A vast majority of the highest gas prices in Canada are found at British Columbia’s gas stations new data shows.
As Canadians struggle to deal with soaring prices at the pumps, the Oil Price Information Service found that 94 out of 100 highest gas prices in the country were located in the province.
As of July 20, the Esso station in Masset on Haida Gwaii island has the highest price in all of Canada coming in at $248.0 per litre followed by Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories where gas costs $240.9 per litre.
The remaining top ten gas stations are all located in BC, including Langley Shell where gas costs $232.9 per litre, Vancouver Shell priced at $230.9 per litre and elsewhere.
Locations with high gas prices stretched across BC with remote places like Prince Rupert, Golden and Cache Creek also making the top 20 of the list.
Nationally, gas prices have abated in recent weeks with the average cost of gas at Canadian pumps reaching $183.5 per litre as of this week.
According to Statistics Canada’s latest Consumer Price Index report, inflation reached 8.1% in June making it the highest spike seen in Canada in nearly 40 years.
The cost of gas at the pump jumped by 6.2% last month and was a significant contributing factor in inflation levels.
“On a year-over-year basis, consumers paid 54.6% more for gasoline in June following a 48.0% increase in May, contributing the most to headline consumer inflation,” said Statistics Canada.
“Prices at the pump rose 6.2% month over month in June, following a 12.0% increase in May. Gas prices largely followed crude oil prices, which peaked in the first week of June with higher global demand amid the easing of COVID-19 public health restrictions in China, the largest importer of crude oil.”
High costs have forced many Canadians to cut back on spending on essential goods. The MNP Consumer Debt Index recently found that 27% of Canadians said they’ve had to cut back on essential supplies as a result of inflation.
