Oil and natural gas drilling in Canada is expected to increase by 16 percent in 2022, according to forecasting from the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC). “For 2022, we expect drilling activity to be higher than 2019. But, although we’ll be back to pre-COVID levels, we’re not going to be near where we were pre-downturn,” said PSAC’s president and CEO, Gurpreet Lail. Lail noted that imbalances in the global market are driving commodity prices higher and PSAC expects drilling activity will increase out of necessity. Overall, PSAC expects 5,400 new wells will be drilled in Canada next year with the majority being in Alberta, increasing the number of wells there by 450 to a total of 3,125. In Saskatchewan—the second-largest oil producer in Canada—1,495 new wells are expected next year, an increase of 198. PSAC also raised its forecast for 2021 due to improved activity in the energy sector, …