Gas prices spike in Montreal by double digits

Gas prices jumped in Montreal this week — at almost $1.48 per litre.

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“Everybody’s just trying to survive,” said Blake Boisvert, a motorist who uses his car for work.

“We’ve got no choice, we just have to fill up.”

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Frank Pistilli runs an auto shop in Notre-Dame-de-Grace.

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“I’ll be honest with you I just think it’s a big scam,” he said.

“It’s been a cash grab for the longest time.”

Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) spokesperson Pierre-Olivier Fortin told Global News some price factors are hard to explain.

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For example, a percentage of the cost of a litre of gas is the retail margin — the profit the station tacks on at the pump.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, that margin is almost double in Montreal against the provincial average.

“It’s way higher and frankly we don’t understand why,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's way higher and frankly we don't understand why," he said.

“You sell more gasoline than in say, Rouyn-Noranda,” so competition should drive prices down, he added.

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The CAA says summertime travel demand in the states is driving up the price in Montreal up and that the price should settle down by the end of the month.