The Petroleum Services Association of Canada is decreasing its forecast number of wells to be drilled across Canada this year from 53 hundred to 51 hundred. In Saskatchewan the forecast drops to 2,035 wells compared to 2,422 wells in the original forecast. The prediction is for 2,425 wells in Alberta, down from 3,532. PSAC President and CEO Gary Mar says, “Compared to last year, the total number of wells expected to be drilled is lower by 31 per cent.” He says, “These are not levels seen since the lows of 2015 and 2016 at the onset of the downturn.” Mar says the industry continues to face challenges for a healthy recovery and news of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion being approved for a second time has not restored confidence in Canada. In fact, Mar says, with the passage of Bills C-69 and C-48, support for the industry at all in Canada is in question. According to Mar, “For the first time in Canada, sovereign risk is an issue.”