Latest news with #GasBuddy.com
National Observer
20-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Majority call for end to carbon-pricing in Quebec, poll suggests
Weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal consumer carbon levy, more than half of Quebecers want their province to follow suit and abolish its own price on carbon, a new poll says. Published Tuesday, the Léger survey also found that a majority of Quebecers support building a pipeline across the province to transport oil or gas from Western Canada to international markets. The poll offers the latest evidence of shifting public opinion on environmental issues in Quebec, where there has long been a broad consensus in favour of carbon pricing and against pipelines. Quebec has had some of the highest gas prices in the country since April, when Carney ended the consumer carbon levy that applied in most provinces. British Columbia quickly moved to end its own carbon tax as well, leaving Quebec as the sole province that remains fully committed to carbon pricing. According to the survey conducted for Québecor media properties, 56 per cent of respondents believe Quebec should put an end to its cap-and-trade carbon-pricing scheme. That includes a majority of supporters for all major political parties in the province, except the left-leaning Québec solidaire. Another 28 per cent said the province should keep its price on carbon, while 15 per cent didn't know or refused to answer. An even larger majority – 68 per cent – said the cost of the carbon price should be clearly indicated on gas station receipts, which is not currently the case. The cap-and-trade system adds about 10 cents per litre to the price of gasoline. The survey comes as Statistics Canada reports that lower gas prices drove inflation down across all provinces except Quebec in April. On Tuesday, the agency said the annual pace of inflation in Canada cooled to 1.7 per cent last month, down from 2.3 per cent in March, driven largely by the removal of the consumer carbon price. But in Quebec, the annual inflation rate rose 0.3 percentage points from March to 2.2 per cent in April. According to the website Quebec on Tuesday had the highest average gasoline price of all provinces except B.C., and had an average price more than 20 cents per litre higher than in Ontario. Weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal consumer carbon levy, more than half of Quebecers want their province to follow suit and abolish its own price on carbon, a new poll says. In response, the Parti Québécois called on the government to reduce the "unfair gap in the price of gasoline" between Quebec and neighbouring provinces. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the government has several options to reduce the disparity, including cutting the province's fuel or sales taxes. Quebec, he added, could also return some of the proceeds from the carbon market to taxpayers. Currently, the money goes to Quebec's electrification and climate change fund, to be spent on programs that reduce emissions. However, St-Pierre Plamondon said it would be costly to scrap Quebec's cap-and-trade system, which is linked to California's. "There are several options for harmonizing pump prices across provinces, but leaving the carbon market would be the least intelligent option from a cost-benefit perspective," he said in a social-media statement. The new survey also found that 55 per cent of respondents think it would be a good idea to relaunch a pipeline project that would cross Quebec to export oil or gas from Western Canada. Another 26 per cent said it would be a bad idea, while 19 per cent didn't know or refused to respond. Quebec Premier François Legault has repeatedly said there's more openness to pipelines in the province since U.S. President Donald Trump began his tariff war. Speaking at the national assembly on Tuesday, Legault said the province could support an oil or gas pipeline if there are benefits for Quebecers, but said he would invest no public money in such a project. "We're not dogmatic. We're OK with Quebec making money," he said. "The world has changed." The poll surveyed 1,051 people between May 9-11 from Léger's online panel. A margin of error cannot be assigned to panel surveys.
