Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Wrigley (Jan 18/02) - Residents of Wrigley are not pleased about a Petroleum Products Division increase to the already high price of fuels, according to James Sergeant, senior administrative officer for the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation.

Home heating fuel rose from 86 cents per litre to 90.5 cents per litre. That compares to 41.3 cents per litre through Midnight Petroleum in Fort Simpson, 220 kilometres to the south.

Gasoline in Wrigley will sell for $1.01 per litre, up from 99 cents per litre. By comparison, Midnight Petroleum's cardlock outlet sells regular gasoline for 78.9 cents per litre.

Sergeant noted that there has been a gradual downward trend in fuel prices elsewhere, but Wrigley is obviously an exception.

"We're quite surprised," he said, adding that Wrigley is on the road system, not an isolated community. "Something is going on here."

Chief Percy Hardisty added, "It's ridiculous."

Michael Aumond, director of petroleum products for Petroleum Products Division (PPD) in Yellowknife, said the price of home heating fuel is currently rising by 4.5 cents in all 16 communities served by PPD.

Aumond explained that PPD made its bulk fuel purchase in July when fuel prices were high.

"So if our costs increase over the past years then we have to recoup that money somehow. The only way that is open to us is raising the prices," he said.

Most communities serviced by PPD are re-supplied either by barge or by winter road, Aumond noted.

Wrigley, being on the highway system, doesn't receive any rebate or deduction.

"We sort of average out the prices for all our communities because we have to recover it under one fund," he said. "I understand where people's concerns are coming from. Simpson is not very far away and they see the price of fuel fluctuating there all the time. We don't have the same opportunity because we purchase all our fuel in bulk."