Cromer, Man. 鈥� There鈥檚 a picture on Facebook that keeps floating around. In it, a stick figure in a toque asks himself why he lives in a place where the air stings his face. That picture seemed very apt, standing atop a sand hog trailer near Cromer, Man., where the wind was making the -29 C temperatures much colder indeed.
In less than a minute, any exposed skin on your face was hurting. But if you asked Steve Chuard, the crew-cabber in training on this frac crew, the answer is
simple. He鈥檚 here for his boy Dominic, and he鈥檚 a long ways from home. Chuard hails from Gananoque, Ont., in the Thousand Islands outside of Kingston. 鈥淚
still live there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing this for five years.
鈥淓very 15 days the company flies me home, on their dime. In 15, out seven, two weeks on, one off.鈥�
He works for Millennium Stimulation. He鈥檚 been with them since the frac company fired up two-and-a-half years ago. Over that time he鈥檚 progressed working through the
different roles on a frac crew, including iron truck, pump hand, chem wagon, hydro and blender.
鈥淣ow I鈥檓 on crewcab, the first white hardhat position,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he supervisor is in charge of the job. The crew-cabber is in charge of the men and
equipment. He鈥檚 outside with the guys.鈥�
The job title comes from the fact that person typically drives a crew-cab truck. It was tough coming back to work after the Christmas break.
鈥淵ou get used to seeing your kid every day,鈥� Chuard said. 鈥淚鈥檓 doing it (working hard) so hopefully he doesn鈥檛 have to.鈥�
Chuard works out of Estevan, but has no plans to move there. 鈥淢y son鈥檚 in Ontario. I鈥檒l never move away from him,鈥� he said.
The good-paying job out west allows him to pay for hockey for Dominic, as well as put money away for college.
鈥淗e says he鈥檒l be like Sydney Crosby, only tough,鈥� Chuard laughed. 鈥淚 work, go home, and do what he wants to do 鈥� hockey, baseball,
soccer. Most of the guys here are just family men, trying to get ahead.鈥�
Asked about attitudes towards fracking back home, Chuard responded, 鈥淥ut east, it鈥檚 all negative. They don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 about. They think we鈥檙e all dumb and drunk. It鈥檚 not easy, working your guts out to provide for your family. It鈥檚 not easy reading (in the media) all the negative. Talking anything energy-related
in Ontario or Quebec that鈥檚 not hydro or nuclear, there鈥檚 no point.鈥�
