Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 The morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned into the Mac CD morning show. I am your host Elliot Pierre, and we're going to start the show off on the same note. We start every show off with a moment of gratitude. I know you could be doing a million other things with your time. And the fact that you're spending with us truly does mean the world to me. So thank you on that note, Tanner in with the intro,
Speaker 1 00:00:20 She caught me loves you're listening to the next city morning show.
Speaker 0 00:00:29 Okay. And we're back. All right. We have my favorite type of guests today, a complete stranger. Um, so as you guys know at home, I do not introduce my guests because they can do that better than I can. So on that note, can you please tell everybody at home who you are and what's your
Speaker 3 00:00:43 Good morning? My name is Naomi smart. I'm a long time resident of Fort McMurray. Um, until recently I was employed with the oil sands in the area. Um, but today I'm just here to talk about a few things and explore a few things and hopefully provide some knowledge to somebody.
Speaker 0 00:01:03 Very cool. Thank you for reaching out. I do appreciate it. So, one interesting thing that you got, uh, started off was you said you are born and raised in Fort McMurray. No born in Fort McMurray, but raised in Newfoundland. Sorry, explain that one.
Speaker 3 00:01:17 Well, I guess my parents were here in the seventies and, uh, they went back east and I did most of my secondary schooling there. I graduated back east and then once I was finished up there, I moved back to Fort Mac and kind of started my professional career.
Speaker 0 00:01:35 Okay. So explain, uh, Newfoundland. Where, what part of Newfoundland were you born in or raised in? Sorry.
Speaker 3 00:01:41 Um, just outside of Gander, just a little town outside again. There's 2100 people. It's called glow Overtown. And there's quite a few people from my hometown that live in Fort McMurray, so. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:01:52 Yeah. So you went to, you grew up in Newfoundland and then you finished all your schooling. Then you decided to move back to Fort McMurray. Was that because you had people here based on the career that you chose, you felt this was the right place? Like what brought you back originally?
Speaker 3 00:02:06 Well, a lot of my friends were already living up here. Um, there wasn't much work back east, um, for young people at that time, it was the nineties and, um, I decided to come up and kind of make a few inroads here and did the normal start started at waitressing and I, I worked at diggers.
Speaker 0 00:02:27 Nice.
Speaker 3 00:02:30 Yeah. So I worked there in 97, 98, 99. And, uh, from there I made some more contacts and ended up, um, you know, working in construction and onward to the oil sands in 2003,
Speaker 0 00:02:44 Four. Okay. And what kind of work were you doing in the old sense?
Speaker 3 00:02:48 Just regular equipment operation, all trucks. Those are as greater as well.
Speaker 0 00:02:52 Yeah. Did you like working on that site? I do. Okay. It's one of those things. I was fortunate enough, like born and raised here myself. Um, I was able to work out at Syncrude one summer and, uh, it was punishment.
Speaker 0 00:03:08 No, like what was taking place was I was in college and I wasn't really into it. And so my dad, like most of our parents at the time was able to say like, Hey, listen. As, uh, an employee of this company, like our children can get like summer jobs, um, for school. And I got you one, I said, okay. And I went out there and I'm convinced my dad. And when I say convince, he's kind of told me he did this, but he got his buddies to give me the worst jobs ever. So I'm talking, painting the Coker, uh, in the middle of the summer, like the paint would dry before it would even hit the top, had to shovel Coke dust under confined, uh, under, um, compressed air or whatever you call it, a man watch spark watch, like you name it, like it was brutal.
Speaker 0 00:03:55 So at the end of the summer, my dad is just like, did he like it out there? I was like, no, he's like, you're going to study hard in school. I said, yeah, I promise. So it's one of those things where being out at site for some people, they love it. And most of my friends, obviously this community being born here, um, I'd say 98% of the people I know and hang out with workout at site and my hat goes off to them because it's not easy working out there. Like it's challenging mentally, physically, like it's, it's work, it's work out there. So what do you like that when you're out there?
Speaker 3 00:04:28 I did. Yeah. Um, I started out with, uh, with shell. Okay. Um, oh 4, 2 20 12. Right. And then I took a little bit of a break. I took a couple of years off work in general and just stayed at home to raise my son. And, um, and when I got back into the industry, I worked, uh, at a crane company. And after that I decided I was ready to go back into the oil sands and I went to work for another company, um, which was strictly fly in, fly out. So, okay. I lived in camp for about five years on that site. Oh, wow.
