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This article was published 10/1/2015 (2079 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA -- The head of Omnitrax Canada said Friday the safety concerns of his firm's employee that led to a temporary gas outage in Churchill last week likely have to be addressed by the community itself.

During an interview with the Free Press Friday, Merv Tweed wouldn't give specifics about the safety issue.

"We do not want to put anyone who works for us in a position of being unsafe or not feeling secure in the work environment," he said.

"Our top priority is the safety of the people who work for us. I made the decision based on the information I had. It puts people in a tough position, but it makes them realize there are issues in remote communities that must be addressed. I'm not sure it is up to me to address those issues. My job is to make sure my employees are safe and secure."

Churchill Mayor Mike Spence was so surprised by Tweed's comments he said he needed time to think about his response.

He later said he was surprised by it, but at the end of the day "we've got fuel. Let's move on."

'It's frustrating. It's -50 outside and you can't even start your vehicle. You can't get your kids to school or get to the grocery store' ‐ Jodi, who works at Churchill Taxi but declined to give her last name

Spence denied there is a security problem in Churchill.

Gas pumps at the only fuel station in the northern town ran dry Tuesday night because Omnitrax couldn't find someone with the appropriate driver's licence to drive the delivery truck.

The employee who had been doing it refused to work after he was threatened in some way.

One source who didn't want to be identified said the word in town is the worker felt threatened after a rude gesture was made to him by a resident.

The gas began flowing again Thursday after Omnitrax found someone willing and able to make the deliveries.

It's not clear if the solution is temporary.

It marked the second time in less than a month that fuel deliveries were stopped because of a lack of workers.

"It's frustrating," said Jodi, a woman who works at Churchill Taxi but declined to give her last name.

"It's -50 outside and you can't even start your vehicle. You can't get your kids to school or get to the grocery store."

The Churchill source told the Free Press the mess began when an employee who was making the deliveries went on stress leave, saying he couldn't handle the workload and wasn't given help when he asked for it.

Omnitrax brought in an employee from Gillam temporarily because it is having trouble finding someone local who has the required Class 3 driver's licence.

Omnitrax owns and operates the Port of Churchill, the only rail line into town and the Churchill Marine Tank Farm that stores about 50 million litres of fuel, including aviation fuel.

Churchill NDP MP Niki Ashton said the company is at fault for allowing the situation to get to this point.

"They basically stood by and let it happen," said Ashton.

"This is the responsibility of the company itself. I'd like to see Omnitrax fix its own mess."

Eric Robinson, the minister of aboriginal and northern affairs in Manitoba and the MLA for the Keewatinook riding that includes Churchill, wrote to the U.S. head of Omnitrax Thursday asking for assurances the supply of gas to Churchill would be secure.

He also expressed concern the price drop in retail gas due to the global reduction in oil prices has not yet hit Churchill.

In a statement to the Free Press, Robinson said getting to a point where there is no gas "is simply not acceptable."

He also said the federal government has a responsibility to ensure the situation is resolved because Omnitrax is a federally regulated company.

A spokeswoman for federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said it is a matter for local police.

However a spokesman for RCMP "D" Division in Winnipeg said no complaints had been filed with the RCMP and no investigation is underway.

-- with files from Larry Kush

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca, martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca