To help keep people safe and re-establish the movement of critical goods and services following severe flooding and landslides, the Province is taking temporary measures to ensure fuel (gas and diesel) is prioritized for essential vehicles, while keeping it available to British Columbians.

Measures to restrict non-essential travel to and from impacted areas are also being introduced.

“We are asking people to limit their fuel consumption and vehicle travel at this time and are putting in place orders under the provincial state of emergency to support this,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “These steps will keep commercial traffic moving, stabilize our supply chains and make sure everyone gets home safely. We are asking people not to travel through severely affected areas – for their own well-being, but also to make sure the fuel we do have goes toward the services people need in this time of crisis.”

Farnworth has issued two new orders using the extraordinary powers of the Emergency Program Act. The first brings in a temporary order to ensure fuel remains available for essential vehicles in affected areas of the province.

This order, effective immediately, until Dec. 1, 2021, applies to all fuel suppliers in the Lower Mainland-to-Hope region, the Sea-to-Sky region, Sunshine Coast, the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island.

Under this order, essential vehicles will have unrestricted access to fuel as required, using predominately commercial trucking gas stations (cardlock gas stations). A full list of these essential vehicles is available in the backgrounder.

Non-essential vehicles, including the general public, will still have access to fuel available through retail gas stations. People will be limited to 30 litres per trip to the gas station.

The Province will be working with gas retailers and distributors to implement this order to make sure people are not exceeding their allotted limit per trip. As part of this order, gas retailers will be required to ensure remaining gasoline reserves last until Dec. 1, 2021. Anyone who is abusive, threatening or belligerent to gas station workers can be subject to a fine under the order