17 Facts About Irving Oil

1.

Irving Oil operates Canada's largest refinery, the Irving Oil Refinery, in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Ireland's only refinery, in Whitegate, County Cork, as well as a network of gasoline stations, fleet of oil tankers, real estate and other related assets.

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2.

Irving Oil moved to Saint John to open a Ford dealership and lubricants plant in 1924.

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3.

Irving Oil expanded across the Maritimes through the 1930s, to Quebec in 1940, Newfoundland in 1949, and to Maine in 1972.

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4.

In 1977, Irving Oil became the first Canadian oil company to offer unleaded gasoline at its retail outlets.

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5.

Irving Oil operates a large fleet of company-branded tanker trucks to deliver petroleum to retail locations from its Saint John refinery as well as the marine distribution terminals.

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6.

Irving Oil once made extensive use of rail service to deliver petroleum from the Saint John refinery to rail-side distribution terminals throughout Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

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7.

The decline in rural branch rail lines operated by Canadian National Railway and CP Rail in the 1980s and 1990s, combined with the increase of 4-lane highway construction, has seen Irving Oil eliminate practically all retail petroleum delivery by rail and the closure of many of its rail-side distribution terminals in favour of newer highway-served terminals or direct deliveries.

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8.

Irving Oil continues to make extensive use of rail service for wholesale petroleum deliveries from its Saint John refinery.

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9.

Irving Oil operates bulk furnace oil and propane outlets in most major centres across Atlantic Canada, New England and Quebec as well as select locations in eastern Ontario, almost all of which are supplied from its Saint John refinery.

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10.

Irving Oil operates over 900 gas stations in these jurisdictions.

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11.

In recent decades, smaller stations have been closed and consolidated as newer, larger facilities are constructed - Irving Oil owns many choice real estate locations in communities across northeastern North America, some of which are no longer used for gas retailing, and others being held in speculation of some future need.

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12.

Irving Oil operates several "Big Stops", which are truck stops featuring family restaurants, facilities for truck drivers, and convenience stores.

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13.

James Irving Oil owns Brunswick News which controls most English-language newspapers in New Brunswick.

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14.

City of Saint John, where Irving Oil is located, is closely tied to the Irving Group of Companies, which are mostly headquartered there.

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15.

In 2005, Irving Oil received a controversial tax break from the municipality to develop the Canaport LNG terminal; it was apparently negotiated one-on-one with the city's then-mayor Norm McFarlane.

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16.

Irving Oil was allowed to establish the terminal without environmental assessments.

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17.

In 2016, coverage of Saint John Common Council advocacy for higher taxation of Irving Oil's refinery was notably absent from the newspaper, despite extensive coverage in CBC and other news outlets.

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