The deserted pumps are making for an unusual site in rural areas of Nova Scotia.
“We had fuel delivered Monday morning and we ran out of fuel by three o’clock,” said Kathy MacDonald, manager of Petro Canada in Middleton, N.S.
MacDonald says the shortage has disrupted vacationers in the area with this being a popular time of the year for tourism.
“I’m scared for the Wharf Rat Rally,” she said. “There won’t be as many people going because they’re scared they’re not going to have fuel.”
As vendors descend on Digby ahead of the long weekend’s festivities, many say they ran into fuel problems along the way.
They hope gas availability is back to normal before thousands of visitors are expected to be in the Annapolis Valley over the weekend.
“I see gas in every gas station around and I’m sure Irving, just across the bay here, will have some gas for all of the visitors that want to come,” said Guy LeBlanc, co-chair of the Wharf Rat Rally.
Millions of letres of gasoline continue to leave the distribution centre in Dartmouth, but shortages continue – leaving drivers suspicious.
“Everything is, ‘it's all just in time,' 'barely have enough,' because nobody actually want to hang on to anything," said one driver filing up in Tantallon, N.S.
But station owner Wayne Pace dismisses suggestions the shortage is part of a secret plan to rip off customers.
“The biggest losers in this right now are the oil companies,” he said.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau and Bruce Frisko
