Gas prices may have gone up for people in Saskatchewan over the past week. Dan McTeague, the president of Canada for Affordable Energy, said that this is a common trend right now all over the country.
“We’re going to go from where we were a few weeks ago, which was in the $1.40s and $1.50s, to where we are now, which is in the $1.70s, and we’re likely to go up another 5 to 10 cents a liter here in Regina and pretty much everywhere else in the province over the next few days,” he said.
McTeague said that this trend in the prairies is a direct reflection of what is going on in the Midwest, where two Chicago spot market refineries have had problems in the past two weeks.
The price we pay here in the prairies is directly affected by this. Gas prices in the US and wholesale prices went up about a dollar a gallon, which is about a 37-cent-a-liter increase. This is why we’re probably headed toward $1.90 to $1.95 a liter.
Prices in parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Northwestern Ontario up to Thunder Bay are all affected by the midwest, while places like southern Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes are affected by the eastern United States.
Prices at the pump continue to rise in Sask.
But it’s worse in Vancouver, where gas prices hit a record high of $2.41.9 per liter this past weekend.
The Pacific Northwest of the United States, where there are shortages and problems with refineries, has an effect on the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. On top of that, fuel taxes in Vancouver are very high.
Alberta has some of the lowest prices in the country right now. However, McTeague had a warning for the province.
Alberta needs to be careful because they’re in for a big surprise since it costs most gas stations there $1.66 to buy fuel. At $1.56, it’s pretty clear that Edmonton and Calgary may be in for a 20-cent-per-liter shock.
McTeague also said that these prices will stay for a while, and he predicted that Wednesday’s price hikes will be felt at the pumps.
His website, Gas Wizard, gives daily predictions of how much gas will cost in every state.
But some gas stations in Regina are doing even better than he thought they would.
Early Tuesday afternoon, people were waiting in line at the discount gas station on Saskatchewan Drive because some Shell locations in the city had signed up saying that a liter of gas cost $1.85.
Barry Ferguson told CTV News, “I saw that, and that’s why I’m here.”
Even at the discount station, sales went up, though not quite as much.
Ron Sonnen said, “It’s crazy that it was $1.58 here this morning and is now $1.68.”
“It costs less than going to a regular gas station,” Ferguson added.
Even though people were waiting in line at the pumps, those who talked to CTV said there isn’t much that can be done right now, but they don’t see a need to cut gas taxes like in Ontario or Alberta.
Well, I’m not sure how much that will help, since it’s only a temporary solution. Albert Biro said, “I know they are having trouble with the refineries.”
McTeague said that inflation is still putting a strain on Canadians’ finances more than on the refineries since gas is bought in US dollars.
Because we’re no longer the petrodollar, people in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Newfoundland are all paying 40 cents more per liter of gas. This is because the Canadian dollar doesn’t protect consumers as much as it used to.
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