Gas prices climb in Metro Vancouver yet again

Drivers in the region are feeling pain at the pumps and process are expected to continue to soar come summer.

Metro Vancouver drivers are facing big bills at the gas station yet again.Prices climbed to 177.9 cents per litre in much of the region Monday morning.

That’s nearly 20 cents more per litre than stations were charging during the week prior.

Last month, market volatility created by the U.S. trade war and a pause on the carbon tax had brought prices to lows the region hasn’t seen in years.

“The price for fuel today reflects what’s happening south of the border, and that’s of course with refinery disruptions, especially in California,” said Dan McTeague, petroleum analyst for the price prediction site GasWizard.ca.

Higher demand, the weakening Canadian dollar, and the trade agreement between the United States and China is also putting upward pressure on oil and gas prices, McTeague said.

He predicts prices will climb another two cents per litre come Wednesday

Drivers in the B.C. Interior were paying significantly less on Monday, with stations in Kelowna charging about $1.40 per litre.

McTeague said the lower prices are because drivers there aren’t subject to the transit tax of 17 cents per litre, and also because of where the region gets its supply from.

“We have a pipeline that takes most of the gasoline from Edmonton into the B.C. Interior, and that’s where they get most of their gasoline,” said McTeague.

He believes prices will rise at least another 10 cents per litre heading into the busy summer driving season, when demand is the highest.

McTeague said the best way to consistently save is to use a price tracker and fill up at 6 p.m.

“That should, over a period of a year, save you a couple of hundred bucks. It’s a small piece of advice, but certainly worth its weight in coffee,” said McTeague.