VANCOUVER — Temporary relief drivers saw earlier in the pandemic may be a thing of the past as gas prices continue to climb in Metro Vancouver.
On Monday morning, some stations were charging 151.9 cents per litre at pumps in the city.
Others charged slightly less, according to reports to gas price website GasBuddy.com, but it appeared the cheapest price in the last 24 hours was 145.9 cents.
The site listed the average price in Vancouver at 150.2 cents.
The price at pumps in nearby cities including Surrey and Burnaby was not much different, but drivers willing to trek out to Abbotsford could still save a bit in the morning.
According to GasBuddy, the average price in the Fraser Valley city was 137.5 cents per litre.
It appeared stations in the Victoria area were charging a bit less Monday morning – around 144.6 cents – and up in Whistler gas was 10 cents cheaper than in Vancouver. The lowest prices in the province Monday, according to the website, were in Farmington, Fort St. John and Vernon B.C., where customers could expect to pay between 114.9 and 117.9.
Looking at other major cities in Canada, drivers in Toronto paid less than those in Vancouver if they filled up Monday morning. The average in the country’s largest city was 124.6 cents per litre, based on data reported to GasBuddy.
The price was similar in Ottawa, though crossing the border into Quebec could save a bit of money.
GasBuddy said the average in Montreal was 130.2, compared to 123.9 in Halifax and 139 in St. John’s.
Heading west, drivers in Winnipeg paid about 115.6, in Regina, 115.3, and in Edmonton, 110.2.
When prices started to climb to $1.40 per litre back in February, CTV News spoke to a gas price analyst, who said he expected drivers in Vancouver would be paying $1.70 by summer.
Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, said in an interview at the time that factors include the impact of COVID-19 on oil producers.
