Metro Vancouver gas prices expected to climb well above $2/L
Just after midnight Monday, the price for gasoline at stations throughout Metro Vancouver climbed above $2 per litre, before dipping ever so slightly below the two-dollar mark.
It is not a record high, but the fact it’s still only March “does not bode well,” because historically prices peak around April or the May long weekend, according to an analyst.
The most recent hike is being blamed on the switch from winter to summer gasoline.
To help cars start in cold weather, winter fuel contains butane which is relatively cheap, but generally not recommended for summer driving.
“That butane when burned in warmer temperatures, contributes to low-level ozone which you don't really want in cities where there are potentially hundreds of thousands of vehicles running around, including Vancouver,” said Patrick De Haan, petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.
“You’d probably noticed it in air quality,” he said.
This is also considered the shoulder season, when refineries are doing maintenance in anticipation of the switch in gasoline.
That means they aren’t producing as much fuel, and of course when supply is low, prices go up.
“It's also the fact that across Canada and the United States, there’s not just one type of summer gasoline but over a dozen, so it's a logistical challenge to get the gasoline to where it needs to go in time for that summer gasoline switch over,” explained De Haan.
As for how high the price at the pump will rise, De Haan warned that if there is an issue at one of the refineries, we could see the cost of gas climb 20 to 30 cents more per litre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.