Dear editor,
I agree with last week’s letter on gas prices other than blaming the local owner/operators. They have no ( or very little) control over the pricing, that is dictated by head offices.
The various excuses we have heard for outrageous gas prices in Golden has often been blamed on transportation cost. How could that be the case when gas coming from the west is cheaper in virtually every other town west of us?
Using that flawed logic it should be more in Revelstoke, Sicamous and so on. That is not the case as the current price in Revelstoke and Sicamous is at 131.9 (source gasbuddy.com).
If you do a rough math calculation, a tanker hauling approximately 45,000 litres of fuel (10,000 gallons) would be charging $14,000.00 to haul fuel from Alberta to Golden, I highly doubt that is the case! Can you believe that the price of gas in Yellowknife NT is cheaper than here? That’s 1,500 kms north of Edmonton!
I assume the oil industry was very happy when we converted to metric as what appear to be small increases in fuel prices are shocking when you convert back to gallons, at present gas in Golden is $1.63 more per gallon than Calgary. Ouch!
I remember when the difference hovered around 10 cents a litre, when did that change so drastically? I know of no other industry that is allowed to so blatantly price fix and get away with it . Many industries have gone to court and been fined millions of dollars for the same practice.
Despite many expensive government “inquiries” the results are always the same. Could it have anything to do with the cash cow fuel taxes provide our already bloated government? The “reasons” for gas price increases would be comical if they didn’t hurt so much, pick a war, unrest (insert country of your choice here), low supply, low demand, a refinery in some remote corner of the world is down, they have an answer for everything.
Looks to me like the people of Golden are being ripped off for one reason and one reason only, location. That old real estate saying location location location seems to apply even more so for gas prices.
Many towns have a claim to fame to attract tourists , unfortunately a billboard on the Trans Canada highway proclaiming “Golden BC Home of the highest gas prices on the west coast” would probably not do much for us.
I wonder if I would welcome a response from our elected officials but won’t hold my breath.
Sincerely,
Dan Maisonneuve
Golden
