Alberta’s prime minister is demanding an explanation for skyrocketing gas prices across the province.
In a news release Friday afternoon, Jason Kenny He said he was launching an investigation into the possible pricing.
“First of all, this afternoon I met him fuel association of canada Kenney said in a statement, to express Albertans’ frustration with recent gas price trends and to demand an explanation for why this is happening.
“Second, I would ask the Canadian Competition Bureau to investigate potential gasoline pricing in Alberta. Below competition actIt is illegal for competitors to mutually agree to set a price. Albertans deserve to know if this is going on.
Kenny further said that he has directed Service Alberta to locate any equipment available in the province under the Consumer Protection Act.
“Alberta is no longer collecting fuel taxes at the pump, Albertans deserve to know why they are suddenly paying the same amount for gasoline as motorists in Toronto when as recently as two weeks ago they paid much less. Was doing.”
According to GasBuddy, the average price of regular gasoline in Toronto on Friday was about $1.689 per liter.
In Calgary and Edmonton, the average price was $1.769 a liter – historically, Albertans have paid far lower prices than people in Ontario due to taxes and proximity to refineries.
One energy analyst calls this a “Category 5 escape.”
Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, says Alberta gas station operators are taking advantage of drivers and need to start saving immediately.
He pointed out that Shay Ganam gas stations of 630 CHED and 770 CHQR are making profits from the backs of consumers, even as the price of crude oil has come down.
“Their retail margin, which has always been very competitive in the range of 10, 12 or 13 cents a liter, is now 40 cents a liter and that is wrong and unacceptable,” McTeague said.
“Whoever is managing those gas stations should be ashamed of themselves, because what they are doing is creating an environment where people are asking to regulate properly gas prices, There’s no way under the sun that they can justify it.”
Gas prices in Calgary have dropped from 147.9 to 178.9 cents a liter in the past few days.
But McTeague says that’s not enough. He is demanding immediate reduction of 20 per cent per litre.
“I think first of all, we need to focus on who is taking advantage of the consumers here. And not the person working behind the desk, but the gas stations are owned by a group… Those are the people you have to go after.
“They’re people who are basically murdering at the expense of the public, and I’m not talking a small amount.”
Economist Trevor Tombey of the University of Calgary thinks it’s likely a lot more complicated than gas stations that simply generate profits.
“The margins are very high – historically high – so it needs clarification. I think we are going to see more details, more analysis coming out to shed light on what has happened in the last few weeks. Will come,” Tombe said.
“If it was a matter of lack of competition or some kind of corporate greed… so I think it is really a market specific factor. There are some challenges for retail stations, which is leading to higher costs and that means higher costs for us.
But NDP Leader of Opposition Rachel Notley is targeting the provincial government, saying it is not doing enough to ensure that the savings are being passed on to drivers.
She says the Alberta government needs to conduct regular audits to make sure the provincial tax freeze, which was implemented in April, is lifted over the top.
“I think if you were to create a statutory obligation for that – if there were penalties associated with not passing it – and if there should be a regular system of spot audits to make sure that, then I think they There are tactics and strategies that can be used to protect Albertans and ensure they have more money in their pockets at the end of the month,” Notley said on Friday.
Global News reached out to Shell, Husky (which is owned by Cenovus) and Petro Canada (the retail end of Suncor Energy) about allegations of gas fouling, but had not received a response as of publication.
Meanwhile, McTeague said consumers can protest by contacting their lawmakers and legislators.
“Have they crunched the numbers. And do they call them Parkland, do they call them Imperial Oil, do they call them Shell.
“It’s unacceptable and they know it. I think it’s going to take widespread public condemnation and disapproval, especially by elected officials.”
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