For the Labrador community of Rigolet, losing the only gas station would be a death knell.
As of Oct. 1 there will be no one to run the business in the isolated town of just over 300 residents.
Last year, NGC Solutions Inc. (NSI), a subsidiary of the Nunatsiavut Group of Cos., took over operation of the gas station from the Rigolet Inuit Community Government (RICG) until a new operator could be found.
Initially the contract was until Nov. 30, 2019, but when a new operator could not be found before the deadline, NSI agreed to extend its operation until Sept. 30, 2020.
“We have always said this would have to be a temporary arrangement for NSI,” Nunatsiavut Group of Cos. chief operating officer Sarah Leo stated in a news release. “NSI has undertaken significant financial and environmental liability to be involved in the operation. We understand the importance of the gas station to the community and have shown our good faith by operating the facility for more than a year.”
Permanent solution needed: Wolfrey
Prior to NSI taking over, the RICG had run the business for 13 years, which AngajukKâk (Mayor) Charlotte Wolfrey said wasn’t within the mandate of a community government, nor something it could afford.
When the RICG took over the business in 2006 it was supposed to be a temporary fix, and Wolfrey said they need something more permanent.
A request for proposals, not the first, was sent out in February by the RICG looking for someone to take over the assets of the station and operate it, but they had no luck.
Wolfrey said she’s hopeful that between the federal government, the provincial government and the Nunatsiavut government they can find a permanent solution to the issue.
She said they’ve been working with Nunatsiavut throughout this, trying to find an operator, but it’s time for the other governments to step in and help.
“We’re hoping that some other government can help us find a solution, be a part of the solution,” Wolfrey told SaltWire Network.
In a community with no road access and many living off the land, Wolfrey said, this gas station is nothing less than an essential service.
“Everybody here relies on the land as a food source. They need gas to get out in their boats, get out on snowmobiles. It’s not about driving your car to the store and stuff like that, it’s about a food source and a source of heat. It affects everything.”
Ongoing concern
Torngat Mountains MHA Lela Evans echoed Wolfrey’s statement on the importance of access to fuel on the north coast of Labrador, where people need to it transport firewood or hunt for food.
“The people in the community could be greatly impacted by this and that really worries me,” she said. “This concern is the same it was last year and same as it was before I got elected. It keeps reoccurring.”
Evans said there isn’t a lot of fuel consumed in the town, which makes it hard for a standalone gas station to be viable. It would have to be part of a larger business, she said, with other revenue streams.
There is a large amount of diesel consumed in the community, which, like all communities on the north coast, isn’t tied into the power grid.
Evans said as far as she’s concerned companies who have the contract to supply diesel to the communities should be required to also run the gas stations.
Evans has spoken to or contacted all the parties involved in the situation, she said, and hopes they can come up with something soon.
SaltWire Network contacted the Nunatsiavut government about the situation, but a response was not received by deadline.
Evan Careen is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Labrador for SaltWire Network
