Calgary drivers frustrated by fuel price flip flop at local gas station

Residents of a north Calgary community are growing increasingly frustrated at what they call higher-than-average prices at a gas station in the area.

“I don’t know if price gouging would be a term,” Rick Gibos cheekily told Global News. “But let’s call it price gouging.”

Nathan Mizera, who heads up the online community news platform DiscoverBowness.com, agreed.

“They’ve been crazy,” he said about the prices being charged at the gas station on Bowness Road.

Mizera said the prices not only change on an almost daily basis but added that sometimes they change several times throughout the day.

“The morning commute to work they’ve been 2.11/litre or as high as 2.11,” he said. “And then they go back down to 1.56/litre in the evening.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The morning commute to work they've been 2.11/litre or as high as 2.11," he said. "And then they go back down to 1.56/litre in the evening."

Mizera said the fuel frustration is real among community members and those who drive into the area.

“(People) were outraged. We heard it on social media, it’s been all over Facebook. People have been very upset about it.”

Global News has also received several emails and photos from residents venting about the ever changing fuel prices at the Bowness station.

When the staff working at the station were asked if they could explain the discrepancy in gas prices, Global News was told they weren’t allowed to comment.

We then reached out to Esso. We were told Imperial sold all of its retail sites in 2016 and “those sites are now operated by independent business people who determine the retail price of fuel at their locations.”

This specific station is owned by 7-11 Canada. Global News reached out to the company’s media team but has not heard back at the time of publication.

What’s causing varying gas prices

Analysts say varying gas prices aren’t new, adding they can vary across the city, province and country.

Right now, Alberta has the cheapest fuel averaging 152.9/litre. Quebec the highest at 187.4.

Paul Pasco with Kalibrate said right now, many gas stations are playing catchup with their supplies and that will determine how much they charge.

“It depends where they’re getting delivery from, which refinery and when they made their purchases.”

Fuel was costing stations much more a few months, even weeks ago, but Pasco said that is now starting to stabilize as crude oil prices fall.

“That supply chain just has to equalize out.”

As for stations “gouging” drivers like some are claiming, Pasco said that is not likely.

“The gas station you go and visit can probably make more off of selling you bottles of Coke than pumping their price up 20 cents a litre.”

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