What to expect from Big River gas station’s upgrades

The Big River Service Centre in Fort Providence is getting a facelift – but don’t worry, you can still fill up there during the upgrades.

Long weekend travellers who pulled up to the well-known gas station might have been surprised to come across a construction site where the pumps used to sit.

Manager Chris Mitchell said Big River is upgrading to become a Petro-Canada gas station with a “significant price improvement” – and will be offering premium, mid-grade, and regular fuel as well as diesel at four pumps by the coming weekend.

Previously, the gas station could only service two regular gas and two diesel vehicles at a time.

Mitchell explained the gas station negotiated “a very fair deal” with Petro-Canada to be able to offer less expensive gas than at present. He said it’s hard to say how much people will be able to save per litre compared to what they pay now, though he added: “The savings are going to be obvious.”

The gas pumps aren’t the only thing getting upgraded. Taking advantage of the slower period caused by Covid-19, the service centre recently put in new flooring and shelving, and is working on other improvements like installing new coolers.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience while we’re making these improvements,” said Mitchell. “We understand how important we are to the region and travelling, and that’s why we’re doing everything possible to keep our services going during the renovations.”

Big River has for 18 months had plans drawn up for a new building, which would house a motel alongside the services available in the existing building.

Mitchell said he is still working toward getting that project off the ground, but it’s hard to get momentum going in the current climate.

“We’re concerned with the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on tourism and the economy,” he said.

“We still have the new building in our vision, and we’re working really hard to achieve improved services for the North.”