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Gas prices expected to rise on Vancouver Island

Price jumps nearly 10 cents in Victoria on Wednesday
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If you haven’t filled your gas tank recently, you may want to do it sooner than later as prices have risen once again.

The average price at the pump on Vancouver Island is expected to rise, with some stations in Victoria already selling gasoline for nearly 10 cents more than they did over the Canada Day long weekend.

Dan McTeague of the popular GasBuddy website says it’s a common misconception that prices rise ahead of a long weekend, and it’s usually due to operating margins in many cases as gas stations will hold their prices — sometimes below cost — until a competitor breaks the trend, and then everyone matches that new price.

In Victoria the price fluctuated between 155.9 at downtown gas stations and 143.9 at Costco on Wednesday.

Heading up-Island, the prices held steady and moved lower the further north you go.

In Duncan the average price is 148.9, Port Alberni is 143.9, Comox 141.9, Campbell River 145.9, and Tofino at 146.9.

The Politics of Gas Prices

READ MORE: Liberals slam NDP for price hikes at gas pumps

During Premier John Horgan’s media availability at the BC Legislature, he was asked about the overnight increase to gasoline prices in some markets, including the Lower Mainland which also saw a spike in price this morning.

While the BC Liberal Party took the opportunity to slam Horgan over the recent gas tax with Andrew Wilkinson saying the government “should be reducing costs for drivers”, McTeague took it one step further calling Horgan’s answer “clueless”, before pointing out that Wednesday’s spike was more due in part to the price of oil rising nine dollars in the past 10 days.

Earlier this year prices at the pump rose to their highest levels on Vancouver Island in a decade, topping out at 154.9 in Victoria in April.

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