Weyburn 鈥� One might think that a window manufacturer doesn鈥檛 have a lot to do with the oilpatch. When it comes to 小蓝视频ern Glass Works Ltd. in Weyburn, you would be wrong.
鈥淭he patch has such a big impact on my business, because the residential part is huge. The residential is what feeds us,鈥� said Cliff Anderson. 鈥淲hen the patch hurts, we hurt. Like every small business in a small town, you feel it.鈥�
The family business includes Cliff Anderson and president and his wife Kelly as office manager. Their kids include Rolan, sales manager, and Brett, production manager. Brett鈥檚 wife, Halie, manages rentals.
鈥淲e have commercial and residential rentals. We have some oilfield commercial, and we have apartments, and all of those are greatly affected by the downturn,鈥� he said.
The commercial properties are full, but bringing in half of what they used to. They have 57 residential rental units, and those have seen rents chopped about 30 per cent.
Cliff said they鈥檙e not in the oil or agriculture industry, but they鈥檙e affected by them.
鈥淚 grew up here. I鈥檝e had a business here since 1983. I know what it鈥檚 like to live through lean times,鈥� Cliff said. He started as a general contractor. The glass business was started in 2004, and the boys have taken over ownership.
鈥淚n the last four years, we鈥檝e seen what鈥檚 gone on here. We feel it,鈥� Cliff said.
Brett chimed in, saying, 鈥淥h God.鈥�
鈥淚 went to Ottawa with that bunch as well and supported it, because I felt, as a business, we need to support these guys,鈥� Cliff continued.
To that end, Cliff went to Ottawa as part of the United We Roll convoy earlier this year.
Asked what are the issues in this election, Cliff said, 鈥淭he is if we have another four years of what we just had, we haven鈥檛 seen nothing yet. He鈥檚 going to get way worse. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 afraid of.
鈥淭he carbon tax has chased away the oilfield business here. We have a lot of empty commercial shops here. Commercial real is the heart of your economy, and our commercial real estate is down. I was around in the 80s, and it was bad, so you knew it. It鈥檚 back to that. We overbuilt a bit, possibly, and now there鈥檚 too much sitting. We鈥檙e that way in the residential a bit, too.
鈥淲hen your own government is complicit in roadblocking your economy, you鈥檝e got trouble.鈥�
He referred to Bill C-48, the tanker ban, and C-69, the Impact Assessments Act, as examples.
鈥淲e鈥檙e down two or three staff from what we were,鈥� Cliff said. It鈥檚 not about growth, but where they can cut to stay in business.
鈥淗ow can we be more efficient?鈥� Brett said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about trying to stay viable. As long as we鈥檙e in these conditions keep going on, it鈥檚 going to be a battle for us.鈥�
How much do they blame on the federal government?
鈥淎s much as anything, it鈥檚 mindset,鈥� Cliff said.
鈥淚t isn鈥檛 the price of oil that is the issue. How do our neighbours across the border seem to be doing okay, and our (oil industry) isn鈥檛?鈥�
鈥淚f he (Justin Trudeau) gets in again, where are we going? I don鈥檛 know where we鈥檙e going to be,鈥� Cliff said.
鈥淚 think on a small scale, for us, because the industry is so poor, we鈥檙e not talking about businesses buying windows. We鈥檙e talking about the employee, the service rig hand coming in to buy windows. And if they kill farming, who do we sell to?鈥� Brett said. 鈥淕enerally, the government should be doing things to promote the oil industry, instead of roadblocks.鈥�
鈥淎 change of government will not mean magic. But it鈥檒l change the mindset,鈥� Cliff said.
鈥淭he best case, things go back the way they were,鈥� Brett said. Five years ago, with their rental apartments, they could post a vacancy at 6 p.m. and in a short time, have five applications. That doesn鈥檛 happen anymore.
To be fair, oil was $100 a barrel then. But Cliff pointed out they鈥檝e seen the highs and the lows over the last 25 years, and Cliff thinks they鈥檙e at the lowest of the lows. It鈥檚 been three years since they鈥檝e had a renter whose originally from out east.
If the Trudeau Liberal government is re-elected, Cliff said, 鈥淚 think there will be a lot of questions pf what does Western Canada do?鈥�
Is he referring to national unity?
鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� Cliff replied.
