Customers Convinced Oil Companies Are Gouging Them During Gas Shortage

No one disagrees there’s a gas shortage at some Esso stations across the province. And it’s also hitting some of the independents serviced by Imperial Oil.

The company claims the temporary crisis has been caused by a fire at its Nanticoke plant as well as delivery trucks made unavailable by the CN Rail strike.

Imperial confirms about 75 stations are affected on a rotating basis. But they’re adamant it’s market forces and not the shortage that’s causing prices to soar.

They’ve reached the 95 or 96 cent mark in the G.T.A. and could go even higher.

“We said all along having 75 to 80 service stations out of gas, out of 2,000, is not enough to disturb the market and end up affecting the price,” claims the oil giant’s Robert Theberge.

Few motorists buy that explanation. They believe competitors are taking advantage of the situation by gouging customers while they can.

“I think the gas companies are, like vultures basically,” scowls Frank Pucci. “They feed off other people.”

“They’re playing their games with us,” adds Matt McAllister. “Got to get the gas to get the car going, so …”

Imperial expects its crippled refinery will be back to full speed by next week and reminds the shortages are supposed to be rotating more than permanent. But one Esso station at Bathurst and Wilson has been closed for three days.

Theberge notes Thursday morning’s snowstorm didn’t help matters and it’s going to be a little while yet before things gets back to normal. “We said it would take a week to 10 days. We’re only on day three.”

But as bad as things are in Toronto, they’re worse elsewhere. A report out of Elliott Lake up north indicates the lone station in town – an Esso – ran out of gas, leaving residents there without any fuel at all.

Those with enough in the tank had to drive 60 kilometres to find the nearest fill up. A truck carrying the precious liquid finally arrived, but it was a long drought for drivers, although the town does have a public transit system.

Theberge denies things were quite that desperate and maintains his company is keeping a close eye on the problem so that it never reaches that stage.

“We are doing a search to be sure that there is no such place and if there was, we want to be sure that that location would be supplied,” he concludes.

Truckers are also worried about their business and are asking for special consideration during the crisis. For more on that, click here.