Some gas stations run out as prices drop across B.C.
Drivers were so eager to fill up before gas prices rise again that some stations across British Columbia ran out.
After weeks at around the $2-mark or more, prices dipped a bit over the weekend and remained relatively lower into the start of the week.
It's still expensive to drive, but at an average price of 186.3 cents per litre in the province and 184.8 in Metro Vancouver, it's significantly cheaper to fill up now than back in June when the cost rose to 236.9.
Also impacting supply at times is ongoing maintenance at a refinery south of the border, among other factors.
One person told CTV News the cause for many dry stations is a lack of fuel truck drivers. In an email, they said a contractor that delivers to Esso and Shell was dealing with illnesses, and one that delivers to Chevron was down about one-third of its staffing.
Some stations used tape to block off the pumps Tuesday, including a Chevron in Hope. Red tape blocked drivers from the pump area at a station on Old Hope Princeton Way on Tuesday afternoon.
(Scott Connorton / CTV News Vancouver)
At least one station in Keremeos – where residents have been told to be ready to evacuate at short notice due to a growing fire – was also out of gas on Tuesday.
Others, including in Vancouver, New Westminster and Coquitlam, ran out over the weekend, including one that had no gas in the morning, but was selling it again by the afternoon.
Some just posted signs on the pumps or blocked off the areas, while others set the prices on the signs visible from the road to "0.0" to signify they'd run out.
The prices have been especially high in B.C., and across Canada, since the start of the year, when manufacturers blamed the conflict in Ukraine for high demand and low oil supply.
Following spikes in February, the provincial government promised a one-time rebate of $110 to drivers through the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. Many are still waiting for those cheques into August, though ICBC tells CTV News that they've all been delivered to Canada Post.
But prices have generally stayed high since that time, and in fact records were broken several times since February in many parts of the province.
Still, ICBC said there are no plans for further rebates, and the province refused to offer the tax relief that some of its counterparts imposed. Additionally, it went ahead with a carbon tax increase in April, which also affects gas prices.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.