Photo by Vince Fedoroff
JUMP AT THE PUMP – Fuel prices went up by 16 cents a litre at all four downtown gas stations this morning, putting average prices in the city at or above those being paid around the country.Jan. 15 at Arts Underground, beneath the Hougen Centre (left). BEST DEAL IN TOWN – Unlike most of their city centre competitors, Super A has kept its price for a litre of gas at under a dollar, making it the cheapest fill-up in town.
A tank of gas will cost local drivers 15 per cent more today than it would have Tuesday, after gas prices jumped all around town this morning.
A tank of gas will cost local drivers 15 per cent more today than it would have Tuesday, after gas prices jumped all around town this morning.
Prices at the four downtown gas stations – Tags, Petro-Canada, Shell and the Real Canadian Superstore Gas Bar – have all risen by 16 cents a litre since yesterday, from 96.9 to 112.9 cents per litre.
Tags was the first downtown gas station to post the 112.9 price with Petro-Canada and Superstore following suit later in the morning.
That means the driver of a Honda Civic will be paying about $8 more for a fill-up, while a Dodge Caravan owner will be paying around $12 more today than if they'd filled up on the way home last night.
The price for a litre of regular unleaded at the Integra Tire gas bar on Two Mile Hill rose as well, though not as significantly, from 99.9 to 109.9.
Prices at the Super A gas stations remain under a dollar a litre.
"We base it on whatever we pay,” the manager of the Riverdale store said today, "not on what the other (stations) are doing.”
Goody's Gas in Porter Creek and the Fas Gas across from the airport are also holding steady at yesterday's price of 103.9 and 109.9 cents respectively.
The price now being matched by all downtown stations puts Whitehorse 12 cents above the national average of 100.8 cents a litre, according to fuel price tracking site gasbuddy.com.
That same site shows the city centre as having the highest average of every southern provincial capital.
The nationwide average inched up by less than a penny from yesterday, and saw a three-cent rise from last week.
A year ago, the average Canadian price was a thrifty 74.6 cents a litre.
Crude oil prices also crept up today, to $82.93 a barrel.
Whitehorse drivers may take cold comfort in the fact they enjoyed some of the lowest prices in the country through the summer and fall.
They benefited from a couple of price wars between Tags and the neighbouring Petro-Canada on Fourth Avenue, when prices dropped below 86 cents last July and September.
The Petro-Canada station has its prices set by its parent company Suncor, manager Parmesh Billay said at the time, while Tags is privately owned and sets its own prices.
A Suncor spokesperson said the prices are based on three factors: the price of crude oil, the wholesale price of fuel and local market factors.
Today, drivers in Calgary and Edmonton are driving on the country's cheapest gas, paying about 93 cents a litre.
The Star was unable to reach any officials who could speak to the price jump at the applicable stores before press time this afternoon.
In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.
Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.
Comments (17)
Up 0 Down 0
Arn Anderson on Jan 15, 2010 at 5:22 am
GAWK!!
Up 0 Down 0
Kailey Irwin on Jan 14, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Again, biofuels need to be looked into a little bit more. What about the hydrogen car? Weren't there studies recently going into this? I haven't heard much about it lately so I am more so wondering if it was given up on.
Up 0 Down 0
Trina Whittaker on Jan 14, 2010 at 4:23 pm
footprints - I agree the EV is not the ideal solution for all situations but it's a much better option than IC engines that rely on fossil fuels from Canadian soil or foreign countries. EV batteries don't do well in the cold but are definitely an option for folks in warmer climates. Solar/wind/tidal could possibly be a viable source of energy.
They impact the environment LESS not incompletely.
Less fuel tankers and oil spills.
Less transportation using IC engines to transport fossil fuels.
Fewer gas stations and oil refineries.
Less war.. or at least less war over foreign oil.
EVs would take advantage of whatever gains are made environmentally whenever a gas station is decommissioned or upgraded or a renewable energy generation facility comes online. (I personally feel we should ALL be pushing for the latter).
Batteries - check out lithium-manganese spinel batteries, we've come a long way! They do not suffer from memory effect (less charge each time) and a smaller self-discharge amount than other batteries and are comprised of graphite (anode), lithium-manganese (spinel) in an organic solvent such as ethylene carbonate (Electrolyte).
I don't have any answers, only observations and questions.. Ideally we'd all be driving H2O cars or have transporters..
Up 0 Down 0
QC on Jan 14, 2010 at 1:48 pm
On a more practical consideration, EV technology has not been proven in the -40C temperature extremes that we regularly experience in the north.
Up 0 Down 0
footprints on Jan 14, 2010 at 6:51 am
Thanks for your comment Trina Whittaker. While I can certainly agree that we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for a variety of important reasons, there are still a number of unanswered questions.
Exactly where is the energy to recharge EV's going to come from? Tropical areas may be capable of converting solar energy year round (during sunny daylight hours only), those in temperate and particularly the arctic regions are going to need alternatives to solar for a significant portion of the year. What do you suggest? Dam and flood more river valleys? Nuclear? Convert ocean tidal/wave/wind energy and transmit continental wide? Inland wind doesn't always blow so it can only be used as a supplemental source.
