DUCKS by Kate Beaton is a sweeping and graphic portrayal of the author's experiences as a new graduate from Nova Scotia who goes to work in the Alberta oil sands for two years from 2005-2007 to pay off her college debt. While the story touches on numerous environmental and social issues, the main thrust is what it was like to be a naïve young woman alone in a remote environment with long hours and hard work surrounded by lonely, desperate men.
I'm coming at this review from a position of credibility; though perhaps not total objectivity. My first job out of school was to work as a wireline technician out of Schlumberger's base in Grande Prairie, Alberta. I was stationed there for about two years, nearly a decade after Kate, from 2014-2016.
As part of that stint, I spent about 6 months in the oil sands at some of the camps Kate portrays in her novel. I worked in what's called SAGD, so shallow drilling rigs, out in the field. The rest of the time I was at conventional oil sites scattered across Northern Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan. Before my deployment – because it is a kind of "deployment" – I was trained for several months at bases in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Abu Dhabi, UAE alongside men and women working in the oil and gas industry all over the world.
It's hard to describe exactly what working in these remote environments is like, but Kate nails it with DUCKS. Her depiction of the constant barrage of compliments, polite and shameless harassment, and just all out weird celebrity treatment is bang on. That's what moved me to do this review. It was cathartic and validating to read about her experience. She does it all with eloquent yet succinct descriptions, real characters she met along the way, and vivid, stunning artwork. On behalf of the women who had this experience, I thank Kate for being so brilliantly talented to tell this story to a mass audience.
Kate also does an incredible job of portraying the subtleties. Because, like everything in life, it isn't all bad. We're talking about a community of people who have skin in the game. Many of those working in the Alberta oilsands at that time were not from Alberta, and they came here for one reason: $$$. And there are plenty of native Albertans who benefit from the oil industry in the same way. Yes, there is a history of unsustainable boom and bust cycles, but there's also the true economic wealth generated over time by having an industry like this in your province.
An important takeaway for those reading this novel from outside Alberta is that this type of experience isn't limited to the oil sands. In fact, the oil sands at the time Kate worked there greatly resembles the US shale gas revolution that peaked in 2014 when I graduated. The ironic thing about the term "ducks" is that "DUCs" is and oil and gas term that refers to "drilled but uncompleted wells" that were rampant across the countryside when US fracking companies ran out of money to finish what they started. I remember when I accepted the job with Schlumberger and they asked me where I wanted to be deployed, I told them "anywhere but Williston". Williston North Dakota was notorious at the time for being a genuinely dangerous place for women to work because it was so remote.
And for those horrified by this novel, I can say with confidence that since the time Kate was there, the oil sands has made real progress towards cleaning up its act. I'm sure it's not unrelated to the bad press, including accounts like Kate's. Speaking from experience, there's now much greater recognition of the importance of mental health, for both men and women. There are meaningful initiatives in place to improve and expand the experience of women in all types of roles. There are even a growing number of economic partnerships with more than 50% Indigenous equity. There is still a ways to go, but it's trending in the right direction.
And then there's the environment – I'm lucky to have a job today where I help choose how the millions of dollars in carbon tax the oil sands pays each year gets reinvested. Since 2009, almost $1B of oil sands carbon tax has gone towards greenhouse gas reduction technologies. At risk of sounding like a corporate drone, the oil sands has a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, and I haven't seen any other oil-producing country around the world with a goal remotely resembling that. I see greenwashing messages all the time but I also work with real people on a daily basis who are making meaningful efforts to help our climate, both from outside and within the oilsands.
I want to round this review out with a thought I had when I was reading Kate's foreword to her story, and her discussion about the oilsands being located on stolen land. That's absolutely true. But you know what else is? We are ALL living on stolen lands. And we are all active participants in the global oil and gas economy. Stories like this show us what happens when capitalism goes unchecked. That's why we need robust regulation and competent leadership, so we can maintain civility without sacrificing economic growth. We all play a role and we all are to blame. And that means we all have the power to do something, however small, to make it better. Being educated about the energy industry and learning the nuances as best you can is an important place to start.
So in closing, thank you Kate for telling the truth and sharing your story in such an honest and beautiful way. I would recommend anyone and everyone to read this book; and then also take the time to learn what the oilsands is up to today, two decades on.
Comments