Canadian wages.

[Mapleleaf]

Hi Guys,
I've got a couple of job interviews in BC and Alberta. What is the average wage for climbers in these areas, with 1 years climbing experience?

 

[Streyken]

With only one year experience, in coastal BC you'll get between 15 to 18 hr. Climbers with 5+ years experience make between 25 - 35 hr. I do my own stuff most of the time and average about 125 per hour cutting time, but occasionally I'll charge out at 50 - 70 an hour to companies that need a last minute climber.

 

[Remington0404]

geez how much is a gallon of milk up there? ( to compare cost of living)

 

[Streyken]

milk - $4.29 (gallon)
gas - $4.40 (gallon) at present could go up or down tomorrow
rent - $1800 - 2600 mo. for house (1 bedroom apartment - 700.00/mo)
Cost of a house to buy - 600,000.00 +

I live in Vancouver.

 

[bigbadbob]

Why drink milk. Beer is better for you!!!
Kamloops city and nearby suburbs have the Pine Beetle kill happening. It is estimated a minimum of 3 million needed to remove these trees. The bug kill trees seem to have a habit of falling down very soon after they are dead. Its becoming a big issue. As many back yards full of the large pines. And my feeling is this is the tip of the iceburg. One has to go for a walk and there is not many trees that dont have the holes.

 

[Streyken]

And cheaper, if you go to your friends house to watch the game.


Hehehe - guess where I spent the fall? Lots of loggers, no climbers. But then I wussed out and returned to my winter of 7 degrees and rain.

 

[Jumper]

geez how much is a gallon of milk up there? ( to compare cost of living)

Milk is $3.57 in Walmart, which equals about US$3.20.

Gas here in TO was 72.9 a litre or about US$2.50 a gallon.

On the other hand health care is a given for everyone.

 

[Streyken]

72.9! Haven't seen that in a looong time.

Thought about moving out east, but the winter is too long. Work here doesn't slow down. Right now, after that little snow and wind we had, many companies are booked through February.

 

[1I'dJak]

an alternative to res climbing is looking for a job standing stemming or windfirming....its hard work and can be pretty scary...My second day stemming it took a top that was 73 cm dbh....top was pretty f'ing big! Windfirming is easier and you don't take off as big as tops and sometimes you just spiral prune them....plus you don't have to climb as much as we often just swing over to the other tree using grapples and ascenders (of course you're always tied into the tree you're swinging from)....I started this june and they started me off at 300/day... now i get 350/day....highballers (depeding on the company and demand for climbers) can get up to $500/day... a day is about 6.5-7hrs... not including driving to the block...which can sometimes be pretty long....however, its an up and down business and often you can drive to a block and have to turn around cuz of wind or if its to foggy for the heli (stemming relies on heli travel)... but its a blast and you can always do res jobs during the down time (which is know as logging's shut down due to snow)...

 

[1I'dJak]

oh yeah, some companies hire you out as contractors so you pay your own compo...i've got the lowest converage (should get higher) and its about 200/month...although i think the rates might be going down... plus you gotta have your own kit as well as a handheld radio...roughly 800 bucks...