B.C. premier under fire after urging drivers ‘to think before you hop in the car’ amid gas price surge

After the price at the pump was expected to hit another all-time high this week, much to Vancouverites dismay Saturday broke records.

In response to the soaring prices, Premier John Horgan is encouraging British Columbians to find alternatives in an effort to offset costs. However, the premier’s comment urging drivers “to think before you hop in the car, do you need to drive?” has received a variety of responses, many of which disagree with the premier’s approach.

In a tweet Saturday, Mayor of Port Coquitlam Brad West accused the B.C. government of wanting high gas prices in an effort to stop people from driving.

In the Twitter thread, West says many people cannot stop driving, as Horgan suggests they should.

Horgan also encouraged British Columbians to work together as a way of reducing fuel costs.

“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.

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However, unlike the Port Coquitlam mayor, West Vancouver City Councillor Craig Cameron agrees with Horgan’s stance, suggesting less driving would lead to avoiding the effects of climate change.

“Problem is that we all need to use far less fossil fuels if we want to avoid the devastating effects of climate change,” Cameron wrote in response to West’s tweet.

Cameron told CityNews although he “feels great sympathy” for those who live in a region where driving is necessary, driving less and being more fuel efficient is something all B.C. drivers need to work towards.

“I suppose the first thing is when you’re going to drive, drive something that’s as efficient as possible. Most people don’t need big inefficient trucks for most purposes. So if we can create a system where you can have an efficient vehicle that would be best.”

However, for British Columbians looking to switch to an electric vehicle, challenges remain persistent, as supply chain issues stand in the way for interested buyers.

Horgan and Cameron also encourage British Columbians to take public transit on their commutes, however senior petroleum analyst Roger McKnight at En-Pro International says this is not a permanent solution to exorbitant prices.

“The only way to get prices down, and it’s a brutal thing to say, but you have to have what we call demand destruction. You have to shut down demand so that we can get the crude oil inventories up, we can get the gasoline inventories up, we can get the diesel inventories up. If you’re using less of the stuff, then the inventories build and the price comes down,” McKnight explained.

Although other provinces have taken action to try to help ease the burden on drivers’ wallets by tackling taxes. 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.

Over the course of the weekend gas prices are expected to continue to soar with Gas Wizard predicting significant jumps Sunday, Vancouver can expect to see prices surge to a national high of $2.34/litre.

– With files from Denise Wong and Liza Yuzda