Metro Vancouver gas prices reach milestone, surpassing $2 per litre

Metro Vancouver smashed gas price records once again, with drivers paying 200.9 cents per litre at many stations.

It’s the highest price ever recorded in the Vancouver region, which regularly sees the highest gas prices in the country and sometimes even on the continent.

According to the Canadian Automobile Association, B.C. had the highest average price across the country Friday at 186.4 cents per litre.

The Russian attacks on Ukraine are partly to blame for the spike, but critics say the local government is only making the problem worse.

Gas analysts have been warning about the spike for days, but that didn’t lessen the pain at the pumps Friday.

Some motorists in Surrey were seen driving up to a pump and leaving almost immediately after seeing the price.

The sky-high prices were spotted all over the Lower Mainland from Vancouver to Langley.

Oil prices, ongoing supply issues, and now the Russian invasion of Ukraine are all driving up the cost.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says provincial and federal carbon taxes add $20 to a full tank of gas for the average minivan.

“That would save people a lot of money; $20 is $20. You can make a roast chicken dinner for that. It would go a long way for a lot of families,” said Kris Sims B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

She’s now calling for a carbon tax moratorium.

However, the premier shot down the idea Thursday, defending the carbon tax going from 10 cents to 11 cents a litre on April 1.

“It’s easy for politicians to declare taxes are the problem. Those taxes go to building the roads, providing the transit, and making sure our infrastructure is as modern as it can be,” said Premier John Horgan.

It’s not just drivers who’ll be paying more.

The longer gas prices remain high, the more expensive goods and services will become.

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Travis Prasad