Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

Fill 'er Up Hurts in Prince George

By Ben Meisner

Oh goody, goody, gum drops! The gas service stations are making more money on the sale of their gas in this city than any other city in Canada, excluding Yellowknife where you would have to fly the stuff in right now, and Whitehorse where it takes three days of hard driving just to get there. 

Prince George residents were paying 66.4 cents a liter before taxes this week, higher than even Corner Brook, or Gander Newfoundland. 

Even in Sudbury, Ontario where the closest thing to a refinery is a rock pile they pay just 58.9 and gas was selling at the pump this week for 89.5 cents. 

We should be receiving some sort of medal from the major gas companies, maybe in the form of a thank you for making their profits so high. For your information, in Vancouver, the marketing margin, (what the gas companies charge for a mark up) was 5.1 cents, Victoria 10.4, Kamloops 9.2 and the Canadian average was 10.6. Now here in Prince George that mark up on gas at the pumps was 15.6 cents as of May 24th. Three times what it is in Vancouver. 

Oh to be sure up in Ft. St. John they are being nailed to the wall by the gas companies as well, apparently they are getting even a better mark up. I guess its one of those things, if you work for me we are going to get some of that pay check back (maybe a whole lot if you drive lots) 

Our refinery costs and its mark up remains relatively low at 11.3 cents, lower than Vancouver, Victoria and most centers across Canada.  But when it comes to the gas companies who buy from the Husky refinery here and sell the gas out of their service stations, Oh brother do we get had. 

Interestingly enough when the price goes up a few cents a litre the service stations all seem to get on the band wagon. The theory must be if one gas station can jam it to the customers and get away with it , then we all can.

That, is one man's opinion.
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