Something else to keep in mind if you are looking for the least-evil place to fill up the tank: is it true that all of the gas on PEI, regardless of the gas station, it's all the same gas?

I don't think there are any "responsible" companies, and I know that most "gas" (or, in the UK, petrol) in a "small" community, regardless of petrol station, typically comes from the same depot. Having worked in petrol stations for 5 years, I know for a dead cert that most petrol stations, regardless of their apparent "brand", used one of 2 "local" depots in their area, which are typically owned by the same company. This, apparently, is the same worldwide.

With regards to responsibility, they are all as responsible as one another - I don't think I've heard any stories of "good" oil companies in my life.

Just think yourselves lucky you don't have to pay the extortionate prices we do in the UK - £0.79.9/litre (£3.60/Gallon, or $CAD8.21/Gallon)

All the gas on PEI is wholesaled by one supplier and, as you know, it is fixed pricing. You are not a player in any market, as a reult, and have no say. Do as you are told, please Daniel. By the way, today you are playing 10 cents a litre more or about 14% too much care of these controls - 61 cents a litre in the marketplace.

That supplier for PEI is, fyi, Irving Oil Ltd. They are also sole provider of New Brunswick. A couple of years ago, the region was divided between Irving Oil and Imperial Oil. Esso is sole provider for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is interesting, Daniel, as the wholesale cost is only a part of the cost. From this site we see:<blockquote class="smalltext">According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a non-profit education organization, last summer the average retail cost for a liter of gas was 53 cents. Of that, 28.6 cents went to pay various forms of taxes. Getting the gas from the ground, through the refining process and to the pump cost 19.1 cents. Marketing and profit margins consumed 5.3 cents per liter. </blockquote>So what you are really asking is who does the best job or at least the least distasteful job with the tasks of getting it to the pump from the wholesaler, marketing it and spending the profits you give them. Check the cases on whose stations have old leaky tanks, whose ads piss you off, who short changes their workers or improperly uses market share to crush competition. Has the company got a skeleton in the closet like Fortis may? For me in PEI, it was Ultramar based on their marketing - they will not be out priced, they run to the pump, they clean your windshild or pay you five bucks - they found a way to earn my business. Here it is the local supplier of ethanol blend - I burn moonshine made with corn in my car.

The Consumers Coop, on Walker Drive, has a gas bar.

I just spoke with the manager at Coop Atlantic responsible for petroleum, and asked him to tell me why you should buy your gas from the Coop. He told me:
<ul>
<li>
They're a cooperative, and thus are member-owned, and adhere to coop principles:
</li>
<ul>
<li>
Open and Voluntary Membership
</li>
<li>
Democratic Member Control
</li>
<li>
Member Economic Participation</li
<li>
Autonomy and Independence
</li>
<li>
Education, Training and Information
</li>
<li>
Co-operation Among Co-operatives
</li>
<li>
Concern for Community
</li>
</ul>
<li>
Every year in December you will receive a rebate check of 2 cents for every litre of gasoline purchased.
</li>
<li>
They purchase their gasoline from Esso, Irving or Ultramar, depending on the market. This is simply because there is no local cooperatively produced source of petroleum products.
</li>
</ul>

While my own experiences with Coop Atlantic suggest that it has its flaws, I still think that a rough-around-the-edges coop is better than a profit-driven corporation any day.

Wow, I think I've just convinced myself to buy my gas there!

The Coop Gas Bar is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and during the Christmas season, Sundays from Noon to 5:00 p.m.

Note that Coop Fuels sells home heating oil, with many of the same benefits (including a yearly rebate). We've purchased our heating oil from them for almost 10 years, and have never had a problem.

According to this handy unlovely chart, the Co-op is the most expensive, which is odd...but being odd not unexpected given IRAC wackiness.

I've been buying my gas at Irving for quite some time based on this: http://www.irvingoilco.com/media_releases/IOL_USEPA.htm

I presumed that this meant the gas at Irving was different then the gas at Esso or Ultramar...but maybe I'm wrong?

According to TV commercials, Shell purports to be an environmentally and culturally sensitive oil company. It is possible that they are not lying.

Oh my god! I can't believe TV would ever betray me like that!