This First Person article is the experience of Kiran Somanchi, an ex-oil patch engineer in Calgary. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
I’m the son of an oil patch engineer. But growing up, I knew little of my dad’s profession and when I chose to study engineering after high school, I was drawn to “cool” industries like biotech — not what I thought were outdated ones like oil and gas.
Then I saw it up close. After 13 years working in “the patch,” I can now tell you this is an incredibly high-tech, complex and dynamic industry Canadians should be proud of. For me, it launched my career, helped me buy a house and gave me a sense of purpose. For my city, it laid the foundation for a diverse, vibrant economy.
That’s why it feels personal when politicians condemn the oil patch and use it as a political tool to score points by blocking pipelines. I want to vote for a party that sees oil and gas as a platform for nation-building.
What changed my mind
Our family is from India. My dad worked in oil and gas in Mumbai, Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Singapore before moving our family to Calgary in 2002. I studied engineering at the University of Calgary and had zero interest in following my dad’s career path until I landed a four-month internship with an engineering professor.
My project involved building a device to speed up rock permeability testing — pretty dry stuff, but I loved translating academic theory into something practical. That internship turned into an industry co-op with a major oil and gas company, where I watched people drill five kilometres under the earth using little more than measurements and sensors. It was like flying from Toronto to Thunder Bay, Ont., through fog and trying to land on a sidewalk. That kind of precision blew my mind.
Soon I wasn’t just engaged — I was excelling. After years of being a solid B+ student, I’d found my lane. I pursued petroleum engineering full-time and entered the industry just before the $100-per-barrel oil boom of 2008, where young engineers like me were handed real responsibility fast. I was running multi-million-dollar projects and working with cutting-edge fibre-optic sensing technology — basically using lasers to “listen” underground and map what was happening below the surface.
I pivoted out of the patch to try something new during the pandemic in my late 30s. I had to take a steep 40 per cent pay cut, but working in a well-paying industry for 13 years meant that I already owned a home and had solid retirement savings. The oil patch also gave me the skills and confidence to climb quickly in my new field of software technology. I’ve been promoted twice in four years — not in spite of my past, but because of it.
The change also gave me the chance to look back at this industry with some emotional distance. I see now how deeply I and others tie their identity to this industry. There’s pride in being part of something so visible, so essential — and frustration, too, that Canada could do better economically and productivity would rise if we supported smart investment in this industry.
I also saw how critical the industry is to the diversity of Western Canada. A strong resource sector isn’t just about extraction — it’s a launchpad. It draws global talent and trains builders, problem solvers and entrepreneurs.
When layoffs happen or companies evolve, people don’t just disappear. They pivot. Reinvent. Start something new.
I got to work with and learn from smart British, Dutch, Brazilians, Venezuelan, Russian, Nigerian and Iranians engineers. Many of my colleagues went on to launch startups in methane reduction, carbon dioxide mitigation, food, retail and tech.
But what about climate change?
There’s a stereotype that oil patch professionals bleed blue. While it’s undeniable that Alberta usually votes Conservative federally, I have never voted Conservative in the 23 years I have lived in Calgary. My friends jokingly call me a hipster. I believe in climate change. I fully supported the carbon tax before it was axed. I drive a Toyota RAV4 because it is fuel efficient.
Occasionally, I am filled with dread. But I am also a techno-optimist.
Capitalism gets us into trouble, but it has also gotten us out of trouble in the past. Humans have a long history of finding newer, more efficient sources of energy to avert climate disaster. We went from burning trees, charcoal and whale blubber to then kerosene, oil and gas, nuclear energy, and finally renewables. We fixed the ozone layer. With human ingenuity and technology, I believe we can avert the worst consequences of climate change.
This election, I want to vote for a party that is interested in nation building — one that has a vision for Canada as an energy superpower, and that can go beyond partisan politics to balance responsible resource development with economic growth.
The Liberal decision to buy the Transmountain pipeline to diversify our exports to Asian markets was a good step, and as was enforcing a carbon tax on large emitters. I’m saddened by the government’s decision to reverse the consumer carbon tax because I thought it was an effective tool to curb over-consumption and do our part.
We also need to build infrastructure to upgrade raw products domestically, further expand trade routes, build pipelines to get top dollar for our natural resources, reduce red tape and use profits to diversify the economy into other industries.
I don’t have all the answers on how to get this done, but I know what the oil patch gave me: a foundation, a purpose, and the freedom to build something new. If we get this right, it can do the same for Canada.
What’s the one issue that matters the most to you in this federal election? CBC News will publish a range of perspectives from voters who share the personal experience shaping their choice at the ballot box. Read more First Person columns related to the election here.