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Gas prices rise in Quesnel

In Quesnel, regular gas prices have jumped to 129.9 per litre, but cheaper down the road
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Lindsay Chung, Observer reporter

Motorists in Quesnel are facing higher prices at the pump, and they’re not alone.

Media outlets have been reporting spikes in regular unleaded gas prices in British Columbia and Alberta in the past week, and B.C.’s average price per litre on Nov. 7 was the highest in the country, according to the website Gasbuddy.com.

On Nov. 7, prices for regular unleaded gas in Quesnel were 129.9 per litre, up from 108.9 just two weeks earlier.

According to Gasbuddy.com, the average price per litre in B.C. on Nov. 7 was 138.1, which is up 6.4 cents per litre from the previous week’s average of 116.8 and up 13.8 cents per litre from last month’s average of 109.5.

Dan McTeague, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, says the wholesale price for gasoline increased by about 15 cents a litre in the past week, and motorists saw a further increase when retailers added about five cents per litre, as each gas station allows itself five to 12 cents a litre to recoup operating costs.

“It seems to be a phenomenon we’ve seen across western Canada.

“At its core, the reason is because of a shortage of gasoline in the United States Midwest market that reflects in Western Canada.”

McTeague says he believes this jump in prices is short-term.

“There is no panic about shortages in the U.S., but I think it will be this time next week until we see a decrease.”