There is an old saying that pessimists are never disappointed and always prepared. Well obviously the oil and gas industry in Ontario and Quebec is being run by optimists!
Who would ever believe that a major industrial corridor would be closing gas stations because they can't get supply. Where is the contingency/disaster planning which would avert such situations.
The Premier of Ontario is getting assurances that the oil and gas companies are doing everything they can. Well shouldn't they have already broken the glass of the "in case of emergency" container? Shouldn't there have been a contingency plan for supply disruption?
It's not like the CN strike was a surprise. There had been ample notice that such an event would occur. And yes, the Nanticoke refinery disruption didn't help, but should it have gotten us to the point that I had to pass four gas stations in a "world-class" city, before I found one that actually had some remaining supply?
Every Supply Chain professional knows that disaster/contingency planning is a must. And it is not just planning about pandemics (which seems to be the fad de jour) but about every day possibilities -- strikes, blackouts, plant shutdowns. Because these are a lot more apt to happen than avian flu.
Perhaps this is a warning to all the supply chain personnel -- don't assume it won't happen to you! Build contingency plans for a multitude of scenarios -- best case to worst case (the latter would have a couple of the possibilities being triggered at the same time). And then do a mock situation to determine the flaws and opportunities within this. Hospitals have done this for years, why can't industry?
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