With the federal governments carbon tax and clean fuel regulations now in full effect, gas prices in the province of New Brunswick have soared to as much as $1.74 a litre.
Residents of St. Stephen, N.B., are taking advantage of being a border town in these tough times, with many hoping over to Calais, ME, to get fuel at below $1.30 a litre.
“I’m saving at least 25, 30 bucks a fill up,” said one St. Stephen resident.
“I save about 40, maybe 40 to 50 dollars in gas each fill up,” another resident said.
Not everyone is as eager to hop to the states for cheaper fuel, at least not every fill up.
“We maybe go over once or twice a month to get our gas over there,” said one lady. “And then generally it is in St. Stephen.”
Grocery prices in the Maritimes are also at an all-time high thanks to inflation, but residents aren’t as keen on getting their food for the week on the other side of the border while grabbing gas.
“It depends on the price,” said one resident. “Depends on how much difference in the dollar there is.”
“The only thing with groceries over there is they have better variety,” said another when asked.
The majority of area residents said outside of dairy and a few other products, the prices are more or less the same in St. Stephen when compared to Calais.
“You really have to know your prices before you go over for groceries,” said one lady who holds a dual citizenship between Canada and the U.S.A. “You really got to be careful because you are paying the exchange. Plus then you get to the border and now they pick and choose what is grocery. Anything you can eat before you come across like a salad isn’t consider grocery.”
“I bought two boxes of waffles in St. Stephen here and it was seven dollars,” said one man in comparing the prices between the two countries. “The same box over there was $3.59 American so by the time you change your money over it’s costing you more over there.”
Doug Harper owns Harper’s Exotic Animals & Pet Supply right next to the border crossing. He notes he has continued to do his shopping in St. Stephen.
“If it means me paying a dollar or two more to get us out of this situation I’ll shop here locally,” says Harper. “Spend our money locally as we want to help our own community.”
St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern said residents heading over to Maine for their gas and groceries is nothing new. With prices being what they are on the Canadian side of the border, MacEachern notes residents are more likely than ever to cross over to Maine for their necessities.
