Gas prices at a couple of Moose Jaw filling stations jumped by eight cents per litre on Tuesday night, but by and large, local drivers were spared the massive spike endured in many Canadian cities.
The full-serve Fas Gas outlet at High Street West and Ninth Avenue Northwest was charging $1.27 per litre for regular gasoline as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Employee Muhammad Usman said the price had been raised from $1.19 after 6 p.m. on Tuesday. He said he wasn’t sure of the reason for the increase, adding that prices are determined by the company’s head office and relayed to the stations by phone.
"I have to follow the company procedures," added manager Muhammad Irshad, saying that as a franchisee, he has no say over the prices. "It's not in my hands."
Other stations in Moose Jaw, Regina and Saskatoon were also charging up to $1.29 per litre on Wednesday, according to a report on gasbuddy.com, a site that tracks gas prices using submissions from visitors.
A quick drive around the city Wednesday afternoon revealed that most stations were charging just under $1.20 for a litre of regular gas.
The cost of filling up may have spiked at a couple of Moose Jaw, but the increase was modest compared to prices in other major Canadian cities.
The Montreal Gazette reported that gas prices in Montreal have reached $1.54 per litre at some stations, an increase of 20 per cent from the start of this summer. More modest increases were also observed in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia.
For more information, see Thursday's edition of the Times-Herald.
