No quick fix to surging gas prices, says B.C.’s premier as new high expected this weekend

Is this latest jump in Metro Vancouver gas prices the last? B.C.’s premier admits he’s not sure.

The price at the pump is expected to hit another all-time high in the coming days, just a week after the last record was set.

Premier John Horgan says he knows the escalating cost of fuel is front and centre, but argues the idea of cutting taxes, such as the PST, to give drivers a temporary break is short-sighted and takes away money that’s needed for other necessities.

“Removing taxes that are put in place to build infrastructure for transportation — whether it be transit, roads, bridge — is short-sighted. The proposal, as I understand it, is to borrow money to pay for those things so that we can reduce taxes on what is really a modest amount of the cost of a litre of gas, at the moment.”

“Drivers are looking at $2.20 a litre and going, ‘My goodness, I’ve never seen that in my lifetime. Is that the end?’ Our answer is we’re not sure.”

Some provinces have taken action to try to help ease the burden on drivers’ wallets by tackling taxes. However, in B.C., Horgan’s government has opted for a one-time $110 ICBC rebate instead, something that’s drawn much criticism as it was in response to a surplus at the insurer — not high gas prices.

Horgan suggests all British Columbians themselves need to take steps to help save gas money.

“If you’re going to the grocery store and you know that you’ve got a neighbour that needs something, ask if you can pick it up for them and reduce the number of trips that we take,” he said, making reference to the fall, when the province introduced fuel restrictions due to catastrophic flooding in the region.

“We had our supply lines completely disabled and British Columbians responded by not hoarding, not being aggressive with each other, but being collaborative and cooperative. That’s what we’re going to need to get through this.”

Related articles:

• Want to buy an EV? Supply chain challenges persist amid gas price spikes

• Many Canadians struggling with debt amid high price of gas, groceries, housing, inflation

• Drivers consider options amid EV shortages, cheaper gas not one of them

This week, the BC Liberals outlined a series of proposals which the party says would help British Columbians handle surging gas prices.

The official opposition is calling for a temporary suspension in the provincial gas tax, a one-time rebate via the climate action tax credit, a suspension of what the party calls a hidden import tax on gas coming in from Alberta.

The premier insists the price at the pump has little to do with taxation, reiterating that skyrocketing costs are due to the war in Ukraine.

“We’ve seen inflation and runaway costs because of Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, and the consequences of that are destabilized markets,” Horgan said.

“You can’t solve that by just taking a penny or two here. You need to solve that by encouraging people to find other ways to move around, which they are doing, and also putting in place anti-inflationary policies so that we can address those other issues that affect all of us, not just drivers: the cost of our food and other things are escalating because of the uncertainty internationally.”

With files from Martin MacMahon, Claire Fenton, and Peter Wagner