The other day, when I was putting out the garbage and recycling for collection, I stopped to have a chat with my Saturn VUE, Chloe. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve been on a nice long drive, Clo. But soon. Soon we’ll take a long drive, maybe to the Okanagan. Stop at a few wineries. Explore some back roads. Put on our favourite tunes and roll down the windows. Soon it will be spring and hopefully stay-at-home orders will be lifted.”

She seemed to understand that trips to the grocery store are all that her immediate future holds and wasn’t too resentful.

So let’s not tell her that I stepped out on her a little.

I recently discovered the site, Drive and Listen. It uses dash cam and other city driving footage from YouTube and pairs it with the soundtrack of a local radio station. Currently there are 30+ cities on the site, and more are being added on a regular basis. I spent some time exploring places like Beijing, Delhi and Havana.

It certainly isn’t the same as actually being there, but it’s a nice way to scratch that wanderlust itch.

Bonus site: when you’re working from home and just want a new view out your window, try the site WindowSwap. People around the world upload videos of the view outside their window. I’ve enjoyed a lot of cool scenes from around the world, plus met some adorable pets that video bomb the window view. Check out these windows from Serbia, Maine and Istanbul.

Any particular city or town you’d like to take a virtual drive through? Or do any of the above capture your imagination? Let us know in the comments.

~ Kate T.

We’re well into the first month of 2021. And while COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the country, it is still as important as ever to be aware of and follow safety policies and protocols. In some provinces, like Quebec and Ontario, stricter measures are currently in place in order to try to flatten the curve of infections and protect health care systems as the vaccine is administered.

At Petro-Canada, we are committed to keeping our Guests and our Associates safe. The following policies and protocols remain in place at our locations across Canada:

• We continue to support physical distancing measures by encouraging guests to pay for their products electronically
• In store, we continue to manage guest capacities and maintain physical distancing guidelines.
• If you need to enter the store, please wear a mask. Our Plexiglas shields and floor decals remain in place.
• Our gas station attendants are following local regulations for mask use requirements. If municipal or provincial regulations deem mask use mandatory, our GSAs wear them.
• We’re continuing our cleaning measures with a focus on the frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces.

We encourage any staff member who is feeling sick or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms to stay at home. And we monitor any who are being tested for COVID-19.

In Ontario, our stations are designated as an essential service so we will remain open during the State of Emergency stay-at-home order.

In Quebec, our stations are also designated as an essential service, so Petro-Canada locations across the province will remain open during curfew hours of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. EST. There will be a few changes during these hours. In line with the updated regulations we will not be able to sell tobacco, lottery, gift cards or alcohol and our car washes will also be closed during curfew hours.  

All across Canada, our priority is your safety and the safety of our associates – and continuing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To stay up to date on the continued measures we’re taking, please visit Petro-Canada.ca or check out our Facebook page.

~ Braden H.

Happy New Year, PumpTalk readers! We hope you had a safe and restful holiday season and are looking forward to what 2021 can bring. We certainly are! And so are our associates. We checked in with a few of our Retail and Wholesale Associate of the Year Winners and asked them what their biggest highlight from 2020 was and what they are looking forward to the most in 2021.

West Nova Fuels in Halifax, Nova Scotia provides high-quality fuel, heating oil, and lubricants* to homes and businesses. They won Wholesale Associate of the Year in the Eastern Region. Graham Eisenhauer is the President of West Nova Fuels.

PumpTalk: What was your greatest highlight for 2020?

Graham: There is one clear highlight to me for the year and that is the outstanding teamwork, dedication and resilience I have seen in our team. To date, with our team of roughly 115 people, we have not lost a single day of work due to refusal to work. Yes, people were scared and nervous, in fact everyone was, but everyone remained committed to our customers and our business and had a very positive attitude in adapting what we needed to do to keep the business running.

Since mid-March, I have been giving regular email updates to our entire team (and face to face when it has been possible) and sharing how motivating and inspiring it has been for me personally to see the dedication and teamwork of our team.   They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going – and that has been the overarching attitude of everyone at West Nova Fuels.

PumpTalk: What are you looking forward to most in 2021?

Graham: I am looking forward to people being able to have a more balanced personal life without the stresses that have been caused by this pandemic.   I hope that people can see family members they have been separated from, kids can stay in school and sporting and social activities, people can plan vacations like they used to, and that small businesses can bounce back from the difficulties that they have endured for the past 9 months or so.

I hope that we can get back to this before the end of 2021, but we need to be realistic in our expectations as I believe that despite recent announcements of vaccines the COVID-19 impact will be with us for quite some time yet.  

Radek Szybowski, one of our Retail Associates of the Year, operates several sites in Ottawa, Ontario and leads a team of over 100 employees.

PumpTalk: What was your greatest highlight for 2020?

Radek: When I reflect on 2020 one word comes into focus "STABILITY". Petro-Canada allowed my staff, my customers and myself a sense of stability in these very uncertain times. Because we are an essential service it has allowed my staff and myself to keep working, to keep providing for themselves and their loved ones; certainly a sense of stability that many Canadians did not have this year. It allowed our guests a sense of normality to their daily routines, and it allowed them to see that familiar face.

2020 also allowed me the time to focus on security and safety… to take advantage of all the technologies available to us, implement them and in turn provide a safer environment. I am now able to communicate with all my sites at once with the use of tablets and cloud based information technology, minimizing the health risks to my staff.

Most importantly, this year has really put into focus how important we actually are to our communities. They truly do depend on us to move them forward!

PumpTalk: What are you looking forward to most in 2021?

Radek: My focus for 2021 remains the same: further building my managers capabilities, confidence and knowledge. Providing a safe environment for all staff, customers and our communities. Building my business into a more profitable 2021. Both myself and my managers look forward to the new challenges and successes 2021 will bring. We have certainly learned from 2020 that flexibility is key!

Daljit Minhas, another of our retail Associates of the Year, operates two sites in Calgary, Alberta that include a full service carwash, full service gas bar, glide wash, and A&W.

PumpTalk: What was your greatest highlight for 2020?

Daljit: In 2020, we had many highlights throughout the year. Firstly, winning Associate of the Year was an honor and definitely a high point. Another highlight was seeing the dedication from my staff throughout COVID-19. I am very proud of my entire team who work tirelessly to service customers and keep our doors open. Lastly, we had the privilege of packing and distributing 50,000 masks through a partnership with A&W and the Alberta government.

PumpTalk: What are you looking forward to most in 2021?

Daljit: I am looking forward to COVID-19 vaccine advances for the betterment of businesses and humanity. At site, I am also looking forward to involving ourselves in our community more than ever. We want to help rebuild after COVID-19.

Thanks to Graham, Radek and Daljit for taking the time to check in with us. We are very proud of the outstanding work and attitudes that our Associates and their teams demonstrated in 2020. We are excited to see what they will accomplish and how they will keep their communities moving forward in 2021.

Is there anything you’re looking forward to in 2021? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.

~ Kate T.

* ™Petro-Canada lubricants products are manufactured by Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc., a HollyFrontier brand. Petro-Canada is a registered trademark of Suncor Energy Inc., used under license.