Drivers throughout Alberta may have noticed lower-than-usual gas prices in the month of March, dropping to as low as 59.9 cents per litre on Friday.
“We have seen some unusual purchasing patterns,” said Kelly Klimchuk, district manager for Gas King.
Kilimchuk said people have been out and about doing their “business as usual” in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, but expects business to slow down further as more people self-quarantine and avoid travel.
“We are seeing it tail off somewhat,” he said.
Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy and former MP, said the drop in prices is a mixture of decline in demand due to COVID-19 and intricacies within provincial and federal governments.
“The debts that we’ve accumulated until now, compounded by this situation could leave every Canadian vulnerable,” he said.
“I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket when it comes to gas. The damage may be done.”
McTeague said with the weakening of the Canadian dollar, low gas prices now won’t be as beneficial when it comes to the cost of other purchases in the future.
According to numbers from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), Alberta gas is down from 93.5 cents per litre last month and 110.3 last year, averaging at 77.1 on Friday.