Gas Prices Soar Past $1.75 in Vancouver, Setting a Record

The freezing temperatures that hit Western Canada in late December—below -30 degrees Celsius, even dropping to -50 degrees with the wind chill—continue to bite consumers as gas prices have reached new highs, topping $1.75 per litre in Vancouver.

Local media outlets report that some gas stations were selling gasoline at $1.769 per litre, eclipsing the previous mark of $1.739 set in July 2021. It’s also 50 cents higher than where gas prices were at the same time last year.

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By comparison, drivers in Montreal and Toronto currently have to pay $1.50 and $1.40 per litre, respectively. In Edmonton, it’s $1.25 according to data from GasBuddy.

Slowdowns at refineries in Burnaby, B.C. and Washington State—prompted by extreme cold affecting a refinery’s ability to crack the molecules to make gasoline or diesel—are to blame for the price increase.

Canadians for Affordable Energy president Dan McTeague has told the Vancouver Sun that he believes $1.85 per litre will be the new normal within a few weeks or months.