Chilliwack gas prices drop double digits per litre after B.C. carbon tax gets axed

CHILLIWACK — As predicted, Chilliwack gas prices fell by more than 10 cents per litre after an early-morning decision by B.C. MLAs to axe the carbon tax, though they could spike anytime like they did last week.

The NDP government fast-tracked legislation in an effort to kill off the tax on Monday, in time to coincide with today’s demise of the federal version of the tax, but it was around 1:30 a.m. before it finally passed its third reading in the legislature.

Fraser Valley Today witnessed five gas stations along Vedder Road in Chilliwack Tuesday morning (April 1) with lower gas prices, including $160.4/l at Chevron (Vedder/Thomas), Fas Gas (Vedder/Promontory), Canco near Vedder/Wells, Chevron at Vedder/Knight, and Petro-Canada (7591 Vedder Road).

One gas station at Vedder/Luckakuck, Esso, had a posted price of $160.9/l while the Shell station at Vedder/South Sumas had a slightly higher price of $161.9/l.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / The gas price of $1.61.9/l at Shell, located at Vedder and South Sumas Road in Chilliwack.

Just last week, prices jumped by over 10 cents to near $1.81/l, baffling many Chilliwack motorists who took to Facebook to vent their frustration.

B.C. Premier David Eby had said Monday he expected gas prices to fall by about 17 cents a litre Tuesday as the impact of the tax’s repeal kicked in, but many gas stations were showing smaller drops around 9 a.m.

The lowest price in Metro Vancouver according to the GasBuddy website at 4 p.m. on Monday was about $1.81, while at 9 a.m. today it was about $1.78.

Eby says the province’s utilities commission has the authority to uncover price gouging and British Columbians expect the price difference to show up at the pumps.

The BC Utilities Commission says it will monitor the market to determine whether gas companies are passing on savings from the removal of the tax to costumers.

The final vote to end the tax came about 15 hours after Finance Minister Brenda Bailey proposed the bill to the legislature.

It marks the end of a tax that has been in place since 2008, when B.C. became the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a broad-based carbon levy.