Alberta's Oil-Driven Construction Boom

"Alberta seems to have become a never-ending construction site. Everywhere you look, something is being built. From roads to houses to skyscrapers, billions are being spent as the energy-fuelled boom literally transforms the province. According to recent government figures, about $162-billion worth of major industrial projects are under way around Alberta, with 62 per cent of those being oil-sands-related.

Alberta is sucking construction materials and workers from job sites all across the country, but there never seems to be enough help and supplies to keep up with the unprecedented demand. Skyrocketing construction costs, now among the highest in Canada, are also a constant headache for builders and governments trying to keep up.

But despite all the challenges, the province and municipal governments are still planning on spending record amounts on public infrastructure. The demand for help is so high that some projects are tendered without receiving a single bid. Everybody is working full out."