Montreal Gas Prices Have Hit A Record High
Monday marks the second day in a row at $2.15/litre.
An Ultramar gas station below a blue sky and plane flying overhead.
Montreal gas prices hit a record high this weekend, which carried into the start of the new week. Gas stations are charging $2.15 per litre on average for the second consecutive day. CAA-Quebec advises not filling up until prices drop by around five cents.
If you do need to get gas, price monitoring site Gas Buddy reports the cheapest petrol in the greater Montreal area is being sold at the Harnois in Kahnawake, where unleaded is going for $1.97 per litre. The Costco in Anjou comes in a close second, keeping the rate for regular at $1.99 per litre.
Over the past 10 days, costs have climbed around 15 cents per litre. Gas hit $2 per litre on May 6 and experts warned that number could keep climbing.
Statistics Canada shows gas prices have been going up around 20 cents every five months since this time last year. In May 2021, gasoline cost around $1.33 per litre. Around five months later it was averaging $1.55 per litre. By March of this year, it had hit $1.83 per litre.
Experts say rising prices are largely due to market instability caused by the war in Ukraine. Producers also have not caught up to demand, after slowing production during the height of the pandemic.
In response, the Parti Québécois has proposed limiting gas costs to $1.60 per litre and having oil producers pay the difference. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon tweeted on Monday that "the state cannot shovel public funds indefinitely to offset the massive profits of oil companies. The consumer is trapped."