City watching departments’ fuel costs in light of war-triggered price spikes

The city has directed employees to be mindful of their fuel consumption as the U.S. navy’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East puts pressure on fuel and material costs half a world away.

Mayor Scott Gillingham told reporters at an unrelated press conference he’s concerned about rising gas prices, and the city issued a reminder to all departments to be watching fuel consumption.

“Obviously do your work, but don’t have vehicles idling unnecessarily,” he said. “We feel the impact as a city. We need to operate all our vehicles while gas prices rise.”

The city operates hundreds of buses, public works trucks, firefighting vehicles and police cars daily that need fuel to run. Spokesperson Adam Campbell said the city shared a list with staff about everyday habits to follow year-round to help reduce fuel use and keep the city’s fleet in good condition.

The tips included reducing idling when it’s safe and practical, avoiding hard acceleration and abrupt braking, planning trips efficiently, fuelling correctly and preventing fuel losses and reporting maintenance issues early.

The ongoing war in Iran and the uncertain future of the strait, which joins the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and acts as a major shipping corridor for world trade, could also have an impact on the city’s North End sewage treatment plant, according to city staff.

A report to be presented at the upcoming executive policy committee meeting said the waterway’s closure has the potential to impact the project’s cost and schedule.

“Monitoring of the closure to assess impacts on material costs and delivery timelines is ongoing,” the report reads.

The strait has been closed since Feb. 28 in response to targeted attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. After failed peace negotiations, President Donald Trump ordered the navy to blockade the strait, preventing Iran from shipping oil. Iran had already blocked passage to Western ships, triggering a global energy crisis.

Gillingham said while he’s not sure there’s been any direct impact on the $1 billion sewage plant upgrade yet, the city is monitoring the situation.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca