The Columbia Valley Pioneerr • 3
August 29, 2008
VALLEY NEWS
Petro-Can gas shortage hits valley By Cayla Gabruck Pioneer Staff The Invermere Petro-Canada is scrambling to bring in fuel as gas shortages finally hit home in the Columbia Valley. The shortage, caused by a breakdown at an Edmonton refinery, is costing the local station an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 in gasoline sales every day. “It is very frustrating, because the promises Petro-Canada has made, they have not lived up to,” said Rick Melnyk, manager at the Invermere Petro-Canada. “They can’t tell me if I am going to get fuel, how much, or when – any of that stuff.” The station is scheduled to receive 18,000 litres of gas from Petro-Canada, which Mr. Melnyk estimates will last the station until August 31st, the day before Labour Day – the busiest day of the long weekend. “After that I have no commitment from them,” he said. For the time being, customers can still get gas at the Radium Petro-Canada but just as in Invermere, when the station runs out of its allotted amount, they have to wait for the next fuel delivery. The shortage is currently affecting 80 to 90 gas stations in British Columbia’s interior and Alberta.
The Edmonton plant, which refines 153,000 barrels of oil per day, was restarted this week and PetroCan is hoping to see improvements soon. “They have been fairly unspecific with what is wrong,” Mr. Melnyk said. “And they have offered no timing in terms of repair.” With no idea how long the shortage will last, the Invermere station owner has been forced to look for other options to obtain fuel. On August 27th, it was able to secure a truck to deliver a small load of gas from Vancouver. “But it’s much more expensive to ship, because it is about three times as far as shipping from Calgary,” Mr. Melnyk said. “Customers may potentially see a change in gas prices due to the extra cost to deliver the fuel. That puts us at a disadvantage.” He also said that the problem may not stop here, as without the refinery there is not enough production in Western Canada to meet the demand for fuel. “If this goes on for another month I would expect to potentially see shortages across Essos, Shells, Huskys,” Mr. Melnyk said. “It’s a serious issue that affects everyone.” Jason Elford, owner of the Lucky Strike gas station, located outside Windermere, said the shortage puts a strain on the whole gas supply chain. “Everyone is scrambling to find supply from some-
where,” Mr. Elford said. Lucky Strike only gets a small percentage of its fuel from Petro-Canada. However, Mr. Elford said the shortage is also being felt by other companies and everyone is worried about the overall supply. “We are having trouble getting gas,” Mr. Elford said. “But at this point we haven’t run out.” He also said that he feels bad about the situation the Invermere Petro-Canada is dealing with. “It must be hard for them because they are used to making the sales, and it’s no fault of their own they’re not able to do that,” he said. Gas stations aren’t the only ones being affected by the shortage. Numerous individuals and organizations, including the District of Invermere and the B.C. Ambulance, who have accounts set up with Petro-Can, are also feeling the heat. “It affects us for sure – we are having to go up to Radium,” said Brian Nickurak, director of municipal works for the District of Invermere. “It’s an inconvenience and there is time wasted.” Although representatives could not be reached for comment, Petro-Canada has set up a website to deal with customer concerns. For more information, visit www.pumptalk.ca.
Dogged search for animal control officer By Sally Waddington Pioneer Staff Regional District of East Kootenay dog control officer Sam Fiddler says her job isn’t easy, and she suspects that’s why both Invermere and Canal Flats have had trouble finding someone to tackle the position. Ms. Fiddler, a 10-year veteran of the job, has a contract for dog control for the Village of Radium Hot Springs and the Regional District of East Kootenay, an area reaching from north of Canal Flats to Spillimacheen. She also has a contract for her 20acre Edgewater property to be used as a pound. “The job can be hard on you. You can’t make everyone happy,” Ms. Fiddler said. “If people were responsible, I wouldn’t have a job. It’s more people control than dog control.” Occasionally Ms. Fiddler requires RCMP support when answering a dog-control call. “In really serious situations I call the RCMP for back-up,” she
said. “Sometimes I call them not so much for the dog as for the person.” Animal control issues have been dogging both the District of Invermere and the Village of Canal Flats. The District of Invermere’s last dog control officers, Kirk and Karen Davis, left the position on August 11th. Councillor Gerry Taft says that Bylaw Officer, Wolfgang Pollmann, has been attending to dog control in the interim. “I believe Wolfgang has been filling in the best he can,” said Mr. Taft. Chief Administrative Officer Chris Prosser says that Mr. Pollmann has expressed an interest in taking on the position permanently, but nothing has been confirmed. “If Wolfgang is interested I believe it would be very good if he could take it,” said Mr. Taft. “He has built up a good reputation.” Should this arrangement not work out, the Dis-
trict would seek to assign the role to an existing staff member. Failing that, the position would be advertised. But Mr. Taft says that has not been a successful method in the past. “Before Karen and Kirk were hired, we advertised with very little interest,” he said. Progress has been made on dog holding facilities in Invermere. “We are trying to build a pound within the municipal area,” Mr. Prosser said. “We are getting prices from building contractors.” Still, Mr. Taft says dog control is not a legislative requirement for municipalities. “Dog control is a very useful service but it’s not a necessary service,” he said. “The community certainly appreciates it, but the town doesn’t have to provide it. When we don’t have a dog control officer, the town will do its best to control it, but it’s not a requirement.” Continued on Page 23 . . .