And it’s official!
Ben’s Pioneer Gas Bar on Highway 31 in Winchester cut the ribbon at its grand reopening on Tues., Feb. 27. From left to right in front are Ellie Trudeau, Robert St. Denis, Ben Henry, North Dundas Councillor Tony Fraser, Matthew Brayman, Troy Richter and Cheryl Stubbs, and in back are Corey Adams, Taha Hasan, Jim Leduc and North Dundas Councillor John Thompson.    Vetter photos

Candice Vetter
Record Staff
WINCHESTER – Ben’s Pioneer Gas Bar, On the Run C-store, and new Tim Hortons location opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tues., Feb. 27.

Congratulations to St. Denis and Henry on Pioneer opening
Robert St. Denis and Ben Henry smile after receiving congratulatory certificates from the Township of North Dundas at the Pioneer Gas Bar official grand opening.

Representatives from Pioneer attended, including operators of other outlets, here to view the new On the Run store, which is the first location in Canada to build with the company’s new design. “This is the flagship design of the new On the Run concept,” said Taha Hasan, a company representative. “This is the first one nationally, and we will be building 20 more across Canada this year.”

The C-store is 2,400 sq. ft., over 2,000 sq. ft. more than the former store, and the Tim’s is 1,500 sq. ft., for a total of 3,900 sq. ft.

In addition, a full Tim Hortons location takes up one side of the building. New pumps have been added, making 10 gasoline pumps and two diesel pumps.

The station and store are open 24 hours and the Tim Hortons is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Service with a smile
Staff of the new Tim Hortons outlet at Ben’s Pioneer Gas Bar in Winchester smile at the shop’s grand opening. From left to right in front are Ashley Larocque and Destiny Brown; in back are Carol Trinque and Olivia Von Kaenel.

Besides the brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, Township of North Dundas Councillor Tony Fraser presented businessmen Robert St. Denis and Ben Henry with congratulatory certificates from the Township of North Dundas.

“It’s been a great response,” said Henry, “by our regular customers and the new faces. I’m very happy.” He was looking forward to the next day (today, Wed., Feb. 28) when the station would be offering a gas sale from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pioneer representatives were not allowed by the Competition Bureau to say how much gas would cost, but would say it was going to be “a big sale.” There will be other promotions throughout the day and the month of March.