Home Sections Emergency Preparedness & Safety BC retail gasoline fillup limit extended to Dec 14

BC retail gasoline fillup limit extended to Dec 14

Includes Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.

November 29, 2021

fuel limit, 30 litres — The retail fuel limit is 30 litres in southwest BC; started Nov 19 now extended to Dec 14 [announced Nov 29, 2021].

BC 2024 Provincial Election news analysis

Monday November 29, 2021 | VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC [Updated November 30, 2021]

by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends

The order on limiting gasoline retail fueling to 30 litres per visit at the gas pump has been extended to December 14, 2021 in southwest BC, including Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The overall BC State of Emergency has also been extended for another two weeks, to December 14.

First put in place November 19, the gas fill-up order was previously going to expire on December 1. But supply chain issues are still a challenge, resulting from the mid-November flooding impacts in the Lower Mainland area and south Vancouver Island.

mike farnworth — Public Safety Minister & Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced retail fuel-limit extension on Nov 29, 2021.

The extension (as hinted at on Sunday November 28 during an emergency management update) was announced today by Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth today, during a press conference at 1:30 pm with Energy and Mines Minister Bruce Ralston and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming.

A State of Emergency was declared by the Premier on November 17 as a way to ensure resource management in response to the flooding that mostly impacted the Sumas Prairie farming area along the Fraser River in the BC lower mainland east of Greater Vancouver.

ESSO, gas station, langford — The price for gas was ‘zero’ at the ESSO station on Jacklin Road in Langford on Thursday evening November 18, 2021, as supplies were completely down to zero after a run on the station. [Island Social Trends]

Supply management:

Yesterday Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth (who is also the Deputy Premier at this time) said the province will continue to do “whatever it takes to make sure needs are met” for emergency responders and commercial vehicles like food trucks and transport trucks.

He said there is enough fuel supply for current needs, but stressing that requires people keep sticking to the 30-litre limit.

“The public has been doing the right thing,” Farnworth said today, regarding adhering to the 30-litre limit per visit to the pump, though prior to 30-litre limit many gas stations were running out of supply and people were hoarding in not only their own vehicles but in additional containers.

Additional supplies are “being barged up” from the USA, and “additional fuel is arriving by rail” he said yesterday. Today he said there are six supply routes (in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island), five of which are impacted.

Highways & rail:

Fleming said goods are still moving. “Supply chains are incredibly resilient,” he said today.

There has been more rainfall in recent days, and again today. The next storm system is in the Environment Canada forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday.

rob fleming — “Refer to DriveBC always,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming on Nov 29, 2021 regarding travel conditions during heavy rains.

“Refer to DriveBC always,” said Fleming, as the situation on the three most-impacted highways in the Fraser Valley area (1, 3 and 99) “is constantly evolving”.

CP freight trains are moving in both directions today, said Fleming. As for CN trains, seven were running on Saturday and Sunday but today’s rains forced them to stop, he explained.

Continued flooding:

Flooding along the Nooksak River from the United States (Washington State) into the Sumas Prairie area began again yesterday.

It’s not a simple solution to fix that problem during heavy rains “or it would have been done a long time ago,” Farnworth told media today.

“It’s a very complex solution,” said Farnworth, indicating a long-term solution will take time. There’s not just the technology but probably some jurisdictional politics involved.

The Nooksack River is a river in western Whatcom County of the northwestern U.S. state of Washington, draining an extensive valley systems within the North Cascades around Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters and a portion of Fraser Lowland south of the Canada–United States border.

Avoid driving on flood-impacted roads:

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming yesterday reminded people not to travel on flood-impacted highways unless the need is essential.

Driving vehicles on flooded roads can present unseen dangers which would only add additional burden on first responder resources if people need to be assisted or rescued.

Alerts might be issued:

The Alert Ready system of advising about emergencies has, until now, been used by municipalities and reserved for use in the case of tsunamis and earthquakes.

Today Minister Farnworth said it might be used if the third of a trio of atmospheric rivers — expected to hit southwest BC this week on Tuesday November 30 — requires the alert.