Residents on Westside Road who have long had to make a 20 minute trek into Vernon for gas now has a closer option
A new Canco gas station has opened at 11131 Westside Road on Okanagan Indian Band Part 1.
The reserve borders the north end of Okanagan Lake near Head of the Lake Road and Highway 97.
The station celebrated its official opening on Friday, Oct. 3, with a ribbon cutting, cake, prizes and an Indigenous ceremony. Fuel sales from the event raised $300 for the OKIB Youth Program through a one-cent-per-litre donation.
Bub’s Convenience Store is inside the new station, which offers everyday essentials and grab-and-go items.
The opening is welcome news for residents. Previous stores in the area have closed, including Little Kingdom which burned down in 2021, and Six Mile Convenience, which recently shut its doors.
Arshdeep Singh Dhaliwal, senior marketing manager with Canco, said the community was in desperate need of a local station.
“It is a very underserved community,” he said. “We heard stories of people having to ration gas when in the area because they are 20 plus minutes away from a station. Not anymore.”
Local residents say the station is already making a difference in their daily lives.
"My husband and I keep a jerry can at home because there are times when I forget to get gas coming into town,” said resident Pat Gale. “Now I don’t have to worry about it with a gas station just two minutes away.”
