The Globe and Mail

A little town on the oil sands

GORDON PITTS

Chipman, Alta.— From Saturday’s Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Feb. 04, 2011 6:30PM EST

Last updated Friday, Feb. 04, 2011 7:35PM EST

Time moves slowly in Chipman, Alta., where the ancient hotel jukebox plays Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar as old guys talk over beers about what it’s like working in Fort Mac at 40-below. You can order a hefty helping of burger and fries with a Coke and still get a fistful of change from a $10 bill….

As Alberta braces for the next wave of growth, it is hoping for a sustainable future, and nowhere more than in little towns on the periphery that tried to catch the tail of the last boom, before the global economy suffered a stroke. Now in Chipman, and nearby places like Lamont, Bruderheim and Redwater, they’re hoping for a second chance at the last chance – and they hope this time it’s for real….([1] Full Story)