Speaker 0 00:05:03 How did you like that?
Speaker 3 00:05:05 It's a very, it's a challenge upon a challenge. Aside from the tough working conditions and camp conditions are the camp condition itself was fine, but just adjusting to the whole balance work-life balance, I guess.
Speaker 0 00:05:23 Yeah. It's um, in a previous lifetime a few years ago, uh, used to be in human resources and I was I'm the HR manager for a company called Accuran. And prior to that, I used to do recruiting for a company called Eveready clean harvest. Yeah. So, um, yeah, I know a lot of, obviously I've recruited lots of people to do fly in, fly out work. Um, maybe in camps that were something like the stationary camps or back in the day rig camps. Um, yes. It's, like you said, it's like a challenge upon a challenge. Some people like really can do and other people can't and like, it would, I remember I was in my early twenties when I stayed in a rig camp for the first time in the middle of the Bush, like in the middle of the winter, driving on a nice road and just like going out and thinking like, oh my gosh, like I just did it for a weekend just to see, right.
Speaker 0 00:06:12 Like I'm recruiting people. I got to say like, these are the conditions that you're going to be staying in. You guys will stay in the, in the camp. And I was thinking, wow, like, it was cool, but I didn't know. And like you said, like the accommodations were great. I thought the food was phenomenal. Um, but the conditions are different, you know? So I was just like, I don't know, like I can do this for a weekend. I might even be able to do this for like a few months. I don't know if I can do this for the rest of my life. So five years, that's, that's a long haul.
Speaker 3 00:06:39 There are people on that former site that I was working on that have 15, 16 years of commuting and living in a camp. So I don't know if you're aware of the recent U of a study that just came out. Um, Dr. Sarah Doro. I think her name was saw.
Speaker 0 00:06:54 I saw it pop up on my Facebook feed, but no, I didn't click and go through, like I saw the, the header in regards to like, it adds to stress, but I never actually like clicked and read it, but what was it about?
Speaker 3 00:07:06 Uh, well, I participated in it. Yeah. So, um, it was just exploring the, you know, the mental, um, anguish, sometimes that comes along with, you know, living in camp and detaching from your, your real life into your work life. You're absolutely immersed in one versus immersed in another. Um, I think it takes a lot of, um, commitment to keep yourself sane. I don't know if Stan is the right word, but, um, to be able to leave one life and go into another and another and do it on a continual basis every 10, 15 days or whatever the schedule may be. Um, and these men, mostly men that have been doing it. I mean, they, they come up to these camps and they give their all for two weeks at a time and then they go home and they have to, you know, come out of their work mode, get into their husband and father mode. And a lot of times it's transit transition. Like isn't easy for people.
Speaker 0 00:08:10 No, it's not. I found it was always, um, an ongoing issue with a staff that I had that commuted in regards to like, I would certain roles, for sure. You would say like, you, you have no choice, but to commute, like turn around and shut downs. Some of the, like very far Northern sites that like are here in Fort Mac. Um, but I, I used to tell, especially like the younger guys with their family, I'm like, what's going to happen is you're going to come up here and you're going to work. And then you're going to go back home and you're going to be tired cause you work hard, but you've been gone for a week or two or a month or whatever. Like your significant other has like a honeydew list for you when you get home and you got to do it because they've been waiting on you.
Speaker 0 00:08:48 And like, that's a hard transition to make when you come home. And you're tired on those first few days and he, or she is just like, Hey honey, you're home. And like, I'm happy to see you, but also have all this stuff I need you to do. And then you're just like, listen, I just, I just worked like a dog. Like I need some time. And I'm like, it's gonna cause tension unless you like communicate really well. And, and you understand that. So like I have no doubt that the study is, is bang on not saying it's impossible. Not saying it can't be done, but it is an additional stress that somebody who does like live and work in the same town or place, that's a hurdle that most don't have to overcome.
Speaker 3 00:09:24 Well, I always say that, um, people that don't work shift work or camp life, or exposed to that kind of industry that requires that people that don't work actually in it will never understand it. Never understand the pressures.
