Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, April 16, 2007

NORMAN WELLS - Like many residents of Norman Wells, Robert Bauer heats his house with natural gas.

But next year, when Imperial Oil stops supplying the town with natural gas, Bauer said he will have to find something else.

It's an idea he's not too excited about.

"I hope we'll be able to use propane. I never heated with propane but I know it won't be as cheap," he said.

He added he hopes the town won't switch homes to diesel, because it might cost him thousands in renovations.

"First of all, I'd have to buy a diesel furnace, then a new hot water heater, then a new stove. It's a lot of dollars," he said.

While Bauer is considering installing a wood burner, which might help cut costs, he said he's pessimistic overall.

"Either way, it's not going to be good," he said. "We're just going to have to deal with it, I guess."

Norman Wells SAO Ian Fremantle said he doesn't know what will happen.

He said the town still needs to meet with Imperial Oil, to determine how much gas - if any - will be available after March 2008.

"Basically we just don't know, and council doesn't know whether we're dealing with the whole town, some houses or just the heavy users (being deprived of gas)," he said.

"We need clarification from Imperial Oil before council can move forward on these issues."

Fremantle added that other communities such as Hay River have been using propane as a replacement as natural gas.

However, he said it's too early to predict how Norman Wells will handle the switch.

"We need to know exactly what Imperial Oil's position is," he said. "Is it zero, or is it an amount? If so, what amount?"

One local homeowner, who did not wish to be named, said he expected the town to hold a vote on the matter.

"I don't think council should be making any decisions without consulting the public. They haven't been giving us our options," he said.

"Maybe I don't want the community to be a utility owner. Maybe I'd rather just buy diesel myself. They should give us that option, it should be a vote," he said.

Fremantle agreed a vote was a good idea, and said a public consultation would be held once the town has all the facts.

On March 29, Imperial Oil representative Pius Rolheiser said the Norman Wells oil fields were gradually losing their value, and that the company could no longer guarantee a supply of natural gas.

"We can't guarantee a certain volume of gas," he said.

Natural gas is a byproduct of the oil extraction process, and Imperial Oil currently supplies gas to the town for power generation and residential heating.

The contract is slated to end April 1, 2008.