Drivers in Metro Vancouver woke up to even more pain at the pumps Thursday as gas prices reached 155.9 cents a litre, tying the region's record high set four years ago.
Analysts have blamed the rising prices on a number of temporary refinery shutdowns, and the recent announcement that the Olympic pipeline in Washington State would have to close for several days hasn't helped.
But drivers should expect prices to stay high even after it reopens, according to Dan McTeague of GasBuddy.com.
"The Olympic pipeline will eventually come back up and perhaps save another two or three cents a litre," McTeague told CTV News. "But that will quickly be displaced by the provincial government's carbon tax, as well as the shift to summer gasoline, so we're still in the pickle."
Starting on April 1, B.C.'s carbon tax will increase from $30 per tonne of CO2 to $35.
And experts expect prices will climb even higher as the year goes on. McTeague, who predicted this week's increase, has predicted gas could hit $1.60 per litre this summer.
"Demand is very high, very robust in the U.S., demand is constant and strong in Canada," he said. "Also we noticed that oil is starting to rally … we're in for high prices for the foreseeable future."
There is some relief to be found outside Metro Vancouver, though.
For comparison, drivers in Abbotsford were paying around 135.9 cents a litre Thurdsay morning. In Blaine, Wash., gas was selling for US$3.49 a gallon, which works out to about $1.18 a litre after the exchange.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