Speaker 0 00:09:39 No. Well, my self and Tanner talk about in regards to like growing up here, when both of our fathers worked out at site and they worked shift work. And so when you're a young child, you're in bed before your dad gets home and he's gone before you wake up. So for those durations of time, like my dad worked a five on four off four on five off, like for those shifts, he doesn't exist. Like you heard maybe if he stayed up late enough to see them for a second or hear his voice. But for that shift work, he, that he just doesn't exist from a younger age, which like when I moved away from Fort McMurray to go to school and you would tell people that they'd be like, what are you talking about? Like, I guess my dad goes on business trips or something sometimes, but like not on a very like regular occurrence. Right? It's, it's different. And unless you live it, you don't know
Speaker 3 00:10:29 I'm the same. My son was the same as you. Like, he wouldn't see me for my night shifts because you work, you work your night, come home and you go to bed and you get up and you have your half an hour to get yourself going. That's right. And you can high five, your toddler or your kid out through the door. And that's it for five, 10 minutes a day for those night shifts. And it takes a toll on family.
Speaker 0 00:10:50 It does, especially. I just met a woman a few weeks ago. Actually. I forget her name. And I do apologize. I kind of remember her name and I kind of remember her company, but like, I don't want to say because I'll probably get it wrong. Um, but, uh, she's in the healthcare, um, childcare industry and she was really fighting and she won and she's opening and it has a bigger version of what she's already started, but, uh, childcare for site families, because like you were to drop your kid off at six and pick them up at six doesn't exist. Nope. Doesn't exist. Especially like for night shifts. So like, what do you do? Or just regular shift? You don't get home until nine. So it was something where like I have a young, young child and I'm lucky enough that I've created a circumstance where I can pick them up and drop them off.
Speaker 0 00:11:37 But, and I'm also blessed that, uh, my family, my mom and dad have decided to retire in for him where he, so I've got the grandparents helped me out, but there's a lot of people who are definitely not in that situation. So it's tough. So now you were initially a messaged me to come and talk about something that I know nothing about. So I'm interested to hear what you got to say about the topic, but it was about CNRL and a petition regarding something about vaccinations. Now, once again, I'm being a hundred percent honest. Uh, I do zero preparation for the show, so, and I don't work at CNRL obviously. So I have no idea what you're talking about. So I'm very interested to hear kind of like what, what it's about and what you want it to speak about.
Speaker 3 00:12:24 Okay. Thank you. Um, about a year ago, I went to work for CNRL, um, doing the same job that I've done all 20 years. Um, and, uh, they've been following closely along with all the government implemented rules and such, you know, because they do have a, a fly in fly out situation. They have town people coming and going and they want to keep their work workforce safe and healthy. And so they followed along quite stringently with all the restrictions that have come. Um, and, but they've been the first and only oil sands company, as far as I'm aware to implement a mandatory vaccination policy. And they came out with that policy on, I think it was September 23rd of this year
Speaker 0 00:13:15 Also quite early. Okay.
Speaker 3 00:13:18 Yes. So, um, in order to be compliant for the December 1st deadline, you have to be fully vaccinated by December 1st, meaning having your two shots right by the middle of November to be qualified, to be vaccinated. I guess you're not double vaccine until you're two weeks have passed pass your second shot. I'm not sure, but, um, I had been closely consulting with my doctor, um, ever since this whole thing came in, I had COVID in, uh, 2020, uh, went through it recovered. Um, happy to hear that. Thank you. Um, I wasn't too sick, but I'm a young, relatively healthy person on smoker. No coal, uh, morbidities, I guess, of whatever they call it. Their no, no, uh, health issues. So I recovered, um, in 2020, and I'd been, like I said, in touch with my doctor quite regularly. And then when CNRL brought in their policy, I, oh, sorry, I haven't had it myself, but in August I'd gone to see him because we saw how the climate was changing when it comes to, you know, points of view on the whole vaccination deal and what people are doing and what companies are doing and how people are reacting.
Speaker 3 00:14:39 And yeah, so I went to him in August and I said, I don't know what's going to happen. He said, well, we've talked about it at great length. And we've decided that you're not really a good candidate for vaccination because of my health history. I have documented history of being hospitalized for anaphylaxis. Okay. Are you familiar with that? Not a clue. Okay. So anaphylaxis is a condition where, uh, your throat and airways close off in voluntarily due to a reaction from unknowns and unknown drugs, situations, dusts, whatever. It's an allergic reaction. So I'd experienced this about three times in the last 10 years I was hospitalized for it. And he said, yeah, at this time we don't know what, what could happen with you. You recommend that you don't go ahead with your, with the vaccination. I said, I'm, I'm well aware and I'm happy about that.
