The year is 1998. A lot of us spent our time debating whether or not Jack from Titanic could have fit on that floating door, showing our hair stylist pictures of Jennifer Anniston so we could get “The Rachel” cut, and wondering how the heck to use this new thing called “Google”. Over at Petro-Canada, we were launching a new card service, one that would revolutionize the way our commercial customers managed their business with us.

But first, we have to go back a few more years. Petro-Canada was founded in 1975 and made a lot of acquisitions over the years: BP Canada, Gulf Canada and PetroFina, among others. In addition to having retail stations, these companies also had wholesale customers who subsequently became a part of Petro-Canada’s wholesale network: Petro-Pass.

One of the downsides for our wholesale customers was that, depending on the site location they visited and the technical capabilities of the original brand, the technology they would use to fill up was different. It could be a punch card, aka a Hollerith (named after the inventor of computer punch cards), or it could be the more familiar magnetic stripe card. So commercial drivers who wanted to be prepared for all contingencies as well as have access to a Canada-wide network had to carry both cards with them.

In 1998, in an effort to leverage our entire network (retail and wholesale), upgrade an inconsistent technology experience, and address the need to carry a wallet full of cards, Petro-Canada created the SuperPass card for commercial drivers. The Petro-Pass network got a technology makeover, magnetic stripe tech was introduced at all locations and the SuperPass card was issued to commercial members – alleviating the need to carry multiple cards and uniting our wholesale customers under one brand.

Flash forward 25 years and we still love innovating for Canadian businesses. Today our SuperPass card, accepted at every Petro-Canada location as well as 270+ locations in the US through our Travel Centers of America partnership, gives small and enterprise fleet managers unique tools to help manage the security and efficiency of their fleets. To celebrate this milestone with our members, we’ll be launching a few events during the year:

Member Contest April 18-Oct 23 – All SuperPass members will have a chance to win one of 25 prizes of $5,000 just by using their card to purchase fuel during the contest period.  You’ll see this contest advertised on Pump Toppers at both Petro-Canada retail stations and Petro-Pass stations across Canada, through social media and on the radio.

Member Stories – SuperPass helps Canadians keep their businesses moving, and we want to share their stories. We’ll feature SuperPass members from across the country who depend on SuperPass to get their work done. Look for their stories on our website, onsite signage, and on social media.

Partnerships – We are always looking for ways to make SuperPass more valuable to our members. For the very first time, we will offer exclusive offers with partner companies to SuperPass members beyond their fuel transaction. Stay tuned on our website and via SuperPass member emails for more details.

We’re proud to have been a reliable partner for Canadian businesses to manage their fleets for the last 25 years and are looking forward to continuing to innovate and support them for the next 25!

This is a special edition of PumpTalk – brought to you by the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation.

Tuesday, April 4^th is National Caregiver Day in Canada, an opportunity to recognize the importance of the “invisible” unpaid work of caregivers and the valuable contribution they make to care recipients, our communities and our economy.

More than eight million Canadians provide unpaid emotional, social and financial support to ill, injured, disabled and aging loved ones. Family caregivers in Canada make up over 75 per cent of all patient care in Canada and they often feel overwhelmed, overworked, and unsupported for the tireless work they do every day. Family caregivers spend an average of 19 hours per week caregiving in addition to paid work and other family commitments.

Each year, as part of our mission to create awareness of the issue of family caregiving in Canada and support family caregivers, the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation^TM provides grants to Canadian charitable organizations that support family caregiving to help them fund critical resources and programs.

The Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation awarded grants to 13 Canadian charitable organizations this year for a total of $1.7 million to help address systemic challenges in the area of family caregiving. Grant levels varied for each organization and reflected the scale of the project or program for which funding was requested. 

Our latest national grant recipients include:

• SickKids Foundation (Ontario)
• The Children’s Link Society (Alberta)
• Family Caregivers of BC
• Inclusion New Brunswick
• Seniors Resource Centre Association of Newfoundland & Labrador Inc.
• Institute for Advancement in Mental Health (Ontario)
• Families for Addiction Recovery (Ontario)
• The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (Ontario)
• The Baycrest Foundation (Ontario)
• Young Caregivers Association (Ontario)
• Brain Injury Ontario
• Autism Society Ontario
• Saskatoon Council on Aging (Saskatchewan)

It’s an honour to support the work of these amazing organizations who make a difference in the lives of family caregivers. Their efforts are critical to achieving our Foundation's vision of a country where family caregivers are valued, recognized and supported.

