Gasoline prices rose to at least $ 2.15 a liter on Sunday in parts of Canada, three cents more than on Saturday, according to the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).
“Gas prices will continue to rise in the coming months and will affect all of Canada’s provinces,” Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, told CTV News on Saturday.
He predicted a price hike in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and most of southern Ontario on Sunday, noting that the last record high was on May 18, when prices reached at $ 2 per liter.
The average gas price in Ontario on Sunday was about 209.6 cents or $ 2.09 per liter, three cents more than yesterday’s average of 206.6 cents or $ 2.06 per liter, according to the CAA .
Last year’s average on that day was 129 cents or $ 1.29 per liter.
According to Gas Wizard, led by McTeague, the price of normal gas in Edmonton and Calgary remained the same as on Saturday at $ 1.87 and $ 1.89 per liter on Sunday, respectively.
The highest rate per liter seen to date is in Vancouver, averaging $ 2.29 per liter yesterday. Prices fell slightly on Sunday with the new average rising to $ 2.26 per liter.
The current price hike comes after months of rising gas prices in the GTA, due to a shortage of fuel supply, along with a tightening of global energy supply, exacerbated by sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Last year, Russia accounted for 14 percent of the world’s oil supply, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), and Western sanctions on Russia could be creating a major market vacuum without an alternative. enough.
Other factors such as post-pandemic demand along with the arrival of summer are causing price increases as people venture outdoors, McTeague says.
Doug Ford’s progressive Conservatives, who won a majority government for a second term, promised during their election campaign that they would temporarily reduce Ontario’s gas tax by 5.7 cents per liter for six months from the start. ‘July 1, but McTeague is not optimistic for more. than a temporary relief.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if prices in Ontario go up to $ 2.25 in the coming summer months,” he said.
With files by CTVNews.ca writer Michael Lee