AG ~ The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 21, 1998

Gas prices

drop below
40 cents |

: GAS PRICES fell tast wee

to the point where the pum

~ male barely paid for taxes,

and crude oil costs.

Sparked by the Real Cana-"
dian Wholesale Club battle’

for food sales market share,,
the price dropped to 39.9

* cents a litre for unleaded!

self serve gas. ‘
Prices had been as high as
63 cents a litre until Real
Canadian opened its food
store and gas bar last fall.
Gas sellers then followed
its lead when prices fell to
31.9 cents a litre, a rate that
held until two weeks ago.
Real Canadian lead ihe
way again to below the 50
cent mark then to below the
40 cent level.
Oil industry officials say

- What’s happening isn’t un-

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usual when companies
battle for a dominant posi-
tion in the market place.

But some are surprised the
war has been going on for
this long.

And at last week’s prices,
nobody’s making any
money.

““Everybody’s either badly
losing money or are barely

breaking even,’’ says
* Petrocan spokesman Rocco
Ciancio.

He estimated that provin-
cial and federal taxes
amount to 24 cents a liire
when gas sells for 41.9 cents
a litre,

That leaves 17,9 cents,
barely two cents a litre
above the per litre price of
crude oil.

“Phat doesn’t include
refining, marketing, ship-
ping — all the other costs
associated with selling the
product,’ said Ciancio.

The price drop here be-
cause of the Real Canadian
Wholesale Club market
share fight happens con-
stantly in olher places, he
said,

‘Certainly gas is being
looked at as a_ traffic
builder,’’ Ciancio added,

The Real Canadian gas bar
here gives purchasers
coupons worth 3.3 cents for
each litre sold. They can
only be used in the food
store.

The Terrace experience is
being repeated in Prince
George where a gas bar ata

| TERRACE STANDARD

FILUNG UP: James Spencer was one of the
motorists who took advantage of low gas prices of
39.9 cents per litre last Friday.

new Overwaitea store has
driven down prices.

Ciancio said the gas sell-
ing industry may have come
to the point where a classic
stand alone gas station is no
longer viable.

“The profit margin for a
lite of gasoline has gone
down. To make a dollar in
Vancouver, for instance, it
has to be combined with
other business,’’

Gas sellers are cither ab-
sorbing their losses or are

receiving subsidies from:

their suppliers.
But by late last week there
were sigus that some sellers

had tad enough. Fewer sta-
tions were following the
price drops below 40 cents.

The ones that didn’t keep
up with the Wholesale Club
sel prices that ranged from
the mid-40s to the mid-5(Cs.

kkkkk

The latest federal gas price
survey of major Canadian
cities shows Terrace con-
sumers enjoy very low rales.

The price in Calgary was
49.7 cents a litre for un-
leaded gas, 54.9 in Van-
couver, 57.6 in Montreal
and 68.9 in St. John’s, New-
foundland.

Businesses off hook for site cleanup

BUSINESSES on part of Keith Ave.
have finally been given a clean bill of
environmental health for contamina-
tion that came from an old pole yard.
Environment ministry municipal
waste management officer Alex Grant
said testing of soil contaminated by
lhe. old MacGillis and Gibbs.Co.
"yard Was ‘within abceptable Limits:
He said all the businesses there — in.
a strip from the Keith Ave. Mall to the
A & W — completed the soil testing
they were ordered to undertake,

pole .

The oil

“We reviewed it and agreed with
the conclusion of the consultant that
no further work was required based on
their testing,’’ said Grant.

The only company required to ac-
tually dig up and treat contaminated
soil was CN Rail. It will be paying a
firm to monitor,: test and treat the soil
covered up with’ plastic tear the over-
"pass for around two years.

pentachlorophenol — which was used
by the pole yard as a wood preserva-

laced with

tive — also entered the pround water
and is flowing under the south side of
town towards the river.

But Grant says the ministry hopes
removing the contaminated soil wil]
slow down the contamination of the
ground water, with the end result that

“IE the numbers don't t come S down
as fast as we expect them to, there
might be further work required,’’ he
added,

You BE THE JUDGE

DON'T DRIVE ON THE MEDIAN!

Jim put his foot on the brake,

“Jim, you've gone clear out of your
mind. What are you doing, stopping in the
left lane of a busy highway?”

“Sorry April, but | suddenly realized
that I fargot to run the dogs. This grassy
median is a great place to take them. ‘You
don’t want them doing their business in the
car.”

April’s eyes were popping,

“My mother always told me you had
crazy streak. This proves it. Jim, our car
wilt get hit from behind.

Jim looked condescending!y at April.

There’s one thing your mother didn’t
tell you. Cars have to leave enough distance
between them and the car in front of them.
So that when crazy nuts like me decide to
stop suddenly, the drivers have enaugh time
to respond. Look behind you.”

April turned het head. Sure enough,
the car behind them had stopped.

“See what I mean? Now I’m going to
drive on to the median and run the dogs.”

Just as Jim was parking on the median,

there was a loud thump. Jim and April
were thrown onto the dashboard. Jim ran
out to see what had happened.