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Majority of Quebecers think province should end carbon pricing, survey says
MONTREAL - Weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal consumer carbon levy, more than half of Quebecers want their province to follow suit and abolish its own price on carbon, a new poll says. Published Tuesday, the Léger survey also found that a majority of Quebecers support building a pipeline across the province to transport oil or gas from Western Canada to international markets. The poll offers the latest evidence of shifting public opinion on environmental issues in Quebec, where there has long been a broad consensus in favour of carbon pricing and against pipelines. Quebec has had some of the highest gas prices in the country since April, when Carney ended the consumer carbon levy that applied in most provinces. British Columbia quickly moved to end its own carbon tax as well, leaving Quebec as the sole province that remains fully committed to carbon pricing. According to the survey conducted for Québecor media properties, 56 per cent of respondents believe Quebec should put an end to its cap-and-trade carbon-pricing scheme. That includes a majority of supporters for all major political parties in the province, except the left-leaning Québec solidaire. Another 28 per cent said the province should keep its price on carbon, while 15 per cent didn't know or refused to answer. An even larger majority – 68 per cent – said the cost of the carbon price should be clearly indicated on gas station receipts, which is not currently the case. The cap-and-trade system adds about 10 cents per litre to the price of gasoline. The survey comes as Statistics Canada reports that lower gas prices drove inflation down across all provinces except Quebec in April. On Tuesday, the agency said the annual pace of inflation in Canada cooled to 1.7 per cent last month, down from 2.3 per cent in March, driven largely by the removal of the consumer carbon price. But in Quebec, the annual inflation rate rose 0.3 percentage points from March to 2.2 per cent in April. According to the website , Quebec on Tuesday had the highest average gasoline price of all provinces except B.C., and had an average price more than 20 cents per litre higher than in Ontario. In response, the Parti Québécois called on the government to reduce the 'unfair gap in the price of gasoline' between Quebec and neighbouring provinces. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the government has several options to reduce the disparity, including cutting the province's fuel or sales taxes. Quebec, he added, could also return some of the proceeds from the carbon market to taxpayers. Currently, the money goes to Quebec's electrification and climate change fund, to be spent on programs that reduce emissions. However, St-Pierre Plamondon said it would be costly to scrap Quebec's cap-and-trade system, which is linked to California's. 'There are several options for harmonizing pump prices across provinces, but leaving the carbon market would be the least intelligent option from a cost-benefit perspective,' he said in a social-media statement. The new survey also found that 55 per cent of respondents think it would be a good idea to relaunch a pipeline project that would cross Quebec to export oil or gas from Western Canada. Another 26 per cent said it would be a bad idea, while 19 per cent didn't know or refused to respond. Quebec Premier François Legault has repeatedly said there's more openness to pipelines in the province since U.S. President Donald Trump began his tariff war. Speaking at the national assembly on Tuesday, Legault said the province could support an oil or gas pipeline if there are benefits for Quebecers, but said he would invest no public money in such a project. 'We're not dogmatic. We're OK with Quebec making money,' he said. 'The world has changed.' The poll surveyed 1,051 people between May 9-11 from Léger's online panel. A margin of error cannot be assigned to panel surveys. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Customers relieved, for now, as gas prices fall at B.C. pumps after death of the carbon tax
British Columbians got some relief at the gas pumps on Tuesday as prices tumbled overnight after the consumer carbon tax was eliminated in a marathon legislative session. Several Vancouver gas stations had the price for regular gasoline at $1.72 per litre on Tuesday morning, down about 20 cents from Monday, when prices were nearing $2. By midday, showed most gas stations in the city had regular gasoline at between $1.71 and $1.78 a litre. The cheapest gas in Metro was in Aldergrove, at $1.66. Josh Edwards had been biding his time, waiting for the end of the carbon tax before filling up his Volvo sedan at the Chevron station on Main Street and East 12th Avenue. He welcomed the end of the unpopular tax, even though he was skeptical whether the savings would last long. 'It's good if they actually gave the savings back to the people,' he said. 'I hope so.' He's noticed the steady rise of gas prices over the last week, jumping to about $1.96 on Monday and taking a bite of the savings that kicked in because of the repeal of the tax. 