Interviews Relating to Caribbean Oil Workers in Alberta

Desmond Francis: Desmond Francis is a veteran pipefitter/foreman, building trades union official, and community advocate.

Cecil George: Cecil George was a master dragline electrician in Alberta who started CARIWEST and the steelband movement in Edmonton.

Simon S. Hosein is a Caribbean-trained welder who owns his own mobile welding unit and services rural and remote locations.

Peter Kokaram: Trinidad-trained Peter Kokaram was a project manager at Syncrude in Fort McMurray, managing several million dollars’ worth of projects.

Bertram T. Leslie: Bertram Leslie is a Caribbean-trained heavy duty mechanic who commuted weekly from Edmonton to Fort McMurray.

Stennie Noel: Stennie Noel, welder/fitter and union activist in Operating Engineers Local 955 and Boilermakers Local 146, has experienced racism as he worked as a tradesperson for a variety of Alberta employers.

Chips (Charles) Reid: Chips (Charles) Reid is a veteran drilling engineer who developed many industrial innovations.

Lisa Rose: Lisa Rose is a journeyman instrumentation technician at Suncor, a longtime resident of Fort McMurray, and an active member of Unifor Local 707A’s Women’s Committee.

Monica Santiago: Monica Santiago, who joined her husband Frank in Fort McMurray in 1967, describes the harsh conditions of family life in the early days of the establishment of the oilsands industry. 

Carl Wilson: Carl Wilson is a pressure welder and journeyman welder who has served as a job steward and business agent for the Pipefitters Union.

Milton Elsworth Zaiffdeen: Milton Zaiffdeen is a veteran oil and gas senior operator with extensive experience in operations around the world.