There has been a trend that everyone in the Southeast is keeping an eye on, and that is the price of barrels of oil. Since the proposed OPEC DEAL FROM THE FALL OF 2016, prices have stayed north of $50/barrel on the WTI Crude Oil index. How does this look for our area?

"Well right now, it looks like it's a positive sign in the industry that prices are at least stabilizing. I'm not sure if it's going to spike up right away, but I'm expecting a steady incline in the price of oil in the next little while," shared Bernie Bjorndalen. 

Bernie is the General Manager of Swift Oilfield Supply in Estevan. Over the years, he's dealt with companies doing business in the area, so he's got a grip of what may come about in 2017. 

"In my opinion, the OPEC deal benefit the price of oil right now. It's more related towards stability into the amount of barrels of oil that are being imported and exported to the country and into the world. 

Now, where it counts is the amount of jobs that could be made here in our area. 

"It's looking positive in this area. A lot of companies have put plans in place at least for the next quarter to put quite a bit of work. Budget are now in place for that purpose, which is something we haven't seen in the last year or two; positive spending in our area and our community," he explained. 

Bjorndalen is expecting the UPCOMING STOUGHTON REFINERY to be a positive for the area, as it is projected to bring 60 full-time jobs in the community. It also introduces stability for the industry in the area, as he pointed out. 

"If we keep the price of oil north of $50 per barrel, that's going to be good for us in the community," he concluded.