Virden, Man., sees a post-oil future down the line, but leaders aren't worried yet

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito... Oil production around the southwest Manitoba community of Virden remains steady, and while diversifying the economy away from fossil fuels will be key for the region in the future, it's not an immediate concern for some local leaders. Residents of Virden — which lies about 70 km west of Brandon — and the surrounding area have benefited financially for several decades from oil extraction. It's something Bruce Dunning, a town councillor who runs a consulting business in Manitoba's relatively small oil industry, has seen first-hand. "With the combination of oil and agriculture, we've seen the town of Virden survive many downturns and definitely a lot of services, supplies and opportunities in Virden that don't exist in surrounding towns," Dunning said. Last year in Manitoba, 225 new oil wells were drilled and an average volume of 6,041 cubic metres of oil per day was produced, representing a 3.4 per cent increase compared to the 5,840 cubic metres per day produced in 2021. Dunning, who's set to retire in October, remembers when his father took him to work on his first service rig when he was 12.