Manitoba gas prices still too high, advocate says, as carbon rebate payments go out
Global News
An advocate for affordable gas prices believes Manitoba gas stations are raking in 'excessive' margins, and says the price at the pump needs to drop another 10 cents per litre.
An advocate for affordable gas prices says he believes the price at the pump in Manitoba needs to drop by another 10 cents per litre.
As of Friday morning, Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that gas prices have dropped significantly in Ontario and out west, but Manitoba hasn’t seen much movement.
“Gas stations here in Winnipeg and across the province that are charging anywhere from $1.85 to $1.89 (per litre) are making off with 25 to 30 cents a litre as a retail margin,” he said.
“That’s excessive, and it’s going to get called offside sooner or later.”
McTeague said a gas station’s wholesale price — when all federal, provincial and carbon taxes are factored in, comes out to around $1.60 per litre.
McTeague’s comments come as the federal government begins sending out the first of its quarterly Climate Action Incentive (CAI) payments to people in Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The carbon tax rebates, which replace an annual credit, start with a double-payment in July (including a retroactive amount for April) and follow with additional cheques this October and in January 2023.
In a statement Friday, Winnipeg MP Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change, said the carbon tax is an effective way to achieve climate goals.
