The Globe and Mail attempts to identify oil and gas companies in Canada currently paying dividends that are less likely to cut these payouts due to their positive free cash flow in its Wednesday, Aug. 26, edition. The Globe's Patrick Gattuso writes in the Number Cruncher column that as Canada's energy sector struggles, more and more companies are cutting dividends as fundamentals deteriorate. The Thomson Reuters Canada energy index is down about 24 per cent year to date while West Texas Intermediate crude oil is down about 29 per cent during the same period. Operating costs are piling up and the break-even price for many companies is sitting significantly above the current crude price of about $39. Mr. Gattuso looked for Canadian energy companies with a market capitalization above $300-million that currently pay dividends and have positive free cash flow in the past 12 months. Positive free cash flow is an indicator of whether companies can continue to pay dividends at current yields, explains Mr. Gattuso. His energy dividend payers with positive free cash flow are Cardinal Energy, Parkland Fuel, Enerflex, Freehold Royalties and ARC Resources.