Gas prices across Metro Vancouver dip to new 2022 low
A new gas price low has been set in Metro Vancouver for 2022, as numbers at the pumps dip below 155.9 cents per litre.
Drivers in Surrey report seeing numbers as low as 149.9 at the Husky gas station on Fraser Highway, according to the fuel-price tracking company Gas Buddy.
That marks a 40 per cent drop from the last low record, which was set one week prior, and follows a downward trend that’s happening nationwide.
Werner Antweiler, a professor of economics at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, said there are three main factors driving down prices.
"It's driven to a large extent by the global oil markets and by the situation in Europe, but it's also driven by particular problems coming out of COVID that created volatility out of the local level,” he said.
Prices are down dramatically from September, when Metro Vancouver gas prices climbed to a record high at 241.9.
"We see actually a drop in international oil prices to levels just below US$73 a barrel and it hasn't been that low in quite a while, maybe last year," said Antweiler.
A dramatic drop came in the middle of October when prices went from 227.9 to 192.9 overnight, which analysts say was due to a West Coast pipeline and a refinery coming back online after undergoing maintenance.
While fuel costs are falling across B.C., drivers on the other side of the country are paying even less.
Fuel analyst Dan McTeague took to Twitter Wednesday to alert Ontarians that gas prices will hit a one-year low Thursday at 138.9 cents per litre.
On Thursday, GasWizard.ca predicts prices in Metro Vancouver will rise slightly to 156.9.
Antweiler says Canadians should get used to the extreme flux in prices heading in to the new year.
"Be prepared for abrupt sudden price changes," he said.
He expects 2023 to be a rollercoaster at the gas pump.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
No more expensing home internet bills to taxpayers, Tory and Liberal MPs told
The federal Liberal government is joining the Opposition Conservatives in no longer allowing its members of Parliament to expense taxpayers for home internet services.

Canadians fighting in Ukraine, despite no monitoring from government, speak out on war and loss
On Feb. 27, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country needed fighters, and foreigners were welcome to join the front line in the defence against Russian aggression. Some Canadians were among the first to answer the call.
'Better late than never': Polish PM applauds Canada and the West for sending tanks to Ukraine
In an exclusive interview with CTV’s Power Play, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is praising the decision from Canada, Germany and the United States to send tanks to Ukraine.
Canada sending 4 battle tanks to Ukraine, maybe more later: Anand
Canada is sending four combat-ready battle tanks to Ukraine and will be deploying 'a number' of Canadian Armed Forces members to train Ukrainian soldiers on how to operate them.
True crime sells, but fans are debating the ethics of their passion
For some people, relaxation looks like settling down with a nice glass of wine and the most graphic, disturbing tale of murder imaginable.
Tips to protect your personal information online
Retailers and tech companies use many tools to mine consumers for data they can share with third parties, but there are steps consumers can take to protect and safeguard their personal information.
No reason for alarm in Canada after cough syrup deaths in other countries: health agency
Following the deaths of more than 300 children from contaminated cough syrups in several countries, Health Canada says it's been more than a decade since similar cases were identified here.
Rent prices grew at record pace in 2022 as Canada saw lowest vacancy rate in decades
Rent prices in Canada grew at a record pace last year as the country saw the lowest vacancy rate since 2001, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said.
Poor communication and training linked to fatal B.C. ammonia leak
The independent body that oversees the safety of technical systems and equipment in British Columbia has found a deadly ammonia leak near Kamloops last May was a tragedy that took years to unfold.