Camp reclamation crew coming to Oyen in mid-April

By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com

The closure of TC Energy’s construction camp in Oyen took place in a short period of time, and all the workers disappeared with it. The camp and crew moved north of Fox Creek, Alberta to join another TC Energy project.

The businesses in Oyen enjoyed having the additional workers around for eight months or so. Their exodus out of town created a lull in Oyen’s service industry that is typical during this time of year when break-up takes place.

Mayor Doug Jones is expecting some of the crew to return in mid-April. “The reclamation crew is coming back on April 15. They will be filtering in, and there will be 150 people around for the remainder of the summer until August,” he explained. The vacant camp area will eventually be seeded back to grass.

In the mean time, the reclamation crew will be looking for lodging and accommodation. “We’ll see what happens in the next while. People have already received phone calls because they need to rent places and find trailer stalls,” Mayor Jones said.

As always, businesses and individuals in Oyen will be ready and waiting to accommodate the reclamation crew until they depart in August.