$250,000 over five years for spray park

Joe McWilliams
Lakeside Leader

Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. was in Slave Lake last week to hand over the first $50,000 installment of a five-year, $250,000 donation to the town. It’s to help pay for the town’s new spray park. Company president Brian Schmidt, who also goes by the name Aakaikkitstakii (he’s an honorary chief of the Blood Tribe), spoke about Tamarack’s recent success in oil extraction from the Marten Hills area, and the impact it likely has on Slave Lake.

“It’s no surprise you can’t get a hotel room in town,” he said. “We’re putting a strain on your services.”

Under those circumstances, Schmidt continued, it makes sense for the company to do what it can to help maintain the quality of life in the community.

Schmidt also talked about the company. It “went into COVID,” with a healthy balance sheet, he said. It was therefore able to acquire some properties, including the ones in the Marten Hills east of Slave Lake. Production has ramped up there recently to the surprising level of 25,000 to 30,000 barrels per day, he said.

Tamarack is also spending time, effort and money in reducing its carbon footprint, Schmidt said at the Feb. 1 presentation in town council chambers.

Also present at the event for Tamarack were local production foreman Trevor Sieben and manager of production Richard Trost.