Brandon Co-op gas bars running out of fuel

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This article was published 10/02/2020 (2059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fuelling up at Brandon’s three Co-op gas bars was a crapshoot on Saturday as many of the pumps ran dry. 

The Heritage Co-op gas bar on 18th Street was completely shut down by early Saturday afternoon, while the gas bar on Richmond Avenue still had all the pumps open around 1:30 p.m. However, the business had run out of premium unleaded gas and was selling only regular fuel.

Meanwhile, the Sixth Street Co-op gas bar ran out of regular unleaded gasoline late Saturday morning and was selling premium gas for the same price as regular.

Co-op is currently selling regular unleaded gas for approximately $1.07 a litre, compared to about $1.25 a litre for premium unleaded.

“Good time to be a Co-op member,” commented an attendant at the Sixth Street location as motorists filled their tanks with the highly discounted premium gas.

More than 700 refinery workers in Saskatchewan were locked out on Dec. 5 after the union issued strike notice. They have been creating a blockade around the refinery in response, leading to fuel outages at Co-op gas stations.

Unifor is upset with Co-op’s request during negotiations for workers to make concessions to their pensions.

Red River Co-op gas bars in Winnipeg had already begun experiencing fuel shortages last week.

A notice posted on gas pumps at the Brandon 18th Street location reads:

“Heritage Co-op is currently experiencing fuel outages at this location.

“We are working with FCL (Federated Co-operatives Limited) to replenish supply and will have the site back online as soon as possible. Heritage C-op C-stores and car washes will remain open for your convenience.

“Federated Co-operatives Limited and the Co-op Refinery complex would like to assure Co-op customers that there is plenty of fuel available. However, Unifor’s illegal blockades are preventing us from getting it to you.”

On Thursday, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. said it is using “alternative channels” to make sure priority customers get the fuel they need as a labour dispute at its Regina refinery drags on.

Executive vice president Vic Huard said the refinery has been operating normally with replacement workers, but Unifor blockades there and at other western Canadian operations are making it difficult to move supply around.

“It’s not a fuel shortage. It’s a fuel blockage. We have the fuel,” Huard said. “Unifor won’t let us distribute it — that’s the issue.”

He declined to specify the alternative means by which the company is supplying priority customers because he doesn’t want Unifor to block those too.

Police, ambulance and fire fleets are the top priority, followed by home heating customers and communities where Federated Co-op is the only retail fuel supplier.

Huard said stations are seeing supply shortages across Western Canada, including in Calgary and Winnipeg. Cardlock systems for commercial truckers are allocating 300 litres of diesel and 100 litres of gasoline a day.

Also Thursday, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary granted Federated Co-op’s request for an injunction against a blockade at a distribution terminal in Carseland, Alta., southeast of Calgary.

Unifor was ordered not to impede traffic, obstruct or harass customers, trespass, picket or congregate within five metres of any access, watch employees or contractors or intimidate.

Huard said as of Thursday afternoon the Carseland blockade was still up and that the company intends to go back to court for an enforcement order.

» brobertson@brandonsun.com, with file from The Canadian Press