Hey bud,
Thanks for the answer. As to your question. You have 3 options. One is having someone from within pass your resume onto recruiters and vouch for you. This way you'd start from the bottom and work your way up. Important thing to remember is while at that is to keep your head down and mouth shut all while working like a farm animal. Promotions and raises come quickly, don't you worry about that.
Option 2 is to bombard every single company that has leasehand/floorhand positions open with your resume; and hope for the best. If you live in Alberta you could probably go straight to their offices (there are LOTS) and apply in person. With some it'll work, with others (bigger ones especially) you'll only get to talk to the receptionist. Still, there's a bigger chance of landing a job this way than applying through their website. After all, this is exactly how I landed my first job. Came from Vancouver, stayed in Edmonton for about a week and applied/called/annoyed daily until I got what I wanted.
3rd option is go to school. There are many short courses you can take that will come in handy and will give you the advantage over other applicants. OR, go to school full time(will let you know more about that soon) and land a higher paying job.
Basic certificates you'll need are first aid level 1 ($150), H2S Alive ($250) (not the online version), class 5 drivers licence (no restrictions) and WHMIS ($50; online is fine).
Things that will help you immensely are class 1 licence and air brake ticket.
Landing a job there isn't easy, but then again, it's not impossible either. Just annoy them until they finally give you a chance.
Do you have any experience in construction or other labour intensive jobs? That also comes in handy. However, my advice is screw bending your spine there for more than a year. Get them to pay you for education. Why make $500 per day destroying your back when you can make $2000 sitting on your ass?
I'll let you know more about what schooling I've done, where to go, whom to ask and what to avoid. I've written it all down in detail. Give me a day.
P.S. Remember that now is the best time to apply. Over summer they go looking for people that have gotten laid off, late fall/winter they'll be looking for just about anyone.
In your resume and cover letter, don't include useless crap that won't apply to the job and the environment of it. Keywords to remember are: safety, outdoors, cold/wet/ice, teamwork/player. Along those lines.