Vancouver gas prices set record for 2nd time in as many days
For the second day in a row, gasoline has hit a new record high price in Metro Vancouver.
Some stations in the region were advertising a litre of regular gas for $2.339, a six-cent increase from Saturday's record price of $2.279.
In an interview with CTV News on Saturday, gas price analyst Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, predicted the rise. His website, Gas Wizard, forecasts prices remaining at their current levels through Tuesday.
“It’s very much a sign of where I think we're going to be at least for the foreseeable future, as we head into the summer driving season, which, for all intents and purposes, hasn't really begun until next week and the week after in the United States," McTeague said Saturday.
The record high prices seen in Vancouver and across the country have largely been blamed on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, though other factors – including inflation, refinery capacity, and a recent increase in carbon taxes – have also contributed to the phenomenon.
The B.C. government has sought to offer drivers a bit of a break from the high prices in the form of a $110 rebate for most ICBC customers. Some residents will see their rebate arrive by direct deposit this month, others will receive a cheque in June.
Premier John Horgan has said his government is looking at other options for providing relief, but he had none to offer last week, advising people to "think before (they) hop in the car."
"Do you need to make that trip?" Horgan said. "Is there a way you can do it with a neighbour or someone who’s going by?"
The Official Opposition BC Liberals have condemned the premier's approach, arguing that more can and must be done to provide relief to drivers.
They propose temporarily freezing the provincial gas taxes; providing a one-time rebate through the Climate Action Tax Credit, which would be issued July 5; and suspend a 25-cent so-called "hidden import" tax on gas brought to B.C. from Alberta.
“We could see some substantial changes to prices almost overnight if the government had any will to actually bring forward any type of short-term inflationary measures,” said Peter Milobar, the Liberals' critic for finance.
“People are really struggling right now. They need help. They don't need more empty words from the premier.”
Horgan rejected the calls to temporarily suspend gas taxes, as the Alberta government did weeks ago.
“Removing taxes that are put in place to build infrastructure for transportation – whether it be transit, roads or bridges – is short-sighted,” the premier said.
Short-sighted or not, the calls for gas tax relief are unlikely to end any time soon. McTeague told CTV News on Saturday that he expects gas to reach $2.50 a litre in Metro Vancouver over the summer.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.