INNISFAIL - The region's big rigs are set to roll down the highway from Innisfail to Olds for a huge oilfield support rally this weekend that will see a convoy begin in the Westgate Industrial Park, snake its way through the north part of town and then head south on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway.
The Jan. 26 rally is being coordinated and sponsored by Innisfail's Bristow Projects and Olds' Parkland Pipeline Contractors.
Paul Hoffman, an Innisfailian who works at Parkland as the director of health and safety, said the initiative is focused on needed government boosts for the struggling oilfield sector and is not affiliated with Alberta's recent pro-pipeline Yellow Vest movement.
"They (Yellow Vest) have many other valid concerns but this is strictly oilfield, not a Yellow Vest initiative," said Hoffman. "This rally is to protest the lack of provincial and federal support for the oil and gas industry.
"We need pipelines to get our oil out," he added. "Our man hours and workload has dropped 80 per cent since 2016, which is pretty significant."
Hoffman said on Jan. 16 organizers hope to attract a "couple of hundred" rigs for the rally. He added a meeting was held with Innisfail RCMP last week to work out logistical issues.
"I don't expect any problems and we are not expecting any traffic issues," he said.
Rig owners are asked to meet at the Bristow Projects yard, located at 3725 - 61st Ave., at 10 a.m. on Jan. 26, with all trucks lined up facing north to exit the industrial park. The convoy is moving out at 10:30 a.m. and heading north on Hwy. 54.
Truckers will then then turn right at Lakewood Drive, drive east past the entrance of the Innisfail Golf Club, and then turn left before the train tracks onto the truck route.
The convoy will then travel east until Hwy. 2A, and then turn right and head south until they reach the south overpass and continue south on Hwy. 2.
Truckers will travel at 80 km/h on the right lane only until the overpass to Olds, and then head west on Hwy. 27. They will then turn left at 46th Avenue (Hwy. 2A south), then right at 57th Street, followed by a left at 47 Avenue, and then another right at 60th Street and right again at 48th Avenue. The convoy finishes at the end of 58th Street at the Parkland Pipeline yard.
For more information on the oilfield support rally contact Hoffman at 403-556-0626, or Ron Bristow at 403-350-6403.
