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| United Petroleum Products |
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News |
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| Aug 17, 2010 |
MACKENZIE CELEBRATES RETURN OF PULP MILL
On August 17, 2010 was proud to announce the grand re-opening of the Mackenzie pulp mill. This is an exciting time for the community of Mackenzie, BC. Please read the full press release below.
The restart of the Mackenzie pulp mill has generated approximately 220 direct jobs, 500 indirect jobs and provided the local community with a significant economic uplift, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today at a grand re-opening celebration.
“I would like to thank Paper Excellence for their valuable investment in the community of Mackenzie, the Omineca region and the province of British Columbia,” said Premier Campbell. “I also want to thank Minister Pat Bell, the McLeod Lake Indian Band, the entire community and all partners for working together to ensure working families in this region have an opportunity to build a future right here in Northern British Columbia.”
Premier Campbell was joined by Minister of Forests and Range and Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell, forest workers and their families, municipal leaders, local First Nations, union representatives, and people from many other sectors of the community to welcome Paper Excellence B.V. as the new mill owners.
“It’s a joy to see the Mackenzie pulp mill operating once again, providing jobs for workers and families and contributing to the economic health of the region,” said Bell. “The recent return to production and today’s celebration represent the culmination of many, many months of hard work, time and energy invested by a dedicated group of partners.”
The Ministry of Forests and Range played a key role in helping the Mackenzie pulp mill secure a new fibre supply. The ministry reached an economic development agreement with the McLeod Lake Indian Band that provides a five-year, four-million-cubic-metre fibre supply opportunity for the Mackenzie pulp mill.
The Province is also investing $10.75 million for an improved road, connecting the communities of Mackenzie and Fort St. James, to ensure logs and wood fibre for bioenergy can move more efficiently between the two communities.
The production capacity of the Mackenzie facility is more than 235,000 metric tons of market pulp annually. Paper Excellence expects its Mackenzie operation will supply 80 per cent of its product directly to affiliated mills in Asia, with the other 20 per cent going to customers in North America.
The mill first started to produce pulp again on Wednesday, Aug. 4 when they turned out a small batch in gearing up to once again become fully operational.
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| July 14, 2010 |
Guardol ECT® with Liquid Titanium™ Field Test
ConocoPhillips has conducted extensive testing of Guardol ECT® Synthetic Blend with Liquid Titanium™ in engine tests, bench tests and in field tests. The field trials corroborate the enhanced wear protection and extended drain capability of Guardol ECT® with Liquid Titanium™. The field trials, now extended to off-highway operations, show that the API CJ-4 Guardol ECT® with Liquid Titanium™ provides significant reduction in wear relative to the API CI-4 Plus quality engine oil. The increased wear protection for Liquid Titanium™ predicted from bench tests and engine tests has been validated in real-life applications, in on-highway and off-highway equipment.
Proof of Performance Field Tests
· Several, independently operated commercial fleets
· Several different engine platforms and vehicle types
· Operations under different conditions or service types
· Test monitored by used oil analysis
Field Test Update for Period Ending 1Q 2010
· Accumulated in excess of 4.4 MM cumulative oil miles in on-road applications at the end of 1Q 2010
· Corroborated the strong performance including enhanced wear protection from Liquid Titanium™ in on-road and off-road applications
Liquid Titanium™ enhanced engine oil shows improved wear protection with all engine platforms tested.
· Wear rate (PPM wear iron per 1000 oil miles or 100 oil hours) lower for oil with Liquid Titanium™ relative to oil without
· Mack field test data show very low wear in oil containing Liquid Titanium™ (no comparative data)
· In off-road service, API CJ-4 with Liquid Titanium™ shows significantly lower wear rate relative to API CI-4 Plus oil
Used oil viscosity, TBN depletion rate and Copper/Lead corrosion well in control and unaffected by Liquid Titanium™.
· 100C viscosity at oil drain similar between oils with and without Liquid Titanium™
· TBN at oil drain similar for oils with and without Liquid Titanium™
· Very low levels of Copper and Lead in used oil and similar between oils with and without Liquid Titanium™
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| Jun 10, 2010 |
The government of BC is planning to implement the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on July 1, 2010. On that date, the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) will be eliminated and the 7% BC rate will join the 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) resulting in a total HST rate of 12%. This tax implementation will change how UPPI invoices look and how the tax is calculated. The tax rate and exemptions will vary depending on the products.
Gas, diesel and aviation fuel are eligible for the point-of-sale rebate of 7% for the BC component of the HST. This means you will be charged a rate of 5% instead of the full 12%. Where you normally see the GST rate of 5% on your invoice, you will now see a HST rate of 5%.
