They could not get locals at $14 an hour? What gives? Do all young people have wealthy families or something in Calgary? Incidentally, the wife and I spent three or four days in the Calgary area three years ago. In fact, across the street from our hotel was a Tim Horton’s. Can’t remember who was working inside.
About five years ago, a local News outlet interviewed two teenagers, perhaps 16 or 17 years old, in an upper middle class neighbourhood in Calgary. They both said that if the couldn’t get jobs at $20/hr, they’d just stay at home and play video games. If they were my kids, they would have gotten their butts paddled!
The economy has changed as we now are approaching 1.2 million people in Calgary, and the ‘boom’ is not as big as it was, but the economy is still the best in the country. Even now, many high school kids go straight to the oil patch, some not even completing high school. An 18 year old can make $25/hour doing construction in Fort McMoney, live in a camp and come to Calgary or Edmonton and blow his earnings. That is attractive to some. If they pursue a trade, the can make even more, especially in the North.