From Los Angeles came an e-mail from a recruiter asking me if I knew anyone who would be interested in a job at the Albian Sands in Ft. McMurray as a Mining, Geotechnical, Process (Extraction), Reclamation Engineers, and/or a Construction Manager (Dykes).
I do not, nor am I personally interested, but the request set me thinking about the income a suitable candidate might expect. From the 2008 Canadian Mine Salary, Wages & Benefits Survey from CostMine here are some annual lowest, average, and highest salaries for western Canadian mines:
Mine Manager = $92,000, $131,400, $165,000
Mine Superintendant = $80,600, $114,200, $135,800
Chief/Senior Engineer = $70,000, $104, 500, $146,600
Mine Engineer = $60,00, $80,400, $91,000
Metallurgist = $66,000, $83,400, $121,000
These numbers include ten fossil fuel mines. I am not sure that a fossil fuel mine is an oils sands operation only or includes coal mines.
Wages for individual mines are provided in an Appendix to the Survey. I found one fossil fuel mine producing more than five million tons a year. Here are the annual salaries for some engineering staff:
Engineering Manager = $175,000
Chief Engineer = $132,151
Senior Engineer = $120,190
Engineer = $99,320.
Thus our recruiter may be seeking people potentially earning say $100,000 to $175,000 a year. It hardly seems worth while to get a recruiter from Los Angles to seek out people earning less than six figures?
The question then is could you live comfortably in Fort McMurray on about $125,000 a year? Houses are terribly expensive, food is not cheap, and the cost of getting there and back is outrageous and getting worse as the airlines shrink and fuel prices soar. I suppose as a single fellow you could, but as a family man?
I recognize it is all relative. I see what my older daughter and her husband, both MS geotechnical engineers earn and spend on a two-kid family in southern California. Must be a comparable cost situation in Fort McMurray? OK, so if you have a spouse who can earn as much as you, you can make it comfortably in Fort McMurray.
I also see what the husband of my younger daughter with six kids earns in Iowa and what they spend. They could live like kings in Fort McMurray on any one of those salaries.
So if you are interested e-mail me and I will forward your e-mail to the head hunter who tried unsuccessfully to recruit me to go to Albian Sands. 
Mind you a two-year contract for a guaranteed $200,000 per year might interest me. I will think about it over the weekend.
I am in Ontario and often here abt this jobs in AB. I think its good money for fresh graduate like myself. I would appreciate if you can forward me recruite’s info. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jack,
Do you still have contacts for your recruiter for Fort MacMurray position? I’m looking for one. If you can assist, that will be great.
Thank you, Simon.
Jack,
You worked with my father Gary Bates on the development and construction of the Canon Mine in Wenatchee, WA. Since then, I have worked on the development and construction of mines in Alaska, most recently the Rock Creek Mine in Nome, AK. I am in search of a new project. Any hot prospects you can think of? International is not a problem and my Spanish is pretty good.
Kindest Regards,
Charles
Canadian dollar is different from US dollar.
Wow. ithinkmining.com is killer.
http://demonismvideo.blogspot.com/2010/03/soak-marchioness.html
I am a truck driver / Equipment operator living in Florida, would like some info on jobs in Canada please E-Mial me with info. Thank you.
Hi Jack
Appreciate if you could give me the name of the headhunter.
Thanks so much
Firz
Hey Jack,
Can you give me the name and contact info for the recruiter?
Thank you very much!
Mike
Hello Jack, i’m an Industrial Engineer, can you give me any contact info for the recruiter.
thanks a lot!!
Guillermo
i like the oil sands
were doing a project for school about the oil sands in fort mcmurry and really it is not worth it, stuck in a small town working all day paying ALOT for housing and food but also making alot… with most of the residents having extra money alll they do is gamble and buy drugs, also there are almost no women, doesnt sound that appealing to me.
This comment is not based in fact. Ft McMurray residents aren’t buying drugs or gambling any more than anywhere else in Alberta. Average house price is $770k right now and going up which eats up a lot of your salary, but most everyone has lots of toys – nice trucks, quads, snowmobiles, boats, etc.
I am not sure how old this posting is, possibly 2009? However, I am interested in learning more about the job possibilities that you mentioned in this article and the head hunter that contacted you. Currently, I am a Process Operator, Level 3, with nearly 6 years of experience in the Alkalation HF unit at ExxonMobil.
Any information that you can provide would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Robert
I am an irish plumber with 15 years experience in both comm
ercial and domestic plumbing, would there be a job in the mining industry for me. I am 38 years old
Awesome website you have here but I was curious if you knew
of any discussion boards that cover the same topics talked about here?
I’d really like to be a part of community where I can get opinions from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!