The provincial government will not reimburse Maritime Fuels customers for money lost after the local fuel company filed for bankruptcy last week which will leave many out of thousands of dollars.

Premier Tim Houston said “it’s a sad situation for sure, but it’s a private company… people have all kinds of relationships with private companies.  They have relationships with their gym…sometimes their gym goes under and is the government going to step up and refund people for those types of memberships?  So, there is a precedent to it, for sure.”

Houston encourages customers to cancel automatic payments and to apply for the $600 home heating rebate program as well as the home energy assistance top up program to see if they qualify.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the NDP, Claudia Chender said on social media Houston’s comments show he is out of touch with reality.

“Energy in this province is a matter of survival…it’s not a ‘nice’ to have, it’s a ‘need’ to have…and we would like to see the premier recognize that.”

Chender said Maritime Fuels bankruptcy leaves many with no idea how to heat their homes this winter.