You can learn more about these worthy organizations on our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Registered charitable organizations interested in available grant streams may apply for funding based on eligibility and timing requirements.

To celebrate March 8, International Women’s Day, we’re sharing this interview with one of our associates, Geena Virk. Geena owns and manages a network of 12 Petro-Canada locations in and around Abbotsford, British Columbia. Geena has been part of the Petro-Canada family since 1999, when she and her husband, Narvinder, took over a single Petro-Canada location. Geena also sits on the Board of Directors of the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation as well as the Community Grants Advisory Council.

PT: Geena, thank you so much for talking with me today! Having 12 locations to manage is a lot! What does a typical day look like for you?

I’m based in our Clearbrook office along with my bookkeeper. I look through reports from our different locations and ask, “What problems do we have to solve today?” This usually means working with a manager from a specific location and seeing what they need. Do they need sales incentives for their team, a little more training on how to do their books, or a site visit to help them identify where they can improve their location?

I have such a great team – the folks at all our locations feel like family. We have a manager at every store and most of them have been promoted from our original two stores; I recruited them into management positions. In fact, one of them has been with us for 22 years!

PT: What’s do you like about working with Petro-Canada?

It’s so nice to be a part of a Canadian company. I’m proud to be Canadian and proud of working for a Canadian company. So are my managers. They take ownership of the business and take pride in it. And we all like knowing that we (are a part of a company that is) making a difference out there. It is a privilege to work along side so many amazing people – namely the other associates across the network. We have a very talented and generous team of associates in our network.

PT: What are some of the things that would surprise people about owning a Petro-Canada location?

First of all, it’s a 24/7 business. We get calls at all times of the day, and every day of the week – including calls in the middle of the night. We have great managers who will be the first call, but Narv and I are the second call. When we're needed, we're REALLY needed. You have to be flexible and know that you could be needed at any time of the day or night.

Second, the safety of our team is, of course, a big deal. It’s a big responsibility to have that on my conscience every day and especially overnight. Every day, you hope and pray that all employees will make it safely back to their families at the end of their shifts.

Finally, being in this business, you never know what the day is going to bring. The business is always changing. We’re always evolving or tweaking the business. We never seem to be able to leave our work at work, but then that is part of the thrill of the business as well.

PT: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

That came from Shirley Dickman, my Territory Manager from Petro-Canada (Shirley retired in 2020). She used to tell me how important it was to make personal connections with my teams, to make sure I really got to know them. And Shirley walked the walk. She had 40 locations in her territory, but she always knew the names of my staff. She really cared about people and has been an inspiration for my management style.

PT: Do you have any heroes or mentors?

My grandfather, Sham Singh Sandhu. He passed away last year at 100 years old. He immigrated to Canada from India in 1952 to give his family a better life. I watched how hard he worked every day so that he could give his family a good life. My grandfather believed in tenacity, ambition and education, always telling us to make sure we educated ourselves and our kids. He was a proud Canadian. He is my reason for getting up and moving every day.

~|~

Thanks, Geena, for speaking with me! And don't forget to check out our Instagram for a couple of interview clips with Geena.

February 17^th is Random Acts of Kindness Day – a day when we all try to show a little more consideration to our neighbours. When someone does something kind for us out of the blue – even something small – it can make a big impact. We asked Canadians via our social media channels to tell us about someone who had shown them kindness in the last year and made their life better. We were touched to hear about so many Canadians finding opportunities to be kind to each other.

We selected a few of the entries that we received and sent them a little surprise in the mail. And we sent the folks that nominated them something as well. Spreading kindness is a great way to #LiveByTheLeaf. We’re delighted to share these stories with you!

Pauline Cockburn, Ontario
Nominated by Janique Spencer

When I was in labour unfortunately my mother wasn’t able to accompany me to the hospital and be there for the birth of her first grandchild. So I asked my Aunt Pauline to be there and document the moment for me. Even though she didn't like seeing blood she said yes without hesitation. Her being there made the whole process easier and less frightening for me. She was an angel and she's still my angel. I love her unconditionally and so does my daughter.

