Well, we’ve reached the end of a long and difficult year. There’s a lot we could say about this year, but what we most want to say is “thank you”.

To our readers and commenters. We appreciate you continuing to make PumpTalk a part of your week.

To our Guests. For the patience you’ve shown as we’ve put new routines in place at our stations and stores to keep both you and our teams safe.

To our hundreds of employees and associates. You have demonstrated time and again that you are an essential part of keeping Canadians moving towards what matters most to them.

To all Canadians. In a year of upheaval and uncertainty, the kindness and generosity shown all across this country is inspiring. We are stronger together.

Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy and cozy holiday season and new year. We’re taking a break until mid-January. We look forward to reconnecting with you then.

Professional truck drivers all across the country go the extra mile to make our families, businesses and communities proud. This year, of course, our reliance on truck drivers was all the more profound. For the past few years, we’ve recognized these essential workers through our driver appreciation contest at Petro-Pass^TM sites that we hold in the spring. Every Canadian truck driver deserves our gratitude, but for this year’s $2,000 prize, these four drivers really stood out in their communities.

QUEBEC
Jean-Guy Laflamme
He’s the hero of the wheel.
When Jean-Guy’s daughter nominated him, she talked about his passion, his 30-year accident-free record and all he taught her about trucks. But she was proudest of his commitment to driving so Canadians could have the supplies they needed to stay at home.

ALBERTA
Janet Brown
She drives to save lives.
Janet is passionate about hauling pharmaceuticals. Throughout the pandemic, she put herself at risk to make sure Canadians could get vital medications. Janet says she’s happy to be a quiet support in our healthcare system, but we know she deserves recognition for all she does. Thank you, Janet, for driving for a better world.

ONTARIO
Vijayan Ratnam
His small acts make a difference.
Vijayan is the type of person who directs people as they back out, shunts units when needed, and trains newly licensed drivers during his personal time. Vijayan was nominated because of his safe and reliable driving, but he won because of his willingness to go above and beyond to help others—in big and small ways.

NOVA SCOTIA
Branislav Simic
He hit the ground driving.
When Branislav came to Canada in 2013, he brought his work ethic with him. With a senior mechanic and international trucking background, he trained to learn the Canadian transport industry. After driving all over North America, Branislav started his own company, becoming a job creator, and earned a reputation for safety and reliability.

Many thanks to these four drivers and to all the truck drivers across Canada, working tirelessly to keep Canadians supplied and our economy moving.

~Kate T.

1995 was a pretty hoppin’ year. The Toronto Raptors were founded (along with the short-lived Vancouver Grizzlies) and won their very first game by defeating the New Jersey Nets. Due South swept the Geminis. Douglas Coupland’s Microserfs (one of my favourite books) was published. And Petro-Canada launched our loyalty program, Petro-Points.

And now, twenty-five years later, we are one of Canada's top loyalty programs, with more than 4.8 million members. As you know, if you’re a member, you earn Petro-Points for every dollar spent in-store or litre purchased at the pump. And you can redeem points for free stuff like gas, car washes, eGift cards and more.

Rewards have changed a bit since we first started the program. E-gift cards certainly weren’t a thing in 1995; in fact, most Canadian websites weren’t online until 1996. Instead, items like cribbage boards, toaster ovens and golf balls were at the top of our catalog.

When we were planning our birthday celebrations this year, we had a bit of a different picture for 2020 – probably like most of you. But that’s okay; we’ve all learned how to make the best of an unusual situation. Want to share how your birthday was different this year? Tell us at www.petro-points.com/25 for your chance to win one of 250 prizes of one million Petro-Points.

Thank you for being with us for the last twenty-five years.

~Braden H.

Back when I lived in Toronto, my regular gas station was downtown on Jarvis Street and back in those days, it was a full serve station. I loved that station. The staff was always super-friendly – even on those cold, slushy Toronto days. I loved not having to get out of my car to fill up.

For me, going to a full serve station was a delightful convenience. But for some members of our community, full serve is a necessity. In recognition of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we connected with a couple of our Associates at our full serve stations to talk about the role they play for our guests with disabilities.

Meet Fred Vanier from Fred’s Big Chief Petro-Canada in Tecumseh, ON and Bara Soma from his Streetsville, Mississauga, ON location.

PT: As you know, today (Dec 3) is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. How do you and your team support persons with disabilities at your site?

Fred: We do have many customers with disabilities who regularly come for fuel and service. Our full serve crew is trained not only to serve fuel with all Petro-Canada’s fast and friendly service but also to wash windows and check engine oil/washer fluid, etc. - if customers wish to do so. Sometimes (serving a customer with a disability) is as simple as serving most other customers but on occasion our crew will go out of their way to help a customer in need if possible, for example using hand signals for hearing impaired or reading/communicating orders for someone who cannot speak.

Bara: As a Full-Service Gas station, my team is always there to help customers with pumping gas, cleaning windshields, topping up windshield washer fluids, checking oil, if requested by my customers and if possible and helping customers with getting air to tire if needed. I believe, when dealing with people with disabilities, they are looking for genuine support/help and not sympathy. As a team, we try our best to help them with their gasoline needs and any other services provided by our site. And we make sure to engage with our customers and help them feel at home.

PT: What has been the reaction from your customers?

Fred: Some of our regular customers will travel across the city or county to fill up the vehicle and we greet them smiling and with respect. Some have been coming to our site for over 20 years. They appreciate the great service and attitude. This is a true testimony that full-serve fuel is very important in a community.

Bara: We try to have an excellent relationship with our customer and it's not just about processing the transaction - when we see them, we talk about news and family. Sometimes, during the holidays, a few customers have given us small chocolate gifts to thank us for our support. We can see how happy they are at our site and the way they connected with us.

PT: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Fred: I believe a small amount of extra effort and flexibility is necessary to support our guests with disabilities, but the customer satisfaction is well worth it.

Bara: I am not saying this because they are my customers, but I believe we have some of the best customers and we are very fortunate to know them. If we can support people with disabilities and listen to their feedback, it benefits them and helps our business improve.

Thanks, Fred and Bara for sharing the great service your teams provide the community. The service from teams like Fred’s and Bara’s are recognized across Petro-Canada. Ian Richardson, Director Retail Sales & Site Operations from our Central Region, says “We know that as a preferred fuel supplier in many communities, Petro-Canada has a key role to play in supporting all members of that community - including anyone with special needs. We're grateful to our team of skilled and committed operators at our full-serve locations that make this happen!”

We also spoke with Matt, from our Customer Service Network and asked how a guest with a disability could get the support they need at one of our sites. Matt suggested that calling ahead to the site, ideally with an approximate time, would help ensure that they get the support they need. The phone number for specific stations can be found in our station locator. You can also search for the closest full serve station nearest you.

~Kate T.