Hundreds of job seekers line up at Calgary fair

CALGARY — Hundreds of job seekers headed to the BMO Centre for Career Fair Canada Tuesday, hoping to meet employers and get working again.

Many were oil and gas workers who lost their positions in cost-cutting by energy companies over the past two years.

The fair offered a mix of re-training opportunities and job openings with companies and agencies that are currently hiring — including the RCMP. The organization needs to recruit 3,000 officers across Canada over the next three years.

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Organizers of the event said job fairs are important, because even just a brief face-to-face meeting with potential employers can make a big difference.

“There are some companies that don’t advertise in print, they don’t advertise online, they don’t do billboards or anything like that — but they do job fairs and that’s the only way they recruit,” Career Fair Canada’s Peter Anthony said.

Tens of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs since 2014, mostly due to cost-cutting in the energy industry.

TIMELINE: Tracking the layoffs in Alberta’s oilpatch