All lubricant products, including vehicle oil, grease, antifreeze and windshield wash will be charged the full 12% HST rate. There is actually no rate change as lubricants are currently charged both GST and PST.
Resellers will be charged the HST at the rates shown above; however resellers will be able to recover the HST when they complete their HST returns, with a similar process to how the GST is recovered now.
For more information on the upcoming HST and other products affected, please visit: http://hst.blog.gov.bc.ca to find the “What’s Taxable and What’s Not” list provided by the province of BC. |
May 04, 2010
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B.C.’s Carbon Tax at Work in 2010
Back in July, 2008 British Columbian’s starting paying the Carbon Tax on gasoline, diesel, natural gas, coal, propane and home heating fuel. The Province has returned nearly $2.9 million in Carbon Tax dollars generated in 2009, to local governments who are committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2012. The funding is provided through B.C.’s Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program.
To see the full list of BC communities who received a Climate Action Revenue Incentive Grant in 2010 please go to:http://tinyurl.com/3xwz5fb
The grant amounts represent 100 per cent of the Carbon Tax paid by these communities last year.
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Apr 01, 2010
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From April 21-23, United Petroleum took part in the Minerals North 2010 Tradeshow held in Prince George, B.C. This was an extremely successful annual event that drew over 400 delegates from across B.C., the Yukon and beyond. The focus this year was to showcase key exploration and advanced stage development projects that are anticipated to become the next generation of mines that will help sustain the northern economy.
The Minerals North Tradeshow gave UPPI a great opportunity to showcase our products and services to a large audience in an ever expanding industry. United Petroleum is already looking forward to the Minerals North 2011 Tradeshow in Stewart, BC.
Stayed tuned for more details on this and other industry tradeshows.
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| Mar 01, 2010 |
The economy is finally starting to show some signs of recovery here in BC. Unfortunately, the BC 2nd quarter (April, May & June) forecast for overall lubricant sales volumes aren’t showing the same optimistic signs of recovery. The demand for lubes in the 2nd quarter is expected to be flat.
Consumer behaviour is a huge indicator of how the lube industry will do throughout the year. The recession made consumers rethink how they repair and maintain their vehicles to help ensure they last longer. During tougher economic times, vehicle maintainers look for ways to save on the cost of engine oil changes and other vehicle service needs. This has a direct effect on lube sales throughout BC and across Canada.
As a result of people looking to save money on lubricant products and services, there is a noticeable oil-change behaviour shift. As the economic times get tougher, people are more willing to shop around for the best and most cost efficient option for oil changes. The DIFM (do-it-for-me) outlets will see consumers comparing prices to find the greatest possible value.
Overall oil sales volumes are expected to improve in 2010. However producers will continue to operate their facilities at reduced rates to keep the supply/demand balance.
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| Feb 01, 2010 |
Parkland Income Fund is pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of Bluewave Energy, making Parkland Canada’s largest national independent fuel distributor. Parkland President and CEO Mike Chorlton said, “This is an exciting step for Parkland that broadens our geographic coverage and diversifies the markets we pursue, while following our strategic focus on fuel marketing to non-urban markets.”
Bluewave Energy is a petroleum distribution company with branches throughout Canada. Bluewave Energy delivers heating oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, lubricants and related products to residential customers, as well as commercial customers in the agriculture, transportation, construction and upstream oil and gas sectors. Bluewave also sells, services and finances heating, air conditioning, water heating and fuel storage equipment. In total, Bluewave Energy services more than 72,000 customers via a fleet of 185 delivery trucks.
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| Jan 01, 2010 |
On July 1, 2010 the BC Carbon Tax is scheduled to increase on all gas and diesel products. Please see the Carbon Tax rate changes below.
For a complete list of the Carbon Tax rate changes, please see:
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Product
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Current Carbon Tax Rate
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July 1, 2010 Carbon Tax Rate
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Gasoline
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3.33¢/Litre
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4.45¢/Litre
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Diesel
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3.84¢/Litre
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5.11¢/Litre
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Furnace Oil
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3.84¢/Litre
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5.11¢/Litre
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Stove Oil
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3.84¢/Litre
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5.11¢/Litre
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Propane
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2.31¢/Litre
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3.08¢/Litre
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Aviation Gasoline
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3.69¢/Litre
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4.92¢/Litre
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Jet Fuel
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3.92¢/Litre
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5.22¢/Litre
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As in the past, we would like to take this time to thank you for your business, loyalty, and continued support. Should you have any concerns regarding these news articles, please do not hesitate to contact us. |
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