Building Alberta's Energy Sector

Peter Pilarski’s family immigrated to Canada in search of a better life and found it here in Alberta. “We arrived in the early 1980s, when Alberta’s economy was devastated by a recession and the National Energy Program. Still, the situation was far more hopeful than the life that we left behind in communist Poland.”  

After several years of hard work, the Pilarskis’ opened an automotive repair business, which grew to become an autobody shop, a taxi rental and repair business.  “Alberta is the land of opportunity,” Pilarski says, “a place where hard work and determination lead to success, a place where anybody can reach his or her full potential, and a place where risk and reward are closely aligned.”  
 
Working at his family’s business as a young man, Pilarski was able to meet thousands of people from around the world who came to Canada for a better life, as well as those born and raised in Alberta. “To me, it was concerning that so many of the taxi drivers I met were foreign-trained engineers, doctors and other professionals who were not able to work in their trained profession. I realized that this was happening because of policies designed to protect Canadian employees and jobseekers, as well as to keep demand high for certain occupations,” Pilarski says. “This had a big impact on me and is one of the reasons I now work for Merit Contractors Association.”
 
The Merit Contractors Association supports the growth of open-shop construction values by encouraging sound business practices and contributing to the training, development and well-being of construction industry workers. “Our main product is our Hour Bank benefit plan, which is used by more than 45,000 construction workers,” Pilarski explains. “While we are an association for the construction industry, Merit Contractors Association represents a movement and a philosophy.”

As vice-president, Southern Alberta with Merit Contractors Association, Pilarski is able to see first-hand the impact of the energy sector on other industries. “In reality, every industry in Alberta is directly impacted by activity in the energy sector – both positively and negatively. In my role, I see the positive impact in the success of both the retail and construction sectors, and the negative impact in the very serious workforce challenges in terms of both a shortage of workers as well as skills shortages in Alberta.”

Despite the challenges, Pilarski acknowledges that the energy industry has had a very direct impact on the creation and growth of Merit Contractors Association and the facilitation of open-shop construction in Alberta. “The extremely challenging economic conditions and National Energy Program had such a profound effect on Alberta’s energy sector in the early 1980s, and industry had to quickly adjust to rapidly changing economic realities. The status quo of unionized construction was simply no longer a viable option.”

In addition to building many of Alberta’s energy projects over the years, Merit members have been busy building the schools, highways, office towers, courthouses, commercial developments, houses and bridges needed in this province as a result of the influx of people who are attracted here because of energy industry activity.  

As the economy rebounds from the latest downturn, activity in the construction sector is directly related to activity in the energy sector. Industrial activity in northern Alberta leads to increased activity in the commercial and residential sectors – there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship.  

“The energy industry impacts every industry in Alberta, as well as Alberta citizens,” Pilarski says. “Without a strong energy sector, other areas of the economy suffer. We must remain committed to responsible energy development in order to continue to enjoy the quality of life Albertans have been accustomed to.”

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