The province is warning customers to cancel their payments to a home heating fuel company that has gone out of business.&nbsp;

Maritime Fuels filed for bankruptcy this week, according to PwC Canada, which was appointed as licensed insolvency trustee on Thursday.&nbsp;

Service Nova Scotia is advising customers to contact&nbsp;their financial institution or credit card company to stop any pre-scheduled payments. Nova Scotians&nbsp;with payment plans are also being asked to contact PwC if they have paid for fuel they have not received.&nbsp;

"This ensures that they will hear from the trustee as arrangements are made to pay off the company's debts," said the statement from Service Nova Scotia.&nbsp;

The province said they do&nbsp;not know how many customers were on a pre-payment plan.

"The first thing I did was shut my heat off," said&nbsp;Lisa Hopkins, who switched to Maritime Fuels about 18 months ago because it was a cheaper way to heat her home in Truro, N.S.

She learned through social media the company had&nbsp;filed for bankruptcy.

"When I call them, it hangs up and I have not received any contact from them," she said.&nbsp;

Hopkins was able to cancel her November payment through her bank. She&nbsp;is contacting the trustee because she believes she is owed at least $1,500.&nbsp;

"That was my money to keep my family warm," said Hopkins.&nbsp;

Hopkins said she signed up for a monthly payment plan in order to receive a discount. The plan spread the cost of oil throughout the year.

"By not distributing the funds back to the customers, it feels like they're stealing from me,"she said.

Amid the financial strain, Hopkins is planning to purchase furnace oil at a gas station to keep her tank topped up.&nbsp;

"I'm going to have to get a little bit every payday and just keep it topped up because I can't get a delivery," she said. "I can't afford that right now."

Requests for comment from Maritime Fuels were not immediately answered.

Mi'kmaw artist Alan Syliboy explores death, afterlife in new children's book

Artist and author Alan Syliboy's new children's book, When The Owl Calls Your Name, uses Mi'kmaw culture to begin the conversation about death.

Alan Syliboy said there is a stigma attached to death and he hopes his children's book will help people understand death from the perspective of another culture.  

Alan Syliboy book

Alan Syliboy says there is a stigma attached to death, and he hopes his children's book will help people understand it from the perspective of another culture. 

A federal pandemic business loan is coming due. Some in N.S. can't afford to pay

Small businesses in Nova Scotia are bracing for Jan. 18, the date Canadian Emergency Business Account loan repayments come due. Some businesses are asking for more time.

table set restaurant; Shutterstock ID 392618551; user: anjuli.patil@cbc.ca; manager: Charlene Jamer; email: 2140411-32201; project: CEBA repayment date coming at 'terrible time' for small businesses

empty restaurant

Small businesses like locally owned restaurants are calling on the government to extend the looming CEBA loan deadline.

Federal government loans EverWind Fuels $125M for proposed green hydrogen plant

The Government of Canada is loaning $125 million to EverWind Fuels to help with the design of its proposed green hydrogen production facility in Richmond County's industrial park in Point Tupper, N.S.

A brick sign on a green lawn says EverWind Terminals, with some buildings and wind turbines in the background.

EverWind Fuels in Point Tupper, N.S., is getting a $125-milion loan from the federal government to help the company build a proposed green hydrogen production plant.

EverWind Fuels terminal sign

CFB Halifax to get new $188M training facility

The Department of National Defence says EllisDon Corporation of Halifax has been awarded the $7.85-million contract to design the Combatant Training and Integration Centre.

Man in a suit stands in front of a gold picture frame.

Defence Minister Bill Blair speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons before Question Period, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 in Ottawa.

NS-Construction-Battalion-Funding 20231117

Defence Minister Bill Blair, seen in a file photo, was in Nova Scotia Friday to announce $188 million in federal spending to build a new naval training centre at Canadian Forces Base Halifax.

Federal, provincial ministers discuss ways to combat rise in hate crimes

Federal and provincial ministers of justice and public safety met by phone Friday to discuss the rise in hate speech associated with the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

A police officer with a dog inspect an area outside a school

Police search for clues at the Yeshiva Gedolah school after shots were fired at two Jewish schools Thursday, November 9, 2023  in Montreal. Montreal police say two Jewish schools in the city were hit overnight by gunshots. Police say nobody was inside at the time of the shootings. 

CDA-Israel-Hamas-Tensions 20231109

Police search for clues at the Yeshiva Gedolah school in Montreal after shots were fired at two Jewish schools in the city on Nov. 9. Police say nobody was inside the schools during the nighttime shootings. 

Maritime Fuels filed for bankruptcy this week, according to insolvency trustee PwC Canada.

Maritime Fuels files for bankruptcy; Service N.S. issues advice for customers

Customers shocked

More Stories Like This