A series of planned price increases hit B.C. Sunday, affecting ferry fares, gas prices, hydro bills and transit costs.
Foot passengers travelling on BC Ferries between mainland B.C. and Vancouver Island will now pay $1.85 more than five years ago, a spike the crown corporation says is necessary to make up for escalating expenses.
"We know customers aren't happy with it; nobody likes to pay more for any cost or any service that we use. But unfortunately our costs are increasing, and we do have to pass that on to our customers," Deborah Marshall of BC Ferries told CTV News.
In Metro Vancouver, every litre of gas pumped costs an extra two cents and tax that will help pay for the Evergreen Line.
Jordan Bateman, the B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, says food costs will likely increase as a result.
"When you raise the gas tax, everything you buy in supermarket gets there by truck, and so the fuel cost goes up, the price of food goes up," Bateman said.
In Victoria, the price of both conventional monthly passes and those for the handyDART system has risen from $82.50 to $85, while cash fares will remain the same.
As for hydro rates, they are jumping by about $60 per household per year. The amount is less than what BC Hydro originally asked for thanks in part to a money saving review.
Bateman says another review may also affect transit costs.
"A similar review is now underway at ICBC. We've been promised by the premier the TransLink audit, which I think will be very helpful in identifying pools of waste," he said.
B.C. will face another cost hike as a carbon tax increase is planned for July 1.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Bhinder Sajan
