Prices at the pumps continue to climb and break records not just in Greater Victoria, but across British Columbia.
Gas stations across the capital region, including several Shell and Chevron locations, are charging 232.9 cents per litre for regular gas on Monday.
That beats a record set last Monday, May 9th, when some motorists in the region were paying 221.9 cents per litre, according to GasBuddy.
The gas price tracker currently lists the average fuel price in Victoria at 226.7 cents per litre, 5.6 cents higher than yesterday and slightly cheaper than Vancouver’s average of 232.0 cents per litre.
BC officials say record-high prices come amid international supply chain disruptions brought on by Russia’s invasion of war-torn Ukraine.
“We’ve seen inflation and runaway costs because of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine,” Premier John Horgan said Friday.
“The consequences of that are destabilized markets, and it’s not just British Columbia or Alberta or Canada that’s affected by this; this is an international phenomenon.”
Last week, BC Liberals introduced a plan to combat gas prices by temporarily suspending provincial gas taxes. However, Horgan argues the impact at the pumps isn’t about taxes, it’s “inflation as a result of aggression and destabilizing of a market.”
“You can’t solve that by just taking a penny or two here,” added Horgan.
“You need to solve that by encouraging people to find other ways to move around, which they are doing, and also putting in place anti-inflationary policies so we can address those other issues that affect all of us … the cost of our food and other things that are escalating because of the uncertainty internationally.”
Amid high living costs, BC Greens are calling on the NDP government to make public transit free for the next four months to help people immediately.
“Free transit for the summer is a concrete way to reduce expenses,” said BC Greens leader Sonia Furstenau said Monday.
“Premier Horgan said that people should take the bus because gas prices are out of reach. He can take an important step today to help British Columbians save money, and take cars off of the road.”
GasBuddy currently highlights BC’s province-wide gas price average of 217.0 cents per litre as the highest across Canada, behind Nova Scotia’s 214.8 cents per litre.
