Falling oil prices create worry over jobs out west

Falling oil prices could be good news for many Nova Scotians, but some are worried it will jeopardize their jobs out west.

Since mid-summer, oil prices have dropped more than35 per cent.

Adam Spinney, a veteran lobster fisherman in Yarmouth County, started a second jobin Alberta 18 months ago to ensure his family could pay the bills.

"I decided I had to go out west [because] I got two kids tofeed," said Spinney.

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Heworks at Fort McMurray for part of the year. Spinney's contracts depend on a higher price for oil and when that pricedrops, there's less work available.

"If it continues the next fewyears, the price keeps dropping, it'll get bad out there," he said."I know a lot of guys who came home already."

His wife, Jade Malone, feels the stress too.

"As a fisherman's wife, we're kind of used to not having a lotof security in his job because there's so much price variation forlobsters and that type of thing," said Malone.

"The Alberta workseems or feels more secure. To have that kind of threatened, ourfuture kind of threatened that way, it's concerning because youdon't have anything to fall back on here in Nova Scotia."

Spinney willremain in Yarmouth County until mid-January, when he will return toFort McMurray to finish his current contract.

"I'm not sure what'sgoing to happen after that, if we're going to be brought back in nextspring," said Spinney.