By Cheryl Jahn

Gas Prices artificially high

Apr 4, 2022 | 3:19 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The price at the pump locally has stuck at $193.9 for weeks, despite prices elsewhere in BC as low as $171.9, as is the case in Vernon. Prices in Prince George are comparable to Vancouver today, but that community has an additional 17 cents a litre to pay for Translink. We don’t.

Concerned citizen Kevin Barredo says there is no explanation for it.

“The price of wholesale gas has actually gone down 10 to 20 cents in the area, but the retail price hasn’t gone down,” says Barredo. “And we can’t blame the world market because the price of oil, since the spike, has also gone down about 30 percent since then.”

And Dan McTeague with Canadians for Affordable Energy concurs, it is strange, considering the whole fuel price – what the gas stations buy it for – is $163.9

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“At the end of the day, when you see these prices coming in at 1.63, $1.64 with taxes in, selling for $1.93? Even Costco at $1.79. You sort of scratch your head and say ‘What’s going on here?’ It doesn’t make sense.”

For some motorists, it’s a major financial hit. Barredo knows all-too-well how making ends meet can be troublesome for many.

“I grew up as an immigrant from a Filipino family, low-income housing. That could mean one less lunch in a week. Somebody’s kid might not be able to join basketball because of the extra hundred dollars,” says Barredo. “When I was growing up, I had to work at the Massey McDonald’s just to make sure my sisters were able to afford their basketball trips.” And Barredo believes residents in Northern BC need to speak up.

“People up here need to be more vocal about the situation that’s going on. A lot of people feel that there’s nothing we can do. But sometimes even that fact that we can show that we are doing our research, that we know what the prices are going in and we know what the prices are at the pumps. That’s enough to stop people from gouging us.”

“No one says you shouildn’t be able to make money, but 30 cents a litre? I think that’s pushing the envelope” says McTeague. “And I think gas stations in Prince George should be simply able to offer an answer as to why the price is so high. Why do they need 30 cents a litre? Is there something about Prince George that makes it unique? Because I don’t see any other part of the country where gasoline commands a 30 cent retail margin.”

He says, unfortunately, there is little competition when it comes to setting gas prices.