To the editor,
Re: Oil refining in B.C. would improve stability of gas prices, Sept. 5.
I have to totally agree with the letter writer.
Our civil servants in Ottawa are slapping each other on the back and chortling gleefully at the hundreds of millions in gas taxes flooding into their coffers, and exclaiming how good it is for Canada. However, as they are isolated from the real world (ask a federal official how much a litre of milk costs) they are totally ignorant of the fact that what may be good for the government of Canada is not necessarily good for we, the people.
The ones who toil, the ones from whom flow all the profit which our fearless leaders control. The same ones who sold off PetroCan, which was a company that helped mitigate those spikes in fuel prices.
We are paying the same for fuel at $48 per barrel as we were at $150 per barrel. Do they think we are that ignorant of these facts? Is anyone else also more than irritated that oil and fuel companies are making record profits, CEOs are being given multimillion production bonuses for basically ripping us off?
Between 15-18 per cent of my wages are spent just on fuel to get back and forth to work. At one time that was the threshold number for a mortgage you could or couldn’t afford, now it is the price of a daily commute.
Three-quarters of the world pays less for fuel than we do. We are a major world oil supplier. Why aren’t more of you as upset as I am?
Rod Hancock, Nanaimo