Speaker 3 00:15:34 And I'm good. I'm, COVID recovered. And I had my antibody tests done in August of this year. I'm still showing immune to the virus. So he had offered at that time in August to write me an exemption, if you, whatever you need, he said, I will write it for you. And yeah. And at that time I went, ah, I'm okay. I won't need that. I'm good. Oh, no, fast forward a month. And my company comes out with the mandatory right rule. So I went back to him and I texted him because he's an ultra cool guy. And he gave me his phone number. Should I ever need it? So I texted him and I said, Hey, about that exemption you offered to write for me. He says, yeah, about that. He said, we have been given strict instructions by the CPSC. You know what that is physicians and surgeons and physicians and surgeons association to not write exemptions for any reason. And any exemptions up till this point that have been written, we are instructed to redact.
Speaker 3 00:16:50 So I'm like, what, how is that even possible? And my company had stated in their memo that they would accept religious and medical exemptions. So here I am with a medical condition, my doctor is not allowed to write me a medical exemption. Right. I have a deadline to be double Jad by November 15. Yeah. Or I'm out of a job. So I kind of went into overdrive and I was like, what am I going to do? I love my job. I love the people I work with. I don't have any issue. Um, I was hoping to move ahead and the company I'd only been with them less than a year, but I was on the road to, you know, progressing and becoming part of a leadership team as far as I knew and working towards those things. So my mind went into overdrive, like, what am I going to do?
Speaker 3 00:17:47 So I think, you know, maybe I, maybe I should check with a lawyer and I didn't want to leave it up to anyone, to anyone else to do this for me. And I'd had contacts on site of people who were like freaking out. Like I was like, cause they, they, for one reason or another, their personal decision, they didn't want to be a part of a mandated needle, whatever. And I didn't want to leave my own situation up to someone else to take care of. So I got in touch with a few of these people, those names were given to me and I said, okay, we need to work together. Um, I think I can find us a lawyer and I did. Okay. And I organized a lawyer and I wanted to help people that were on the same wavelength and I, I just wanted to help.
Speaker 3 00:18:39 Yeah. And I came up with quite a few names in the original like week that we'd put the information out there, we've got a couple hundred names and I organized a zoom meeting for everybody. With this lawyer, we didn't have any plans of litigation or lawsuits or anything. It was just purely to be made aware of our rights as workers and to receive some sort of comfort that we weren't going to be left out in the cold or, or that we had some sort of leg to stand on with not having to do this, to keep our job. Right. So we had about a hundred people on that call. I'm not sure when there's a hundred people on a zoom call, how do you filter out who's there? And who's not for genuine reasons, but whatever. I mean, I'm a trusting person. I'm an honest person.
Speaker 3 00:19:34 And if I can help, I'm going to help. So we had the initial meeting and then from there, um, I got added to a telegram group. Um, and the, in the teller, I wasn't aware of how telegram worked, but most people don't use their real names on telegram. Most people use aliases or whatever other handles. And the first little while I was using my own name. So that was attached also to perhaps some things that were happening within that group. Things that I necessarily wasn't a part of, but my name was attached to the zoom meeting and it was attached to the cause the guy that ran the telegram, he immediately added me as an admin to the telegram group. So I'm not sure how my name was associated with all kinds of things happening, but I kind of stopped after the zoom meeting, I stepped away and let a few other people kind of just take the reins or whatever was happening in this telegram group.
Speaker 3 00:20:40 Yeah. Um, because I'm very, very technologically I can manage to copy and paste. I can manage to do one or two emails I can copy and paste into an Excel document. Other than that, that's about where we're at. Yeah. So, um, we had a couple other people that were very, very well-versed in the, in the data collection and, you know, data, um, tally and stuff like that. And so they took over the, um, the taking of names and the things like that, of people who want to sign up with our, cause I had nothing to do with any of that. I just, I was done. Right. So, um, that group had, uh, come up with a, I guess, an action plan and in the action plan, um, they had come up with, um, a three-day sickout okay. Now I didn't say whether I was or wasn't for it.
