Gas prices set to rise 'dramatically' Thursday

Many made a dash to the pumps Wednesday because experts say the price of gas is set to rise Thursday.

“Yeah, I came here today because I heard gas is going up about 14 cents tomorrow,” said Marc Reimneitz.

According to Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, the price could jump overnight to nearly $1.80 a litre.

“You're going to see a lot of stations at 1.79 point 9 as of midnight [Thursday],” McTeague said. “These are very extraordinary events. We’re seeing these prices move up dramatically.”

Ed Ruckle was leaving a volunteer position and told CTV News he had a few more things to do before he hit the pump. “You can bet I'm going to fill [up],” Ruckle said.

McTeague said the increase is due to the higher cost of summer blended gasoline, rising oil prices, and the carbon tax increase.

The 14-cent jump will likely take place overnight in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario and will be the highest price we see at the pump since August of 2022.

“I'm shocked, because of the cost of living. You can barely afford to eat, so gas would be better if it was a little cheaper,” Reimneitz said.

Jackie Habib, like many, is frustrated by the upcoming increase. “If you're on empty for a 4-cylinder, it's going to cost a half-day’s pay to fill it up just to have gas to get to work,” Habib remarked. “I was paying $35-$36 to fill up two years ago when I bought this car and now I'm paying $90 to have a full tank.”

Ruckle put $30 worth of gas in his car Tuesday. “It got me a quarter of a tank, just shy of a quarter at $1.64,” Ruckle said as he recalled what $30 used to get him in the 1990s. “$30 would fill the tank.”

The City of Windsor avoids the immediate impact of price fluctuations because they buy gas and diesel in bulk and get a volume discount. That doesn't mean the city is immune to rise in fuel prices.

“So far this year in gas prices we've seen about a 30 per cent increase above our budgeted amount and about a 7 per cent increase in diesel,” said City Engineer Mark Winterton, who pointed out the managers keep an eye on prices and make adjustments accordingly. “We ask all of our drivers, whether it be a city vehicle or transit bus, to be as responsible as possible and be respectful of the environment and our budget.”