David, the driver who hit him was
enraged.

“I don’t believe this!
lunatic parks on the median”

April struggled to hold Jim back as he
waved his arms wildly at David. “What in
tarmations are you doing DRIVING on the
median, Are you

crazy or something.”

David stared back at Jim in disbelief.

“Listen you idiot, the car in front of me

What kind of

BASED ON
ACTUAL COURT
CASES ; : :
stopped suddenly. [ couldn’ °t stop in time.
So I swerved onto the median to avoid hit-
ting both of you. But suddenly there you
are parked on the median.
' Jim stared angrily at his bashed-in
bumper.

“You got a bum leg or something?
Couldn’t press the break pedal?”

“I didn’t expect you to drive onto the
median! Nuts like you should be kept off
the road. I’m suing you for the damages
to my car.”

David was still fuming in court.
“Your Honour, this accident is Jim’s fault.
Ifhe hadn't decided to walk his dogs, none
of this would’ve happened, I was just try-
ing to prevent an accident by pulling
around the first car that stopped behind
Jim. How was I to know that Jim was
going to turn onto the median? Make Jim
pay for the $950 damage to my car.”

Jim scowled at David as he rose to
speak, “I shouldn’t have turned onto the
median, your Honour, but the accident was
David's fault. He wasn’t paying attention,
He should have been able to stop his car
safely, just like the first driver behind us
did. Don’t make me pay for his.bad
driving.”

Should Jim have to pay for the dam-
age to David’s car? You! Be The Judge.
Then see below for the court’s decision.

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e*eoeee##e# 2# @ @

YOU BE THE JUDGE - DECISION

"You don’t have to rehire Ted,” cecided the judge. “The agreement was binding. Even if Ted didn't fully under-
stand the conditions of his reinstatement, the union did. The president of the union, by signing the agreement, com-
mitted himself ta ensuring that Edgar understood the condillons,”

YOU! BE THE JUDGE js based on actual court cases, Today's decision |s based on the facts of the case and the

le

law of the province of Manitoba . If you have e similar rable, BI
opyiight

Montreal lawyer and nationally synd cated columnist.

ase consult Lindsey & Grueger. Clalre Bernstein is a
997 Halka Enterprises. B12-6

Out & About

Changing hands

GROUNDWORKS coffeehouse changed ownership
on Dec. 1. when Roger Chicoine took over the busi-
ness from Mike Parker, who started it a few years ago
as part of the Roastmastirs chain. It became indepen-
dent about a year ago.

Chicoine’s daughter Alexis is now the manager of
Groundworks, but the rest of the staff has remained the
same, She’s made a few cosmetic changes to the busi-
ness — adding more couches and painting the dark
green wainscotting a lighter shade to brighten up the
place. °

Alexis has also changed the menu to attract more
lunch crowds by offering salads and a wider selection
of baking, She says customer response has been good.

Also changing hands in December, was the local
‘Volkswagen dealership, Columbia Autohaus.

Minute Muffler owner Malcolm Scaife and partner
‘Dominic Vendittelli bought the dealership from for-
mer dOwaers Roland and Julia Obst.

But Roland Cbst is staying on as a mechanic until
October, and is helping out with the transition.

Ashbury’s shuts down

ASHBURY’S, a: fixture along the 4600 block of
Lakelse Ave., closed ils doors for good last Saturday.

The store sold items such-as pottery, candles and
‘linens and was owned by. Marjorie Baillie and Garry
Pryce. They had purchased the store about one and 2
half years ago from Sheila McCullough, who owned it

for six years. Another prior owner included Lovina

Tyler.

Baillie and Pryce decided to shut down the store be-
cause they didn’t have enough time to spend at the
business. Baillie owns Close Up Business Services and
Pryce sells steel pipes.

‘Ht was getting to be too much,’’ said Pryce,

The pair couldn’t find a buyer, so they decided to
close down the store, They managed to sell nearly all
the stock and fixtures.

Liquor licence sought

THE Oasis Sports Club at Northwest Community
College is secking a liquor licence,

Club operator Pete Weebcr, who took over the rac-
quetball and squash courts last year, is asking for city
gouncil’s support in his bid to sell liquor there,

He says he’s got the support of the college and has
agreed ihat liquor service would only take place be-
tween 4 and 10 p.m.

Weeber says a liquor licence would have no visible
effect on the neighbourhood because the racquet club is
entirely enclosed within college buildings,

Council is considering the request.

CONGRATULATIONS, KIERA!

y The management &
E Staff of Keenleyside
Insurance are
proud to announce
that Kiera Polzin
has successfully
completed the
Canadian
Accredited
Insurance Broker
(C.A.1.B.) program.
She also achieved
this in a remarkable

* 12 months.

Best wishes for your continued :
success in the future.!
Barry, Jayne, Vivian, Grace & Jan

Located in the Co-op Mall * 635-5232

GRIME ail
STOPPERS

635-TIPS

LIVING IN THE COMFORT ZONE

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