Gas prices across BC are spiking just as tens of thousands have had to make unexpected and urgent travel plans due to wildfire evacuations.
An estimated 25,000 people have evacuated Jasper and the Jasper National Park since late Monday (July 22) night.
Most importantly, there have been no reported injuries as the result of the Jasper Complex Wildfire. Approximately 25,000 people were safely evacuated from the town of Jasper and Jasper National Park. All residents, visitors and responders are safe.
— Jasper National Park, Parks Canada (@JasperNP) July 25, 2024
The hefty majority of them had to travel through BC to get home or to reception centres in Grand Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary – the only exceptions were for small groups who had police escorts take them east of Jasper toward Edmonton.
There are also 25 evacuation orders in place across BC and another 28 evacuation alerts – the Province of BC reported yesterday (Wednesday) these numbers translated to 550 people evacuated with another 5,000 who could be required to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
All the while, according to gasbuddy.com, gas prices are up an average of 4.5 c/L across BC since last week and as much as 10 c/L in some places.
No specific statistics for Valemount, McBride, or other BC-Alberta border communities’ gas prices are tracked by gasbuddy.com, however Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson told My PG Now he personally witnessed gas prices jump from the “lower $1.70s into the $1.80s… the day after Jasper and Jasper National Park evacuated.”
I am absolutely disgusted with Valemount (caveat: local mgmt had no say) gas stations! Thank you raising your rates during a multi-provincial evacuation. As long as Esso, Petro Canada and Shell shareholders made a few more bucks
— Owen Torgerson (@OwenTorgerson) July 25, 2024
Prince George is no different, prices at the pump have gone up 10 cents to an average of 176.9 c/L. Both Prince George and Valemount saw significant traffic from Jasper evacuees.
While some are accusing gas companies of using emergency demand to price gouge, Dan McTeague with Canadians for Affordable Energy says the spike is likely not what it seems.
“Everywhere across much of Western Canada is effected by the increase in the price at the Chicago Spot Market,” he said, explaining demand is high after a tornado took a major Chicago gas refinery offline last week.
“Speculation drove gas prices there from $2.22 a gallon to $2.57 a gallon,” McTeague said. “The Canadian dollar has fallen about 1% in value in that time. It is a reflection of what has happened south of the border.”
“The Chicago market is the benchmark price source for all of gasoline and energy products as far as Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwest Ontario,” he continued. “That is why we are seeing this sudden increase timed with this fire event, but having more to do with circumstances south of the border than what we are seeing here.”
He expects the gas prices to “correct themselves” across western Canada within the next two weeks.
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