Every Friday CTV Consumer Reporter Lynda Steele dips into the CTV mailbag and answers a handful of viewer questions.

Our first question comes from Richard, who wants to know why Canadian students cannot pay for their tuition at the University of B.C. and other academic institutions with credit cards, but foreign students can.

UBC officials there told us that almost four years ago the Senate approved a bill that did not allow Canadian students to pay for university with a credit card. The reason for the rule was because every credit card transaction costs the university about two per cent in commission charges.

The institutions claim those costs can add up over time, while universities are constantly trying to cut costs and put more money into academic programs. However, foreign students can still pay for tuition with their credit cards.

Anderson wrote us to ask: Lately the price of crude oil has dropped significantly; however, the gasoline prices still remain high. Isn't the price of crude oil one of the major factors in determining the price of gas?

We contacted Natural Resources Canada for the answer. It told us that while gas prices do track crude oil prices somewhat, they don't mirror each other since they're two distinct markets. Crude oil prices are set in a global context, while gasoline prices depend more on regional factors. Gas prices in each city respond to local supply and demand factors and can sometimes even increase when crude oil prices drop. Here's a look at the breakdown of what makes up the cost of a litre of gas:

  • Crude oil prices account for 45 to 50 per cent of the cost of a litre of gas

  • Refining and marketing costs account for another 20 per cent

  • Federal and provincial taxes make up 30 per cent

The trick to lowering gas prices would be for consumers to use less gas because that creates a surplus, which would bring down prices.

Our last question comes from a viewer named Stella. She received an email warning people that all cell phone numbers go public this month. It also claimed that cell phone numbers are now being released to telemarketing companies and it stated that she will be charged for those calls. To prevent this, the email suggests you put your number on a national do not call list. Stella wanted to know if this email was a hoax.

We contacted the head of communications at Telus and he told us that this email is indeed a hoax. Cellphone numbers will not be going public and users will not be charged for telemarketing calls.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lynda Steele