Canadian Oil Companies Ltd

After the Imperial Oil Refinery moved from Petrolia to Sarnia in 1898, a few local businessmen were determined that there should be a refinery in Petrolia and in 1901 the Canadian Oil Refining Company was incorporated, with a daily capacity of 1,600 barrels of crude oil. The company grew in 1904 as they merged with other smaller independent companies but once again, when markets began to turn, the company declared bankruptcy in 1907 and was bought by the National Refining Company of Ohio who resumed production. The newly reformed Canadian Oil Companies Ltd. produced well-known brands such as White Rose Gasoline, Enarco Motor Oil and Black Beauty Axle Grease. The company continued to change hands over the years. It returned to Canadian ownership under Nesbitt, Thomson & Co., of Montreal, when the Great Depression hit the American parent company. Then in 1963, the company was bought by Royal Dutch/Shell Group.

After the Second World War, Canadian Oil realised that if the company was going to continue to grow, it needed a larger, more modern refinery and they moved their operations to Sarnia which provided a much more accessible location being near the water for transportation. The Canadian Oil Company continues to operate today under the ownership of Shell Canada and produces about 72,000 barrels per day.