Visitors are being warned to top up their fuel tanks before arriving on the southern Gulf Island this summer.
Visitors to Saturna Island are being warned to top up their fuel tanks before arriving on the southern Gulf Island this summer.
Bob Fitzgerald is shutting down Saturna’s only gas pump, saying bringing fuel to the island just doesn’t make economic sense anymore.
“I’ve got to charge $3 a litre for regular gas and nobody wants to pay that, not even me,” the owner of Saturna Point Holdings said in an interview.
Gasoline sales have been part of Fitzgerald’s business for more than two decades — and previous owners long before he arrived from the Northwest Territories.
He owns the Lighthouse Pub, Arbutus Campground and retail shops on a 1.7-acre property just up the hill from the Lyall Harbour ferry terminal and public wharf.
Selling vehicle and boat fuel has always been a big part of the business, but it’s fallen off sharply, as locals usually top up with cheaper fuel during trips to Victoria and Vancouver.
Prices are through the roof since his last load shortly after the U.S. under President Donald Trump started bombing Iran.
“I guess I can thank Mr. Trump for that — he made the decision easier,” says Fitzgerald.
The last 16,000-litre truckload from his Victoria fuel supplier cost him $41,000, well above the $25,000 price of the previous load.
Fitzgerald said he also has to pay the higher price of transporting fuel to a remote island — and pay the bill up front.
His cost is about $2.60 a litre, with a markup to $3 to cover his own expenses.
As of Friday, Fitzgerald had about 300 litres of regular gas and 11,000 litres of premium-marked fuel for boats and farm equipment. His remaining diesel is being held for Saturna’s fire truck.
The diminishing fuel supply prompted Parks Canada and the local tourism association to warn visitors there may not be any fuel left as Saturna’s busy tourism season gets underway.
Officials are also warning everyone, including locals who rely on generators during extreme weather events and power outages, that B.C. Ferries’ dangerous goods policy allows only one 25-litre jerry can in personal vehicles. Gas containers, full or empty, have to be declared prior to boarding.
Saturna Island has about 450 full-time residents, but the population balloons to three times that size over the summer, said Fitzgerald.
The easternmost southern Gulf Island, it’s about 31 square kilometres and is known for its mountainous, rugged terrain. It has about 20 winding roads leading to beaches and parks.
Fitzgerald had sold boat fuel on a float off the public dock at Lyall Harbour until 2018. But when the federal government transferred ownership to the Capital Regional District, he said terms of a new lease and the cost of improvements made it “unfeasible” to continue.
He pulled out the gas pumps and float and capped the line running to the water. The loss of the gas float was a big hit to his fuel sales, but the length of the lease and investment cost “made it impossible to make it work financially,” said Fitzgerald.
He still sells boat fuel at his gas pump up the hill, with mariners using fuel containers and wagons to bring it to their vessels.
He said most boaters likely now fill up at nearby Pender Island or at the marinas in Sidney.
Fitzgerald isn’t ruling out getting out of the fuel business. He has five underground tanks on his property — four at 22,000 litres each and another at 10,000 — so the capacity is available for any future needs.
Fitzgerald is in discussions with local emergency officials and others about forming a co-operative, where several partners could split the cost of fuel loads. But doing it alone isn’t something he’s willing to shoulder anymore.
“We do need the fuel here,” said Fitzgerald. “A lot of people who live here have gas generators and fuel will be an issue if we get a big storm and don’t have any power.”
He noted that in 2018, Saturna’s power was out for six days.
Fitzgerald has his property listed for sale for $1.6 million, a drop from an initial $2.2 million several years ago. He’s had some inquiries, but no site visits from serious buyers so far.
The operation includes a campground he created with five walled tents and five other tenting sites, as well as seven retail spaces in the main building above the pub, including a cafe, artist studio, a real estate office, online education facility, an internet service provider and CRD office. Those spaces were remodelled from a former grocery and hardware store.
Fitzgerald said there are two electric-vehicle charging stations — the only ones on Saturna — at the campground site. He said EVs are increasing on the island, with about eight owned by full-time residents.