By Cheryl Jahn

RV’ers feel pinch at the pump

May 12, 2022 | 3:31 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It’s a pastime many in this part of the world love. Getting into the great outdoors. But high gas prices are throwing a monkey wrench into those plans.

Bobbie Carpino runs the Salmon Valley campground and says she has already gotten calls.

“I think a lot of people are wanting to stay local. Certainly, we’re seeing a lot of our campers who have decided this year that they wanted to within the Prince George area just to reduce that amount of travel. But we’re also seeing some cancellations right now, too. We’ve seen cancellations from folks coming in from the States heading up to Alaska as well as folks coming in from the Lower Mainland.”

Gas prices have many feeling the pinch this summer and the local tourism sector relies heavily on what’s called rubber tire traffic. Americans making the trek to Alaska, or Europeans flying in, renting an RV and taking in the vast region. But high gas prices in BC may adversely affect tourism. An industry devastated by COVID.

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“That’s why we need to find a way to bring the price down at the pumps. Even if it’s a little bit,” says Peter Milobar, Finance Critic. “Because right now, we’re fifty, sixty, seventy cents a litre higher than neighbouring jurisdictions in Washington State and Alberta. And if people have the option to stay in those neighbouring areas or just go to those neighbouring areas and not come into BC, that’s going to impact our tourism immensely.”

So we may not see as many RVs as normal in our campgrounds or on our local highways, but as far as Carpino is concerned, she’s confident there will be those who still need to hit the campgrounds.

“Its about resiliency. You just have to go with what comes up,” she says. “That’s what happens with, especially, seasonal and tourism sectors. You just have to be prepared that there’s going to be something. We’re very fortunate because we have such amazing local support here. But I’m sad that not more people get to experience how awesome it is here and to be able to travel and experience what it’s limke to be in Northern BC.”

When Alberta cut the provincial tax on gas in April, prices there dropped to 1.57 a litre.