Canada to see major increase in H2 oil, gas drilling, higher E&P activity: trade group in General Energy News 24/06/2026 The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors is forecasting a major uptick in the drilling of oil and gas wells in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in the second half of 2026, on the back of higher crude oil prices and incremental exploration and production activity, President Mark Scholz said June 22. “The market has very clearly signaled we will be busy, particularly if the WTI price averaged $70/b to $75/b in the coming few months,” Scholz told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, in an interview from Calgary. “All the conversations we have had with our [association] members have been very constructive. At first, we were trying to determine if the spurt in drilling activities was part of a front-loading initiative to book available rigs. But now, we see a shift, with producers unveiling [additional] capital spending in exploration and production activities in the basin,” he said. The CAOEC represents 89 land drilling, offshore drilling, and service rig member companies that operate a fleet of 365 drilling rigs and 693 service rigs in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada. Scholz’s comments come after WCSB drilling activities posted a record of 424 wells in May with 175 active rigs – the single highest in the past 12 years. This is compared with 324 wells in May 2025, when 146 rigs were deployed, he said. Of the total wells drilled last month (May, 2026), nearly 65% were for conventional heavy and light oil and condensate, and the remaining 35% were for natural gas, Scholz said. Drilling activity in Western Canada had averaged over 5,000 wells, but the scenario changed with COVID-19 and ‘collapsing’ prices, he said. “We have been preparing for this major uptick, and the expectation will be for the industry to be on an upward swing. Current geopolitical changes have brought Canada’s energy r