Heading out to fill up your gas tank? Don’t be caught off guard by the price at the pumps in Montreal.
Drivers can expect to pay as much as $1.92 per litre in some parts of the city as of Thursday morning.
“Of course it will have an impact on our budget. So for normal people, regular people, families, it’s going to be tough,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said Wednesday ahead of the price surge.
The website GasBuddy, which tracks prices across Canada and the United States, shows that the average rate already reached a $1.85 per litre by 10:30 a.m. in Montreal. It marks a rise of 14 cents from the previous week.
GasBuddy reported the average price across Quebec stood at $1.80 per litre — up nearly 12 cents from last week.
Quebec City clocked in at just above $1.85 per litre Thursday, a stark contrast to $1.73 from a week ago. Meanwhile, the average in the Gatineau area was lower at $1.73, but it marked a rise of nearly 16 cents.
What’s driving up the costs for drivers getting behind the wheel? The price at the pump marks a new high in nearly two years.
GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan explained it comes from a transition in fuel type. Government regulations require a switch to summer gasoline from winter gas.
“With it, a much more significant cost,” De Haan said. “And that is what we’re seeing across gas stations across Ontario, Quebec as well as the Maritimes.”
The sticker shock shouldn’t last too long, though. As warm weather sets in, gas price analysts say the higher costs aren’t necessarily here to stay.
“We will see another week or two of increasing prices,” De Haan said. “But very soon after, by May long, prices should start to recede.”
— with files from Global’s Tim Sargeant and The Canadian Press