want to build a pipeline in 2019 and it goes under this review, it could go on for years before you get approved, which is what we鈥檝e seen with Trans Mountain, which we saw with the other pipelines as well. They were actually approved, and then it was taken away, because we didn鈥檛 get the proper approval with everything.
鈥淭hey moved the goalposts. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 frustrating.鈥�
He was planning to fill a pickup for the convoy, and true to his word, Hicks could be seen near the front, listening intently as Premier Scott Moe spoke on April 4.