Entire electrical power infrastructures would require to be upgraded to accommodate increased loading at a cost of trillions upon trillions. Is putting all of our energy dependence upon one utility that enjoys a monopoly such a smart move? Do you really think electrical power corporations are going to be anymore environmentally and ethically responsible than oil corporations? Looks to me like that is just trading one form of servitude for another.
I also question your statement that EV's are relatively maintenance free. The massive storage batteries that EV's are required to transport with them slowly break down with each charge/discharge. Where are all the chemicals and metals that make up original and replacement batteries going to come from? More mining? Have you considered the health and environmental impact surrounding the disposal/recycling of these highly poisonous materials? Picture our present e-waste dilemma and multiply by at least a thousand if everyone operated an EV.
Not trying to discourage people from discussing energy alternatives, and I will agree that any intelligent endeavor (no matter how small a contribution) in this regard is better than continuing on in ignorance. However, disregarding valid points put forth by personally dismissing another commenter further up in this thread (sorry for not appropriately citing) doesn't help matters.
Up 0 Down 0
Arn Anderson on Jan 14, 2010 at 3:03 am
Yawn, these comments is what I would expect from a dumb downed society let alone having a cheerleading squad to prove hopeless points.
The electric automobile is a lost cause, please research the other side of the facts. Yes, George W Bush caused all the problems and same with oil, "rolls eyes". Same hype, different pile.
I wouldnt waste my time writing out unrefutable arguments simply because the STAR wouldnt approve them, so why bother.
Up 0 Down 0
Kailey Irwin on Jan 12, 2010 at 9:19 am
Trina,
Finally an knowledgeable response to the bully we call Arn! Good on you! I find your description insightful and very interesting. I must say I don't know much about electric cars so it was great to see someone speak up.
Up 0 Down 0
Trina Whittaker on Jan 11, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Arn Anderson - I think you are the one who needs to do some research.. as well as get a much needed attitude adjustment.
Electric vehicles (EV's) have been around longer than internal combustion engines but up until the 80's were not a viable alternative.
When they were a viable alternative, the automobile companies started to lose money on electric vehicles because dealerships couldn't sell after market parts like filters, belts and they were too easy to service (rotate the tires and fill up the windshield washer fluid. Then the oil companies and G.W Bush stepped in and killed them completely.
Technology has greatly improved in recent years and with the soaring cost of fuel, global warming and a desire to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, auto makers are currently racing to produce EV's as well as more efficient hybrid models.
Up 0 Down 0
francias pillman on Jan 11, 2010 at 11:16 am
You people who compare us to europe are seriously confused. Go research how much oil Canada produces, we should have some of the cheapest gas, but the USA has cheaper gas then us and they import most of it from us. That's ok, your peoples "what can I do about it, that's the way it is" attitude is exactly why we pay so much for things, especially cell phones. Ignorance is such a great word to describe 95% of society.
Up 0 Down 0
Mongo on Jan 11, 2010 at 9:08 am
Adrian Fox said: Our gas here (France) is 1.79 Canadian dollars a litre! (1.20 euros)
We pay $16.99/lb for Green Peppers in the winter here in Whse. What do you pay?
See haw valid your geographic comparison is now?
The POINT is that gas jumped 20% overnight. How would 'France' react to that?
Up 0 Down 0
Kailey Irwin on Jan 10, 2010 at 11:58 pm
What about Bio-fuels? I think more research needs to be done to find a more cost efficient, renewable fuel source that's a little easier on the enviroment. Until that happens we'll just have to accept the gas prices and their up and down costs. Let's face it, even with research we probably won't see a change in any of our life times but maybe there's some hope.
Up 0 Down 0
Adrian Fox on Jan 10, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Our gas here (France) is 1.79 Canadian dollars a litre! (1.20 euros)
You ain't seen nothing yet!
Up 0 Down 0
Arn Anderson on Jan 7, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Are you serious? The electric car? Wake up off that pipe dream, you thought oil companies was bad with fuel prices. Wait till you get a load of the electric companies and their new found power consumers. Gotta plug it in, gotta fire up the diesel generators cause hydro cannot cope with Whitehorse's runaway growth. Growth that nobody can explain.
Gasoline engines maybe not efficient but our own body does not burn sugar efficient either, but I forgot, climate crooks are trying to tax the very essence of life; CO2.
Lay off the hype and research topics yourselves, only then you can comprehend such delicate matters.
Up 0 Down 0
Roosterdaddy on Jan 7, 2010 at 11:56 am
Time for some perspective - the price of fuel in Europe far exceeds what Yukoners pay. Time to stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Up 0 Down 0
Arn Anderson on Jan 7, 2010 at 7:26 am
People whom complain about this issue should just shut up and accept it. After all doesnt the Whitehorse citizenery accepts all matters without question regardless if there is a issue? Look at the judges, look at the city election or even look at the town itself. Nuff said
Up 0 Down 0
francias pillman on Jan 6, 2010 at 9:42 am
Yet more fraud. Did a barrel of oil go up 15%? Nope. This is probally connected to that al qweedo CIA asset that was going to blow up a plane.
Up 0 Down 0
No More increases on Jan 6, 2010 at 9:31 am
Ok, enough is enough someone bring out the electric car already!