Gas prices to climb in Toronto, GTA on Good Friday
Posted April 14, 2022 12:15 pm.
Last Updated April 14, 2022 4:34 pm.
Stop me if you have heard this before. Gas prices are set to rise again just in time for the Easter long weekend.
Enpro’s Chief Petroleum Analyst, Roger McKnight, expects the price of gas to rise five cents at midnight to $1.739 a litre at most Toronto and GTA stations.
If McKnight’s figures are correct, gas prices would have climbed 10 cents after Thursday’s jump in the past 24 hours. This week, prices have fluctuated, following a relatively steady climb after dropping four cents on Wednesday.
McKnight expects the price increase to be felt in Toronto and the GTA and Hamilton, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Windsor, Barrie, and Niagara. He says that gas prices are expected to rise further on Saturday, going up three cents at midnight.
Ontario gas prices hit record highs last month, exceeding $1.90 per litre after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Ford government announced on Thursday that the Tax Relief at the Pumps Act, 2022 was granted Royal Assent, meaning gas and fuel taxes in Ontario will be cut starting July 1.
“… Our government has a plan to help keep costs down for Ontario families and businesses. That includes cutting the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel tax by 5.3 cents per litre for six months,” said Minister of Finance, Peter Bethlenfalvy.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wants to make it easier for more Canadians to drive electric vehicles. He isn’t ruling out nuclear power as a cleaner energy source.
Trudeau said electric vehicles help cut pollution but often are too expensive for many Canadians.
Related: Soaring gas prices push more Canadians to seriously consider going electric
“We know we need to cut emissions,” he said. “We know we need to reduce pollution, and one of the best ways of doing that is to get more clean cars on the road.”
Last week’s federal budget emphasized transitioning to the green economy, which included expanding the availability of zero-emission vehicles and charging stations.
The federal government will extend a program that offers electric vehicle buyers up to $5,000 to help with purchases. It will introduce mandatory sales targets that require 20 per cent of all vehicles sold by 2026 to be electric.
A recent analysis by Clean Energy Canada provided a more transparent picture for consumers, calculating and comparing ownership costs of electric and gas cars, from purchasing to refuelling to maintenance. Clean Energy Canada concluded that the electric vehicle is much cheaper than the gas alternative in every case.
