Achi news desk-
Ontario drivers woke up Thursday to an average gas price of 170.2 cents a liter, and Premier Doug Ford was among those frustrated by the gas price hike.
During a question-and-answer period at a stop in Oakville, Ont., Ford went on about gas prices, citing concerns about price gouging and comparisons to gas prices south of the border.
The average gas price in Ontario climbed 7.7 cents overnight due to the change from winter to summer gasoline, but depending on where you are in the province you may have seen a jump of up to 22.3 cents.
“You go out last night and you sit there for 20 minutes in line to get gas, you know, and it’s unacceptable. Everywhere I went, it was about a dollar, 59. You wake up this morning and it’s $1.80. You know, it’s absolutely disgusting.”
Ford first directed his frustration at the oil companies, wondering if gas station tanks were being emptied of winter gas overnight or if consumers were being gouged.
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“I have my opinion that it’s not physically possible to empty every gas station and put the fresh stuff in, so you either put the fresh stuff in last month or you’re investigating the people now.”
He then pointed to prices in the United States, particularly in Illinois and Minnesota, which have similar climates, where prices have not risen.
However, Dan McTeague, president of Canadian Affordable Energy, said the U.S. markets (as well as western Canada) made the switch from winter to summer gasoline about a month ago because those areas are tied to Chicago’s overall prices while most of Ontario’s prices are tied to what’s happening in Newport York, which switched to the summer mix on April 16.
“More often than not, the refineries will already start putting in refined summer blend gasoline even before that date. But that’s the date they should have mandated it.”
While McTeigue acknowledged that not all gas stations may have moved and that some people are buying winter gasoline at summer gasoline prices, he emphasized that the price is not based on the cost of gas inside the station, but on how much the station would have to pay to replace that gas.
Gas prices seemed to jump the most in southwestern Ontario, closest to the US border, with the average price at 178.9 cents a liter in Sarnia, 177.9 cents a liter in Chatham and 177.6 cents a liter in Windsor, up 22.3 cents, 18.5 cents. And -15.7 cents per night, respectively.
Elsewhere in Ontario, the price of gas climbed 7.1 cents to 171.1 cents a liter in London, 9 cents to 173.1 cents a liter in Kitchener, 9 cents to 169.8 cents a liter in Hamilton, 15.3 cents to 178.9 cents a liter, 178.9 cents a liter. cents to 169.7 cents per liter in Toronto, 16 cents to 179.9 cents per liter in Kingston, 11.3 cents to 172.2 cents per liter in Barrie and 12.3 cents to 169.9 cents per liter in Peterborough.
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