FALMOUTH, N.S. — Margaret Rose Alexander and Dennis Alexander are regulars at Falmouth’s Petro Canada gasoline station, and their routine fill ups have paid off.
The couple, from Windsor, recently found out that they won free gas for a year.
From March 13 to May 21, Petro Canada was running a contest across the country for a chance to win one of 75 prizes of free gas for a year. Customers were entered into the draw every time they swiped their Petro-Points card for gasoline purchases, cleaning their vehicles or stocking up on in-store items.
The Alexanders had luck on their side when they swiped their Petro Points card during a recent visit.
Alex Chambers, site manager at the Falmouth service station, couldn’t believe the local station had a winner.
“It's quite exciting because there's only 75 winners this spring in all of Canada. It's nice to have one local one from a small station,” said Chambers.
“I didn't think that a small location like this would end up with a winner.”
Nicole Fisher, with Suncor Energy, said the company has been awarding free gas for a year as the main prize of its contest for a number of years. All prize winners are randomly selected from the total national entries.
Although they’re still confirming the final weekly winners, Fisher said three winners have been confirmed from Nova Scotia.
The provincial winners are Margaret Alexander, of Windsor, Emily Myers (Forbes) of Lake Echo, and Melanie Saulnier, of Yarmouth.
“For our summer 2017 contest, which was part of the celebration of Canada 150, we awarded five prizes in Nova Scotia (out of 150 total).,” said Fisher in an email.
“For our summer 2106 contest, we awarded one prize out of 21 total to a guest from Nova Scotia.”
Chambers, who has been with the station since 2006, said it’s especially nice since the Alexanders are regular customers.
He said having a smaller station win proves that everyone has an equal chance at winning a top prize.
“The biggest thing is to remember your Petro Points card. I know we ask you every time you come in, but every swipe, you're entered into these contests so if you don't swipe it, you don't get entered,” he said. “Just make sure that you're swiping your points card.”
Fisher also stressed the importance of using a Petro-Points card when making purchases, and reminded card holders to keep contact information up-to-date.
“It’s also important that you keep Petro-Points updated with your new contact info if you move or change phone numbers as we need to be able to reach you,” she said.