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"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 10, 1998 - 5 Little can be done about price war, says McTeague Rock-bottom prices a 'challenge' says Pioneer station manager By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Last week's low prices at the pumps of the local Pioneer gas station were a challenge to other area stations, says a company representative. David Feldmann, man- ager of the Pioneer Petroleum station at the corner of Simcoe St. and Hwy. 7A, said he was act- ing on instructions from his employers to have the lowest price in town. A pricing war last week saw gas selling for as little as 46 cents a litre. "We had a little war going on with Mark over at the OLCO station (east of Pioneer on 7A). He'd put his prices down and then I'd put my price down; we kept doing that all day," Mr. Feldmann said of the showdown last Tuesday (March 3) which saw prices drop far below average prices. While prices had previ- ously sat above the 50- cent mark, they had plum- meted as much as seven cents in one day, bottom- ing out at the 46.4 cents per litre mark the Pion'eer station posted. "It was a reflection of many things actually," sald Mr. Feldmann. "My (sales) volume the previ- ous two days had not been good, so I had approval from the president of the company to sell (gasoline) off. "Plus, I also have per- mission from the presi- dent to drop my prices if I see anything in the area and even Sunderland to see who's priced at what; Port Perry will be more competitive now. Mark and I are good friends now and it's great to have some competition." Some area dealers -- they held an emergency meeting in Whitby to address the skirmish last Tuesday night -- contend that pricing fuel below the refiner's cost is unfair to other stations, specifi- cally unbranded indepen- dents. Mr. Feldmann said he's not aware of any reg- ulations preventing him from doing so. "My honest answer would be no. The decision was made by the presi- dent; when we were at 46 (cents), Il knew we were close or below the cost." Despite complaints from other station owners, Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge MP Dan McTeague said there's not much the Competition Board can do to address the situation right now because of a lack of funding. "Right now the board has no teeth; their funds Give your family the gift of spring | 5 8] 3d M1 DIS) Border Collie/ Shepherd/ Golden Retriever Mix call Dr. David Hodson have been cut so it will take a while for a case to come up," he said Thursday afternoon. He said the local deal- ers would have to prove that Pioneer is trying to undercut other stations in an attempt to close them down. "...the board could launch an investigation into the station for preda- tory pricing, but they have to have a burden of proof beyond doubt that that is what they are doing...but it's hard to prove it." Mr. McTeague said a board review would be a long time coming here. He's heard of "about 20,000 complaints, and maybe six have been investigated with no suc- cess." Mr. McTeague, an out- spoken critic of the petroleum industry, said the Liberal government may need to pass legisla- tion requiring stations to show what they paid for their shipments of fuel. "We may need some transparency in the wholesale price," he said. "We need to know what everyone 1s paying for their gas. "It's not fair and it's not in the best interest of the consumer when a sta- tion is using the deep pockets of other opera- tions to undermine and destroy the competition... I think the Competition Board should get on this because they are acting more like lap dogs, not watchdogs." Ray Angrove, the Metro-East representa- tive for Pioneer Petroleum, did not return phone calls from The Star. Donna Lockman "INTERIOR VISIONS Specializing In: hp Custom Interior Decorating Port Perry, Ontario Vinyl California Shutters, Draperies, Wallpaper & Faux Finishes 445 Fralicks Beach Rd. (905) 985-1846 Home sales up in February Home sales in the region were up signifi- cantly in February over the previous month, but are still lagging behind last year's figures. That's the word from the Durham Region Real Estate Board, whose fig- ures show 554 single family dwelling sales in February, up 40 per cent from the previous month. But that figure is down 23 per cent from February of 1997. Board president Ted McCracken said that a continuing healthy econ- omy is being reflected in the housing figures. "Economic fundamen- tals remain positive, full- time job growth contin- ues to trend higher, and consumer confidence remains strong," said Mr. McCracken. "These fac- tors point to a healthy spring market." Other highlights in the housing market include: 0 Average prices In Durham Region crept up 1.7 per cent in February to $161,025, from $158,352 in January. 0 Active listings rose 15 per cent in February to 1,794 from 1,560 in January, an increase of 6.6 per cent over last year. a February's 554 sin- gle family dwelling sales in Durham totalled $89.2 million. That's an increase of almost 43 per cent over the January dollar value of $62.5 mil- lion. WARCH & " Re SeMEC I & Port Perry % Week of March 16 |" [eT TEN Sl PC Holo F-To oJ Co X- Holo oy) Karate in the Morning CEI ple AN We Na Ra l=F Vi(=]dalele]a) Cost $75.00 per child + GST ALERW Stel gle Re Rol gleTo [W] [SH lola ale Nola Ra I=R {16S He \YAW/I ( activities so you will know extra costs. REGISTER NOW - 985-0205 * Port Perry 15258 Simcoe St., MARTIAL ARTS CENTRE below my price. We check as far away as Oshawa Commercial & Residential Consultation by Appointment Gnly nn 985-2593 wey Mark Your Calendar! "March 20, 21 & 22 Dental Care Jor the whole family EX I H am- m am- m Fri.10°™9™ Sat-Sun.10°™5° Admission: *7" adult *5 senior *2* child. tax incl. PORT PERRY h 4 Join us at CANADA'S ORIGINAL display of Ontario's Finest Juried Exhibitors offering "The True Essence of Country'. COI IN' ] RY i Country Furnishings, Country Decorating Accents and Accessories, Country Crafts, Country Clothes, Country Garden Accents, Unique Country Easter v tCORATIN : and Mother's Day Gifts. 4 238 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY a , \Y) G Everything from A to Z to help decorate your home and garden to your 'Country Hearts' Desire' + ~ ov BE Co TO { ~ MEET THE 'ELITE OF COUNTRY' EXHIBITORS ~ \ © A J LLECTIBL : A Raft of Crafts Craft Magic Lattimor House * Acorn Acres Craft Room Gallery Re fuct F » . . J. ) production Furniture DR. J COT TRELL DR J HARDY RY SHOW G SALE Almark Gifts Creative Innovations Mary Naughton y . DR. C. BANFIELD ° DR. L. GIDEON ar { FE AToING ; Angel 1 The Works D&L Crafts Mill Pond Loft Inc nything Country Deborah Doran Pottery Oak Mountain Country Crafts ° DR. T. KING ° DR. T. McINTYRE Ly Arts Aglow Eleanor's Kitchen Ol" Southwest v © tist) (Pe iod tist) Aunt Annie's Attic Ember Garden of Freelton Philomena's Gourmet Food * rthodon » HEIRLOOMS Berry Ellen Reversibles Enchanted Room Piety Ridge Primitives 28 y= -< Boo "n Me Crafts Faloncrest Play'n Wear By Sharon J Please Call -~ 985-8451 B ARTS G CRAFTS R : Brighton Street Studio Fine Art of 3-D Pictures Primrose Country Collectibles * - a ) Carol "B" Dolls Foxglove Quality Woodcrafts WP Catherine's Collection Fretworks Quilts 'n Creations C DR. L. GIDEON Please cal 985-7952 ) = C IM. Enterprises Gaby Monsalves Ring Imports + Callaghan's Crafts Gunnerside Celtic Connection Robin's Nest Fine Arts . . a. ~ Canadian House Sign Co Heart & Home Collectibles & Crafts 2 Sa SEA : n Canadiana Classics Heaven Sent Simply Country SE { : Appoints Carol "B" Dolls Hen House Snug as a Bug I TE 3 Chocolate Connection Heritage Art by Marg Unionville Gourmet Foods v New Christine's Crafts [Lamendeau Vi's Crafts Srl DN Patients Colonial Classics Jonathan Heartwood Walper's Stained Glass Cottage Baskets & Gifts Kalico Krafts Wicked Saucery Country Accents Kim Kraft Wood Wishes : Always oi I R G R 0 | \ D S Country Cabin Collectibles Kitchen Pantry Wood Wonders A V S LE) Welcome McCowan Road, 7 Km. North of Hwy. 7 Country Rooster Kool Kraft Wooden Wood Ve Country Workshop Larry Bondy Woodworking Wreaths'n Things qd off «1 H (905) 649-2480 \ Scheduled Exhibitors List is subject to change without notice and is current as of March 6/98 238 QUEEN ST., PORT PERRY [RAZMLALBLARARALALALARAL ALARA R AR A351 Ah 1005 do 2 5 $