A surge in gas prices in B.C. prompted a truckers’ rally Monday morning.
About one hundred trucks could be seen on Highway 1 in the Lower Mainland during the morning commute.
One of the organizers of the protest, Ryan Hess, owns a trucking company. He said this event has nothing to do with the protest convoy that occupied downtown Ottawa.
Hess said they want to bring attention to the high price of diesel in the province and how that is impacting the ability of trucking companies to turn a profit.
“We have to, on a daily basis, ask for higher rates, which will then be passed on to the consumer,” Hess said.
“Not only will people be feeling the pinch at the pump, but when they buy their groceries, stuff like that, and if we have to shut down, you’re going to see lots of shortages.”
In Coquitlam, on Monday morning, diesel prices were about 214.9 on average.
Hess said they would like to see the provincial government temporarily halt fuel taxes or find a way to give the truckers a break.
The carbon tax is already set to increase on April 1.
On March 3, the B.C. government vowed to take action against record-breaking gas prices, but said that freezing carbon tax increases or capping gas prices isn’t on the table.
Costs have spiked since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Russia — the world’s third-largest oil producer.
B.C.’s Energy Minister Bruce Ralston has already said the province will not forgo the provincial carbon price increase set for April 1, because he doesn’t think it would lead to any savings at the pumps.
Hess said trucking companies do not have a very high-profit margin, so the high costs of doing business could have a “major effect on the economy.”
He just hopes everyone supports making the cost of doing business “affordable. We just hope we get our voices heard.”
It is unclear if a separate truckers rally is still on its way to Victoria. Organizers said last week the convoy would arrive in Victoria Monday and occupy the downtown core “for months.”