Returning oilpatch workers face a tight job market in forestry

Plunging oil prices are leading to more pink slips in Alberta’s oilpatch.

And that means a lot of workers from the Island or Sunshine Coast could soon be coming home, looking for jobs in industries like forestry.

But Rick Wangler of the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937, which represents a lot of forestry workers in the Island Coastal region, says the job market remains tight.

Earlier this month premier Christy Clark said her government plans to actively lure workers back from Alberta because they’ll be needed in the forestry, natural gas and LNG sectors