Manitoba’s premier says his government is taking measures to mitigate the potential impact on the province’s economy after the temporary shutdown of an Imperial Oil pipeline.
Imperial announced Sunday it has temporarily shut down a pipeline that supplies gasoline as well as diesel and jet fuel to the Winnipeg area, following inspections that identified “integrity concerns” in a section of the pipe near St. Adolphe, Man.
Premier Wab Kinew told 680 CJOB’s The Start that the province is in talks with suppliers to keep fuel coming and to protect the environment. The concerns around the pipeline have not led to materials spilling into the environment.
“We’re told that there’s about a week’s worth of gasoline in the terminals here in Winnipeg right now,” Kinew said.
“So now the challenge is to lean on this company and others to bring in other resources so that they can continue to have a supply here in the city.
“That means were working all the different angles, talking to all sorts of different partners, making sure the trucks and the trains can bring in the fuel that we need.”
The province says it has convened a “supplier table” made up of Manitoba’s largest fuel suppliers to help with the situation.
“Imperial and Shell are the big ones that own the terminals in St. Boniface, and along with those two, you’ve also got Suncor and Federated Co-op, which feed most of the gas stations,” the premier said.
“The situation with diesel and jet fuel — I think there’s a really strong plan in place, which means that now the focus is on gasoline and backfilling the supply needs here in the city.”
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that while the province is taking the lead on the issue, the City of Winnipeg has been working internally to make sure everything continues to run smoothly.
“We do have our own fuel inventory and we do have also a fuel management plan that’s in place for situations like this,” Gillingham said.
“So we’re going to make sure that we’re prioritizing the fuel so that our emergency services — fire, paramedics, police and transit — take priority when it comes to serving the residents of Winnipeg… so that those services are not interrupted.”
The mayor said he’s not concerned about a run on gas or a similar panic by Winnipeggers based on the news.
“I think customers sometimes inevitably react… but the province of Manitoba (is) doing all they can to make sure fuel can get to the city of Winnipeg throughout other means — through rail or through truck or through other means of transportation, so that Winnipeggers can get the fuel they need.”
In a release, Imperial said it is also identifying alternative terminal locations where customers can pick up their products, including at the terminal in Gretna, which it said remains connected to pipeline supply.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers and the community.
“Our priorities are the integrity of this pipeline and ensuring the continued protection of people and the environment, while minimizing disruption to our customers and the local economy.”
Imperial said in a separate news release that additional “unplanned maintenance” work in Manitoba will include replacing a section of pipeline that runs under the Red River south of Winnipeg — causing around three months of service interruption.
With files from The Canadian Press