Speaker 3 00:21:52 I just planned on not going into work. And I hadn't, I hadn't, um, what's the word advertised from my own lips to people. I was like, whatever I was going to participate, but I wasn't just, you know, coming out and saying, you need to do this and you need to do that. And I didn't do any of that. Um, and that was like October 23rd, 24th. Maybe when the action plan for the group had come out, we need to send, CNRL a message that this is, this is wrong. This is not what we want. Right. And, uh, I'm not sure what happened, but October 26, I got a phone call from my manager. Um, and he told me that as of October 26, I was no longer employed with CNRL and he, that was it. There was no explanation I was being dismissed without. Cause thank you. Have a good day. And he was done. Yeah. And I'm like, that was a week ago tomorrow. And uh, yeah, I just been, I dunno, I haven't been able to really get wrap my head around what's taken place because you can ask anyone who's ever known me or work with me that I've never had ill intentions toward anyone or anything. I just like doing the right thing.
Speaker 3 00:23:20 Right. And I don't think that the right thing is allowing a company to inoculate me, to keep me employed or to keep you employed. And if that's your choice, you want to do that. That's your choice. I'm not anti whatever I am pro choice. So after, after the phone call where he let me go, I was just dumbfounded really, because without, cause I looked it up and it was free of any professional misconduct. So they didn't say I wasn't doing my job. I've always done my job. Like I said, the week before that I'd been approached by the leadership team asking me to train, to fill in for leadership right. A week before. Yeah. So in the matter of a week I was no longer part of the company. And then I just thought I'd like to come and tell my story and uh, and just let everyone know that my intentions were purely, purely genuine.
Speaker 3 00:24:23 I just wanted to help the people that don't want to do this to keep their job, you know? Um, so this is where I met I'm unemployed. Um, first time in my life I've ever been let go from anything. Um, I don't really have a plan. I don't know what's happening even tomorrow, but, um, I've made some inroads with some people who are, um, championing the cause from my side of it. Um, I don't know if you've heard about, uh, Chris Scott with the whistle stop cafe. Um, he's been quite a voice for the Alberta small business and, um, AHS has shut him down multiple times in 20 20, 21, uh, for violating their, uh, restrictions or whatever it is they want to call it. And, um, I'm also in touch with some, uh, doctors associated with Mr. Uh, Scott, uh, Dr. Nick gassy. He's a doctor out of Rimbey too, um, was fired after he treated his patients in the room B hospital with .
Speaker 3 00:25:35 Okay. And he was fired for doing that. Hey, you're the mall. And uh, so he's part of the group. I'm hoping to meet up with them in the near future. Um, Dr. , Dr. Hodkinson. These were all names that everyone needs to become aware with. Aware of, sorry. Yeah. Um, like I said, I've never been anti never, it doesn't sound like you are currently. No, I don't care how many things you want to take. I just don't want it forced on me to be able to work. And I've been open and honest from, from the get-go I've never had a malicious intent. I'm gonna get go. Um, I think I've been, um, plucked out of a group to kind of send a message to others that this is what happens if you go against what, what the big CNRL was trying to trying to do here. So I am not alone.
Speaker 0 00:26:35 You go, well, thank you. I appreciate you coming in being so open and honest with your candor today about what's going on with you. So that's been really nice and I'm hoping that I, you were telling me that you were able to get on some other platforms to tell your story as well.
Speaker 3 00:26:49 That's right. The Western standard picked up my story as did rebel news. So, um, I guess I think I'm falling under the, uh, there stopped the Mac, uh, the vaccine mandate, um, umbrella there, they have a few different items that you can contribute to, but you can go on to rebel news.com and have a look at my story there or the Western standard online and have,
Speaker 0 00:27:13 Well, listen, I hate to cut you short, but the show's only 20 minutes long. So I do want to thank you for coming and telling your story. Um, if you ever want to come back on the show again, by all means that seed is always open for you. The show is structured in the sense where it's only 20 minutes long because nobody is only 20 minutes of being interesting. So you can come back again and again and again. So please take me up on the offer if you're ever back and forth with Marie, come hang out with myself and 10. All right. Now, at the end of the show, though, everybody gets a sh a shameless shout out or plug. So the camera's on you, the mics on you, a fun,
Speaker 3 00:27:49 A shameless plug or showed up. Oh my goodness. Yep. So one of my girls in Fort Mac that I've always kept in touch with, um, Aliyah, she's the local realtor. So she's always had my back. If I ever need anything, I get in touch with her. So,
Speaker 0 00:28:06 Oh, also shout out. Okay. Well Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. Thank you very much for tuning into the Mac city morning show. Um, once again, it means the world to me. So thank you. Uh, hopefully you're having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
