B.C.'s premier says he'll look into concerns that some B.C. gas stations may be dispensing dirty gas at the pumps -- and no government agency is watching out for motorists..
The concerns were aired Monday after a CTV investigation discovered one Surrey gas station filled its customers tanks with gas with sediments -- gas that could do damage to a car's engine.
"This is the first time it's been raised with me," said Gordon Campbell on Tuesday. "It hasn't been a problem in the past and it shouldn't be a problem in the future.
"But we'll follow it up and see what we can do," he said.
When CTV News tested 10 gas stations in the Lower Mainland, one of them -- a Super Gas on King George Highway and 91st Avenue in Surrey -- pumped gas with visible sediment, which appeared to be rust.
"Rust will cause problems," said Hu Automotive's mechanic, Max Chang. "To fix that, you could be paying $500."
The pumps were shut down, and the manager promised to get a technician to test the tanks.
CTV News tried to find out if there was any government agency protecting consumers from dirty gas.
It's not Measurement Canada, which tests the amounts of gas dispensed.
It's not Industry Canada -- spokespeople referred CTV News to provincial agencies.
But in B.C., the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the B.C. Consumer Protection Agency, each deferred responsibility back to the federal government.
One spokesman said the issue was "a consumer issue" -- meaning that it was between the motorist and the gas station, and no one could reach an agreement the problem might end up before the courts.
The only province that regulates gasoline at the pump level is Quebec, which hires private inspectors every year to inspect a sample of gas stations.
Two years ago, NDP Energy Critic John Horgan introduced a private members' bill that would introduce a gasoline watchdog into the B.C. Utilities Commission, which usually regulates electricity and natural gas prices.
"No one in Victoria seems to care, and Ottawa, the people primarily responsible, are leaving it up to the industry to take care of their own customers," said Horgan.
Horgan said more needs to be done to protect the consumer in B.C.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward and Charlene Chae