Re: 鈥淧remier asks sa国际传媒 Utilities Commission to probe gas prices,鈥� May聽9.
One has to wonder where Premier John Horgan is really coming from when he calls for a probe about gasoline prices. Given his government鈥檚 policies, I would think he would celebrate high gasoline prices, as driving, certainly for pleasure, has become unaffordable and therefore we are reducing our 鈥渃arbon footprint.鈥�
In measures that old folks like me truly understand, we are paying the equivalent of $7.36 per gallon for gasoline in and around Victoria, of which roughly $2.27 is direct taxation in various guises.
Refining capacity in British Columbia has been greatly reduced over the years with the shutdown of several refineries, and none are likely to be built. Indeed, there has been no new refinery built in North America since the 1980s.
Whether we like it or not, the base price for automotive fuels is really Washington state, as much of our fuel comes from refineries there and the U.S. demand is already great given its strong economy. sa国际传媒 stands in the way of expanding the Trans Mountain system, which might ease supplies considerably given the ability to ship product through that system.
It doesn鈥檛 take an expensive government probe to figure all that out, and I suspect even Horgan could easily do that on the back of an envelope, but perhaps it鈥檚 better to obfuscate and shift the blame elsewhere than address the real issues.
James P. Crowley
North Saanich
