Iqaluit (May 16/05) - A fuel voucher program will be offered by Shell Canada for people who experienced spark plug fouling during the past winter, Shell spokesperson Denita Davis said after a recent meeting between the company and the petroleum products division of the government.

"We'll continue to work in consultation together," she said.

But there is still no word yet on how much compensation people will get.

In the Legislative Assembly, MLAs unanimously agreed that hunters whose machines broke down due to bad gas this winter must be compensated for their losses with a package from both the GN and Shell Canada.

The question remains how much that package will be.

Fifteen communities were visited and 179 people were interviewed this year about spark plug problems. The vast majority of problems were with snowmobiles, but some ATVs, outboards and cars and trucks also experienced problems.

A number of people interviewed also said they had piston and crankshaft problems. The GN said those problems cannot be blamed on the gas without more review.

Rankin Inlet MLA Tagak Curley has been one of the most vocal supporters of compensation. Curley kept pushing the GN to make a deal with Shell for a compensation package, saying many hunters were afraid to go hunting this year for fear their machines would break down. Peter Kilabuk, Minister of Community and Government Services, says Shell has been co-operative so far.

Shell admits gas from the Scotford refinery in Edmonton does seem associated with a pattern of complaints. The Baffin region gets its gas from a refinery in Montreal, and the Kivalliq gets its gas from the Scotford refinery. While gas from both refineries met government specifications, the Scotford fuel was different from the gas shipped from Montreal. Kilabuk said he is confident the GN will reach a package deal soon with Shell.