The discount on Western Canada Select (WCS) heavy crude versus the North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) tightened slightly on Wednesday:
* WCS for October delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $13.65 a barrel below WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, having settled at $13.80 a barrel under the benchmark on Tuesday.
* Canadian heavy crude prices are holding relatively steady so far this month, while volatile moves in the global WTI market have driven down the outright price of WCS, which was just under $54 a barrel.
* Global oil prices climbed more than 2%, driven by fears of lengthy production shutdowns in the U.S. offshore oil patch, which Hurricane Francine was barreling through on the way to landfall in Louisiana.
(Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Alan Barona)