While reading in The NEWS David Black’s push to support his position on his project (build a refinery in northern B.C .) to export products, I suggest he fails to see the need of a refinery in Alberta.
Green refineries, now there is an amazing oxymoron. I believe the bitumen should be refined, but not in B.C. It should be refined in Alberta and become refined stock for the Canadian market. Presently, Canada does little refining other than what Irving refines on the East Coast and have the market captured. We just saw a leak and ensuing fire in Alabama that pushed the price of gasoline higher even in Canada.
In Western Canada we get our refined hydrocarbons from the U.S. There is no competition in Canada, just look around Vancouver Island and do a price check.
Driving west from Newfoundland in September, it was astonishing to see how the system works. There is no competitive pricing in Canada. Irving sells regular gas in Newfoundland for $1.34/l and sells the same product in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania for $1.86/U.S. gal. If you think its taxes, think again — it is greed and no government control.
The whole fuel lobby and pricing has no competition over what they want to charge. Some product will react to the bell curve of price versus volume but not necessities.
Fuel is a necessity and so falls outside the normal curve. Black, if he wants to build a refinery, should build it in Alberta at the source and start using the refined products at home.
Robert Tritschler
Parksville
