Photo: Digging in the Dirt

By Shaun Penner

Mental Health

GP men subjects in documentary on mental health, suicide within oil industry

Sep 10, 2019 | 6:23 PM

A documentary that investigates the issue of mental health and suicide within Alberta’s oil and gas industry will be featuring a few subjects from Grande Prairie.

‘Digging in the Dirt’ features testimonials from former oil industry workers and Grande Prairie residents Dennis Shinski and Glenn Bielech, about their battles with addiction, mental health, and experiences with suicide through their time in the trades industry. Specifically, the support that men working in trades are not reaching out for because of the stigma surrounding seeking help.

The film is directed and produced by Omar Mouallem and Dylan Rhys Howard. Neither has worked in the oil and gas industry, per se, but met along the path of uncovering the issue of mental health, addictions and suicide amongst oil patch workers.

Mouallem, a freelance journalist and reporter, had been covering the topic for a while with his award-winning investigative piece Oil, Heartbreak, and Manhood: Behind The Mental Health Crisis of Alberta’s Oil Workers. Along the way, he met Rhys Howard, who was making a short film of the same subject called Peak Oil. The positive reaction he received about that film gave him the idea to collaborate with Mouallem to make this film.

“A lot of people I showed it to said ‘Oh, I know that person’ or, ‘I have a person like that in my life’,” said Rhys Howard. “When I read Omar’s piece, which featured real people that were going through this kind of despair, I recognized that there would be an opportunity to effectively adapt that piece into a documentary film.”

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If you watch the documentary, you’ll recognize many of the filming locations as being in Grande Prairie. What brings the two filmmakers to the Swan City has a lot to do with what they refer to as “the leading edge of outreach and research” which is being done here, pretty much all of which they credit to the work of the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre.

“I think it’s something that has been overlooked, is just how much Grande Prairie has already focussed on this issue, through your suicide prevention centre,” said Mouallem.

This is because, to Mouallem’s knowledge, the programs and supports offered through the SPRC are unlike anywhere else. Back in the ‘90’s, the SPRC started a program known as Men at Risk, which was created because stats showed many suicides in northern Alberta happened amongst men in industry, trades and agriculture. It was renamed Tough Enough to Talk About It in 2016, to be inclusive of women working in those sectors as well.

With their work with the SPRC, they were able to connect with both Shinski and Bielech.

The former is a man that found himself working in the oil field shortly after high school. During his time in the patch, he became addicted to drugs and felt himself spiralling out of control. At the same time, a childhood friend of his, Dallen Head, found himself in a similar situation. Though both were dealing with similar issues, Head unfortunately took his own life.

Grande Prairie native Dennis Shinski opens up about his struggles with drugs and addiction in the documentary (Photo: Digging in the Dirt)

That led Shinski to further spiral, as drugs and alcohol became a way to bury his emotions and feelings. After briefly flirting with the idea of suicide himself and seeing the loss of his girlfriend and family, he sought help and has since been sober for over seven years. He is currently working towards a degree in social work and offers support through the SPRC.

Bielech also offers support through the centre. Having worked in the oil and gas industry for over 35 years, Bielech has had his own battles with mental health and is all too familiar with the stigma surrounding seeking help.

Just over 10 years ago, Bielech lost a close friend to suicide.

Glenn Bielech has worked in the oil and gas industry for over 35 years (Photo: Digging in the Dirt)

That has led to him helping those that need it. He also offers mental health training within Husky Energy, where he is employed as a technologist.

With the courage of both Shinski and Bielech, as well as many others like Dallen Head’s mother, Aly Floen, Mouallem and Rhys Howard are able to break the door down the adage “boys don’t cry” and spread awareness about the issue of suicide and mental health in an industry known for being tough and resilient.

“We hope that the more images people see of men not being afraid to express their feelings,” said Rhys Howard. “A huge part of the impetus for us is creating a future where men don’t feel like they have to keep all of that bottled up.”

Statistics provided in the film show that of the suicides in Alberta, around 80% are men. An overwhelming majority of those men work in either the trades or industry in some way.

The documentary will air on CBC at 7 p.m. on September 14, and on CBC Gem on Friday. A trailer for it can be seen below: