Sukhwinder Kandhola, an Indian-origin gas station owner in Canada, said he faced racist attacks after he unwittingly sold contaminated gas that damaged at least 18 cars. (Photo: CTV News)
Sukhwinder Kandhola, an Indian-origin gas station owner in Ontario, said he was attacked after selling contaminated fuel from his Esso gas station. “We didn’t do this on purpose.
Some people are spreading this misinformation, and it is not true. It just happened. We don’t yet know why this happens. How did the water get into the gas? He told CTV News that the engineering company is trying to find out. “Some people try to tarnish our reputation and take to social media and make bad comments,” Kandhola said. “It’s taking a toll on our mental health. Our kids are reading those comments. We’re part of this community.”
“We’ve been here for eight years.”On the evening of March 23, some customers came to him complaining that they had taken gasoline from his station and that their cars were not starting now. He said that he called technicians to check and they found that there was water. The Technical and Safety Standards Authority closed the gas station until the problem was fixed.
Lindsey Fitzgerald, one of the customers whose car was affected by contaminated gas taken from the Kandhola station, told CTV News that her two-year-old Subaru would not start after filling it with gas.
The mechanic she called told her there was more than 50 percent water in the tank. The water came out and the car was not damaged. According to Kandola, 18 vehicles were affected and he has contacted those affected to let them know that his insurance company is involved and will be reaching out to them in the near future.“We don’t want to lose our customers,” Kandhola said. “We really depend on these local people. They are our livelihood in the winter, especially when things slow down.”