'Early last week, we were pretty close in price, and I saw it jump up until yesterday.' He doesn't know what accounted for those increases, but said, 'it's a little strange, if you ask me.' Several drivers at the gas station also commented on the run-up in price. 'I guess they have to make a few bucks,' said Rob Knight, who likes to fill up in Vancouver rather than Bowen Island, where he lives part-time, because gas there is more expensive. He didn't mind the carbon tax, even though he might not have got the same amount back in carbon tax rebates issued by the B.C. government. 'I don't think people understood it,' he said of the tax, which the Conservative parties in B.C. and Ottawa pledged to axe long before the B.C. NDP and federal Liberals acted to remove it. 'It's getting cancelled for political reasons.' The NDP government fast-tracked its legislation to kill the tax on Monday, in time to coincide with today's demise of the federal version of the tax. The B.C. law, introduced Monday morning, got final approval at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The tax had been in place since 2008, when B.C. became the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a broad-based carbon levy. Premier David Eby said Monday that the tax played an important role for many years, but it became 'toxic' as a result of campaigns by the B.C. and federal Conservative parties. He told reporters he expected British Columbians to save 17 cents a litre starting Tuesday, and warned oil and gas companies that the tax repeal should be reflected in the prices at the pump. 'Now is not a time to be playing games with essentials for British Columbians or Canadians as a whole,' said Eby on Monday. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at gas tracking site said Tuesday he expects relief in the order of 15 cents a litre at the pumps, accounting for other factors that affect the price. 'Gas prices move for many different reasons all at the same time,' he said, pointing to spring refinery maintenance, refineries switching to making summer grade fuel, and increased demand as the weather warms. A refinery fire in Northern California in February also pinched the market all along the west coasts of Canada and the U.S., said De Haan. 'Unfortunately there are some abnormal circumstances happening there preventing this 17.6 cent rollback from being visible' in B.C., he said. De Haan is expecting the cost of diesel to come down by more than 20 cents a litre, which should have positive ripple effects on the overall economy as it lowers costs for truck drivers, farmers and other users of that fuel. GasBuddy had the national average for a litre of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.52 a¢¢ litre, a drop of 3.1 cents, around midday Tuesday. But De Haan said that data tends to lag what stations are actually posting as price reports from volunteers come in. The GasBuddy system may also need time to validate such a big drop. One of Prime Minister Mark Carney's first actions when he took office last month was to do away with the federal consumer carbon charge, which had previously been set at $80 per tonne — an amount that has increased yearly since it was first imposed in 2019. For Vhea Balbin, who was filling up in Vancouver after school, the price at the pump — about $1.70 a litre for regular — came as a pleasant surprise. She wasn't aware of the carbon tax repeal, she said, but was happy to see the price drop. 'I'm glad it's cheaper today. I don't know if there's any cons to that.' chchan@ With files from The Canadian Press Cross-border travel from B.C. to Washington state plummets B.C. ends its carbon tax on consumers after marathon debate in legislature
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gas prices drop as consumer carbon price ends, but full impact yet to be felt
CALGARY — Gasoline prices are coming down in Canada as the consumer carbon charge drops to zilch from 17.6 cents per litre, but motorists had yet to feel the full impact of the change on Tuesday. "The pace is going to vary province to province, city to city, station to station," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at price tracking website "There are some complexities behind the scene that may cause some stations to have to wait to pass it along." For instance, some retailers may still need to reprogram their software to account for the decrease. "I would expect that most stations would have the price adjusted today and at latest tomorrow," said De Haan. GasBuddy had the national average for a litre of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.52 per litre, a drop of 3.1 cents, around mid-afternoon ET. But De Haan said that data tends to lag what stations are actually posting as price reports from volunteers come in. The GasBuddy system may also need time to validate such a big drop. De Haan is expecting relief in the order of 15 cents a litre at the pumps, accounting for other factors that affect the price. "Gas prices move for many different reasons all at the same time," he said, pointing to spring refinery maintenance and increased demand as the weather warms. A refinery fire in northern California in February has pinched the market all along the west coasts of Canada and the U.S., said De Haan. "Unfortunately there are some abnormal circumstances happening