Winnipeggers are feeling the pinch at the pump. Gas prices have jumped nearly 10 cents in the past week. But one expert says there may be some relief in sight. On Tuesday, some stations had gas listed as high as $1.94/litre. “With everything going on, how much higher does it go?” said Dryden Dilts, who has been keeping an eye on gas tracking sites to find the cheapest gas. On Tuesday, he filled his car, as prices sat around 189.9/litre. “You do a double take when you see 189.9, and you think, can I hold off until I’m in a cheaper neighbourhood, or you know, sometimes you just need it right now,” he said. Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, said this most recent spike is due to the total shutdown of the Joliet Exxon Mobil Refinery in Illinois last week. The refinery produces about 11 million gallons – or 41 million litres – of gasoline and diesel fuel every day. “The production is very, very tight right now. Most refineries now with the energy crisis are running at 97 per cent utilization. Ninety is considered high; 97 means that anything can happen that would cause that to go through the roof.” This is on top of the unrest in the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through each day, and the war between Russia and Ukraine, where oil refineries have been targeted. All of it means Dilts is spending more to fill his vehicle. “It’s a Honda Fit, so I can’t complain too much. But yeah, it’s up there. It’s climbing,” he said. McTeague says there may be some relief at the pump as the Joliet refinery slowly gets back up and running. “We could see prices move back down towards about $1.75 to $1.78 in the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said.
