Gasoline prices continued to rise in Montreal, reaching $2.15 a liter at several gas stations on Sunday, a level previously unknown in the metropolis, an expert said.
Posted 12:58pm Updated 6:04pm
Vincent Larin The Press
Having recently surpassed the symbolic $2.00 mark for a liter of gasoline, the price of gasoline continued its momentum in southern Quebec, far from falling. In Montreal, several gas stations quoted prices between $2.05 and $2.15 per liter, depending on observation.
At the Esso station, on the corner of Rue Ontario and Avenue Papineau, in Montreal, several motorists expressed their dismay at the situation.
Barack, a Taxi Champlain driver, said he prefers to park between calls rather than walking around looking for customers to save on gas. “It’s simple, we’re losing,” he complained, admitting that he stopped filling up his car and instead limited himself to spending “for $5” at the gas station.
Jean-Claude Lapalme, a former “snowbird,” also says he’s forced to make choices when planning his travels. “We no longer have the pleasure of going where we want,” the man said with a sigh.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, THE PRESS
Jean Claude Lapalme
Mathieu Bigeon, originally from France, points out that these are normal prices… for Europe. Except for some trips, particularly to get to the gym, he now limits his car trips, he says.
More records follow
Canadians for Affordable Energy President Dan McTeague pointed out that at $2.15 per liter, as several gas stations announced on Sunday, this is an all-time high for the price of gasoline in the metropolis. However, according to him, this record could be surpassed in the coming days until it reaches $2.30 per liter.
” That [2,30 $ le litre] is probably the maximum we will reach. But more than $2 is now the new reality to get used to,” says the expert.
This is due to a variety of factors, including tight restrictions in China due to a surge in COVID-19 cases slowing the country’s economy, as well as rising demand for fossil fuels in Europe due to the war in Ukraine.
“We are also entering hurricane season [aux États-Unis] and that always causes a lot of trouble,” he adds.
Dan McTeague advises frugal drivers to always fill up in the middle of the week when gas is cheaper, or to drive to the Montreal suburbs where you can save 5 to 6 cents a liter.
The PQ suggests a cap of $1.60 per liter
In these circumstances, the Parti Québécois (PQ) is proposing to temporarily cap the cost at the pump to $1.60 per liter and have the price difference borne by oil producers, a measure that would, however, tend to maintain Quebecers’ dependence Oil, according to an expert.
In the face of soaring gas prices, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon protested at oil majors posting record profits, calling it a “robbery”.
“It is neither normal nor acceptable that 85% of the price increase at the pump goes directly into the pockets of the oil companies and their refiners. Experts predict that a liter of gasoline will soon exceed $2.20. There comes a time when one can no longer stand idly by, a contingency plan is needed,” he said in a statement Sunday.
But Pierre-Olivier Pineau, a professor at HEC Montreal and chair of the Energy Sector Management Chair, worries that the PQ’s proposal will, in the long term, be less encouraging to consumers to exit oil quickly.
With the Canadian Press