there preventing this 17.6 cent rollback from being visible" in B.C., he said. De Haan is expecting the cost of diesel to come down by more than 20 cents a litre, which should have positive ripple effects on the overall economy as it lowers costs for truck drivers, farmers and other users of that fuel. One of Prime Minister Mark Carney's first actions when he took office last month was to do away with the consumer carbon charge, which had previously been set at $80 per tonne — an amount that has increased yearly since it was first imposed in 2019. For natural gas, homeowners may still see charges appear on upcoming bills for fuel used before Tuesday. The final Canada Carbon Rebate is to be paid starting April 22 for those who file their 2024 tax returns before Wednesday. For those filing after that date, the rebate will be sent after their returns are assessed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025. Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
CBC
01-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec becomes only province with a price on carbon, but it might not last
As Quebec becomes the last province in Canada that hasn't abandoned carbon pricing, the provincial government could start feeling pressure to align itself with the rest of the country. There has long been a broad consensus in Quebec on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the province's cap-and-trade system, launched in 2013, has never been especially controversial. But some say Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to scrap the federal consumer carbon price could change that — especially once Quebecers notice the difference at the pump. As of Tuesday, the federal carbon price, which applied in most provinces and territories, has officially been scrapped. British Columbia, which was the first province to impose its own carbon price in 2008, has also repealed its tax. Asked Monday about whether he should act in kind, Premier François Legault said he would wait to see the outcome of the April 28 federal election. "We definitely have to be competitive," he told reporters during a trip to Germany. He added that Quebec's cap-and-trade system "ultimately costs less for the consumer" than the federal carbon price did. With the federal measure now gone, however, critics of carbon pricing say it's only a matter of time before Quebecers start to feel pain at the pump. "When we compare prices between Gatineau or Montreal and Ottawa ... that difference is going to be striking," said Carol Montreuil, a vice-president with the Canadian Fuels Association. "I think a lot of people are going to be questioning whether maybe it's time to put a pause on that [cap-and-trade] system." He said many Quebecers will be "looking at the government for a break," especially with the added burden of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. It's hard to predict exactly how Quebec gas prices will compare to the rest of the country in the absence of the carbon price. In 2024, the federal levy accounted for 17.6 cents per litre of gas. Quebec's cap-and-trade system, which is linked to California's, currently costs around 10 cents per litre. But Pierre-Olivier Pineau, chair of energy sector management at HEC Montreal, the business school of Université de Montréal, cautioned that people outside Quebec won't necessarily see gas prices drop by a full 18 cents on Tuesday. "At least for a transitional period, the distributors and the service stations will keep a larger profit margin," he said. Will Quebecers notice? On March 31, the website showed Quebec as having an average gas price of around $1.53 per litre — among the lowest in the country. The average price in B.C. was a full 25 cents higher, around $1.78 per litre. One thing is clear, said Nicolas Gagnon, Quebec director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "Quebec will be going from one of the places where gas is relatively affordable right now to one of the places where the price is the highest in the country," he said. Gagnon is hoping to seize this "window of opportunity" to pressure the Quebec government to abolish its carbon price. But Normand Mousseau, a physics professor at the Université de Montréal and scientific director of an energy institute at the university, pointed out that no major political party in Quebec has come out against the cap-and-trade system. He said it's unlikely Quebecers will pay much attention to gas prices in neighbouring provinces. "There's a consensus in Quebec that climate issues are real and we must do something," he said. "So I find it hard to see it becoming a political issue right now." Pineau said if the government does start to feel pressure on carbon pricing, it could always choose to redirect some of the revenue from the carbon market to taxpayers. Currently, the money goes to Quebec's electrification and climate change fund, to be spent on programs that reduce emissions. That's another way Quebec's carbon price is distinct from the federal system, which returned most of the revenue directly to households. But Pineau added that one of the reasons Quebec's cap-and-trade system hasn't become a political lightning rod may just be that it's more complicated than a carbon levy, and the cost is less obvious.
