Gas pains
Oh no, there’s no conspiracy to prop up gas prices. Not at all! (In case it’s not obvious, this is sarcasm!)
Here we are on the cusp of the first ever February long weekend, now known as Family Day, and what do you know? Prices at the pumps are up about three cents a litre. You will not see many surprised drivers pulling up to fill up today. Long weekend equals price hike for gas. It’s just the way it seems to be and we pretty much expect it.
Liberal MP Dan McTeague is the country’s self-proclaimed gas price critic, but I don’t really know what impact his comments have, beyond him being readily available to rant every time there’s a price increase. Nothing really seems to change.
Maybe it’s apathy setting in, but it really doesn’t seem to matter if prices go up or down. A long weekend arrives and we just ride along with the changing numbers, because we need to travel and we’re held hostage by whatever it is they want to charge. And I don’t know about you, but I hear so many predictions about where prices are going that I can’t even remember what they were! I can’t imagine how confusing it is when you miss a prediction or two!
Meanwhile, if driving somewhere is in your plans this weekend, I’m guessing that – like me — you’ll suck it up and fill up at whatever price is on the pump.
February 17th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I so totally agree! Gas prices are a killer, they’ve gone up 200 per cent over the past three years. Our government should take some step to control this monopoly, I wonder if Harper even knows this is a problem. With gas prices, all other commodities hitch a price ride and thats why everything is getting so expensive these days, from food to TTC to clothes, simply everything!
My car remains parked the whole month (except weekends), and I have to wait at bus stops to get to school, due to which I waste at least thirty minutes to an hour everyday.
I was getting a really nice deal on this Lexus my freind was selling, an old one (not that old actually), but still it was a Lexus. I decided not to buy it after learning about the the gas-guzzling nature of its V8 engine.
Something has to be done about this, or else I am buying a horse, and I don’t care, I’ll take it on the highway.
February 19th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hi Lisa,
My thinking is the gas prices now are going to look great come the summer. With oil at $97 per barrel vs. $78 in 2005 ( remember hurricane Katrina? and the 1.20 per litre gas?) My guess is the old gas prices in the summer of 2005 will be crushed!
regards,
Brian
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:20 am
In my opinion, there’s only one thing worse than being gouged by the oil giants and their collusion at the gas pumps, and that’s some government representative elected “by and for the people” who stands on a soapbox and claims to be a critic of gas prices!
The only solution that the government has given us about the reaming that we take at the pumps is to form a “watchdog” committee whose net results have been to claim that “there’s no funny business going on”. Sounds like they’re on the take, too!
Every oil company has clerks who routinely call the retailers in their network and see what the price of gas is in their neighbourhood. Then they adjust their prices accordingly, sometimes more than once a day. “World economy”? “Foreign Policy”? “Supply and Demand’? Nope! It’s Greed. Plain and simple.
I don’t need McTeague or any other lame duck “watchdog” to tell me what I already know! I choose to drive, so I begrudgingly pay the price……but don’t lie to me about it!
March 7th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Actaully High gas prices effect on all items prices. Just wonder why govt. can’t have better control over it…..