Gas price hike expected in Manitoba
Come the weekend, Manitobans will be paying more for gas and the price could climb even higher in the coming weeks and months according to a gas expert.
Dan McTeague, who is the president of Canadians for Affordable Energy and also runs the gas prediction website GasWizard.ca, said the updated carbon tax will kick into effect on April 1, which will impact the price at the pump.
"One thing we cannot escape is the 3.26 cent plus GST increase that comes on April Fool's Day, that is the federal government carbon tax. That's for gasoline," said McTeague. "Diesel will go up by 4.01 cents, so with GST, about 4.2 cents a litre."
With the carbon tax jump, McTeague said Manitobans can expect to pay around 155.9 cents per litre starting Saturday and unfortunately, that number could jump more in the near future.
McTeague said by the middle of April, gas could climb by another four or five cents as a new blend of gas gets used.
"We switch from winter blends of gasoline to summer blends of gasoline. That's a thing," said McTeague. "In the winter, we are using butane as one of the elements within gasoline. Works great when it's cold, it ignites very quickly, but you don't want that happening (in the summer) for environmental reasons and, of course, sensitivities to the emissions systems on most vehicles."
He said in the summer, the blend uses alkylates, which he says cost around four to five cents more than butane.
McTeague said this will mean the price of gas will be around the 160 cents per litre mark by mid-April.
When looking ahead to summer, he said people shouldn't anticipate the price coming down at all, as he thinks prices will hover between the 160 to 175 cents per litre range.
"It won't be like last year where we were testing the $2 a litre range, 190. But we will be within 15 to 20 cents of that and that still means it's going to be a very expensive summer for many. So take advantage of these prices, they may seem high right now, but they're likely to get permanently, at least until September, much higher."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.