Canadian drivers can expect to see higher gas prices this Labour Day long weekend compared to what they paid during the holiday last year, according to fuel price tracking website GasBuddy.
Nationally, the average price of gas on Sept. 1 is 167.5 cents per litre, up nearly nine cents from this day last year, when prices were 158.8 cents per litre.
That average may raise some eyebrows for drivers on Vancouver Island.
Provincially, the average price of gas in B.C. is 190.1 cents per litre as of Friday. That’s up 5.3 cents compared to this time last year, when prices were 184.8 cents per litre.
In Greater Victoria, prices are even higher, with the average price of fuel sitting at 200.9 cents per litre. That’s up 9.4 cents from last year, when gas prices were an average of 191.5 cents during the Labour Day long weekend.
Sept. 1, 2023. (GasBuddy)
Across Canada, gas prices began to rise in July and August, in part due to crude oil production cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The benchmark crude price West Texas Intermediate hit a 12-month high Friday, hovering around the $85 USD per barrel mark.
That’s up $10 USD per barrel compared to this time last year, when WTI was about $75 USD per barrel.
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With files from the Canadian Press.
Adam Chan
