Short Lines (November 01, 2002)

A Welsh police team dubbed “the Frying Squad” has been formed to sniff out motorists who fuel their cars with cooking oil from fish and chip shops in a bid to avoid paying high government fuel taxes, according to the Reuters news agency. Three Welsh motorists have already been caught and fined for using waste oil from restaurants selling Britain’s favorite deep-fried dish. “I have halved my motoring costs since I started running my Subaru on cooking oil,” Reuters quoted one of those stopped as saying, adding, “The car runs just as well and even smells a lot better than diesel.” The drivers were fined 500 pounds ($780) and warned that repeat offenders could face prison terms of up to seven years.

Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment environmental “SWAT” team has completed a sweep of 236 auto body and repair facilities, finding 201 that were in non-compliance with Ontario’s environmental regulations. 199 Ministerial Orders were issued and 25 firms received summonses. According to Ministry spokesman John Steele, “Most infractions were administerial, mainly failure to register with a licensed waste disposal company.” The sweep extended from the Niagara Peninsula to Sault St. Marie, including the Greater Toronto Area.

Specialty Sales and Marketing-Quebec, has been selected by Strongarm, Inc. to work alongside the firm’s Regional Manager, Fernand Gauthier in both the traditional and heavy-duty markets. Gauthier retains responsibilities in both Quebec and the Ottawa Valley, with steering authority for all accounts.

The Automotive Group has announced significant personnel changes. John MacPherson has been promoted to the position of Senior Publisher of the Automotive Group. John has been with the Automotive Group for the past 6 years in sales and publishing capacities. Andrew Ross has been promoted to the position of Publisher/Editor. Andrew has been with Jobber News in an editorial capacity for the past 13 years. Shauna Penner moves over from L’automobile to an Account Manager position on Jobber News, while Christine Reed joins L’automobile as Account Manager. The six-year publishing veteran will carry responsibilities for the Quebec market. The Automotive Group consists of 10 publication titles, 3 annual Buyers’ Guides, and several web-based products and services.