"It's a great time to be starting a junior oil and gas company," said Steve Kapusta, CEO of Canext Energy.

Twenty-seven junior oil and gas companies in Calgary are telling their stories to potential investors at a public meeting.

"Larger companies have bigger elephants to find, and I don't think it's possible in the Western basin at this point," said Mark Tremblay, a geologist and investor attending the presentations.

Last week's announcement from Ottawa that it would tax income trusts hit the Toronto stock market hard, but in Calgary's oil and gas sectors, investors haven't been scared off.

"The  market is in a bit of a slide, and it's a good time to get in before it comes back," said Wes Hoogenboom, a potential investor.

"Because I don't have a lot of money, I can't buy $50 shares. I have to find smaller ones, and hopefully find a company that has potential," said another investor.

And the junior companies say changes in the energy sector have been a boon for them. They have more access to equipment and drilling rigs, as the bigger companies leave the smaller sites.
 
"There are a lot of economic products that are relatively low risk in this basin, and again the juniors still have the access to capital.  They have human resources and they can get access to the physical resources in the field.  It's a great time for junior oil and gas companies," said Kapusta.

For those who don't have a lot to invest, there are still junior oil and gas companies with unit prices under a dollar.  However, the stock market is always a risk, so it's up to you to calculate it.

"Some of it is a crap shoot, but if you do your due diligence, hopefully you'll make  a good decision and you'll end up retiring on Paradise Island someplace," said Mark Tremblay.