rhockin,

The oil patch has certainly bounced back a little bit. To the point, in fact, of labour shortages appearing again, particularly for the service guys. I know of a fracing company in desperate need of 30 experienced employees. It is the old 'boom and bust' nature of the oil patch. It will take more than a few months of demand to entice laid-off guys to give up their new jobs to come back to the oil patch. Wage rates, inevitably, will rise enough to do the enticing.

Compounding the problem of pent up demand caused by the lack of experienced labour is the abnormally wet spring in Alberta. Road bans are still in place in the county where I live and will not be lifted for weeks yet. Many other Alberta counties are in the same wet condition.