Kris Harris, Ontario
Nominated by Brenda Wilson

Kris is just a genuinely kind person each and every day. He inspires me to be a better person. From his pocket full of $5 gift cards that he hands out randomly, to opening doors for people, giving a compliment to anyone around him, stopping to acknowledge every dog he sees, shoveling an elderly man's drive and walk, paying for someone's coffee and treats, being ready to listen to any teen in his high school and doing random acts of kindness every single day, you could NOT ask for a guy more deserving of this award. His heart is bigger than the universe.   

Jonathan Laporte, Quebec
Nominated by Melanie Camirand

During the Holidays, seeing the difficulties I had in the fall while homeschooling my son, who seemed to have lost all motivation, although he usually was a good learner, Jonathan, a second-year student in specialized education, offered to evaluate him and find solutions, leveraging what he had learned in school. He spent 2 weeks observing and questioning my son, took many notes and transferred to me his discoveries and potential solutions. He brought light to the situation when I felt out of resources, and he gave us hope. I am extremely grateful for Jonathan's commitment!

Marg Hiltz, Nova Scotia
Nominated by Pamela Beattie

COVID sure interfered with my socializing, especially playing CRIB, at the local community hall. Well, friend Marg called three of us to say she was hosting a weekly CRIB afternoon at her place. Sure felt good to gather, in a safe environment, and enjoy the game we had been missing. The games continue, giving us four something to look forward to every week.

Eugenia Mardli, Manitoa
Nominated by Alice Spence

Eugenia considers it an honour to help others. She brought family from the Ukraine to her home and now has two adults, along with a 7-year-old and a 1-year-old, living with her in her very small house. She's taken people to Winnipeg for specialist appointments, cataract surgery, to help get provincial Health registrations. Eugenia is a Registered Nurse and has helped the nursing shortage by picking up shifts on every ward at our hospital.  Eugenia is one in a million and still has time to walk her dog daily. Eugenia expects nothing in return for her ongoing good deeds!

Gerald Gerard, Ontario
Nominated by Pam Lalonde

Gerald, a longtime friend of my husband, is an avid hunter and fisherman. What makes Gerald so special is that he shares his catch. Every year we get a visit or two from Gerald, who brings us freshly caught fish (already cleaned and packaged), fowl like goose breast and also moose and deer kielbasa, smoked trout and many other goodies. We are not the only recipients of his kindness, there are many others. I nominate Gerald because he embodies the phrase "it is better to give than to receive". He truly is an angel amongst us!

So many of my best memories are from road trips. Whether it was that time three friends and I drove from our university in Texas to Ontario to visit grad schools. Or when I drove across eastern Canada with my mom to make a pilgrimage to Oak Island, Nova Scotia and eat a lot of lobster. Or when a friend and I drove from Toronto to North Battleford, SK to visit his family and chase the Northern Lights. On each trip we got to see some amazing sights, but we also had some great conversations. I really got to know my friends and family a lot better by having conversations in cars.

Apparently, I’m not alone. According to a survey conducted by ZipCar, 76% of the folks they surveyed have had a deep and meaningful conversation in a car. It’s an informal setting that lets us loosen up and speak more freely.

With this in mind, when we wanted to take the pulse of Canada, we set off across the country and connected with real Canadians who were willing to take us for a drive to talk about the seemingly ordinary, yet ultimately extraordinary, things they were doing in their communities – demonstrating how they #LiveByTheLeaf.

Our conversations were facilitated by Darcy Michael and Nicolas Pinson – two fellows who are fun, outgoing and easy to talk to. You can watch all of the episodes of “How’s It Going, Canada?” on livebytheleaf.ca or on the playlist below.

Aside from Darcy and Nicolas, we were supported by an amazing film crew who were responsible for rigging up the cars, keeping an eye on the weather and capturing some fantastic footage. We thought it would be fun to share some pictures from behind the scenes as well as the beautiful places in Canada we got to visit.

Stay tuned to our Instagram and TikTok channels. Some of the Canadians featured in our episodes are going to be launching some fun challenges that you can participate in.