Prowling the Pumps – April 15, 2008

Lurking at service stations across the country to find the lowest and highest gasoline prices in Canada

Average Canadian Gasoline Price: 116.9 cents per litre

Least Expensive Gasoline in Canada (cents per litre)

Gasoline prices vary from place to place primarily because of market size, throughput efficiencies and local price competition. Being close to refineries helps keep prices low, as is the case with Edmonton (three refineries with a total throughput of 477,000 barrels per day), St. Catharines (one refinery at Nanticoke with a throughput of 120,000 barrels per day) and Sussex (near the largest refinery in Canada at Saint John with a throughput of 300,000 barrels).

Kingston, on the other hand has no refineries. It does, however, boast two universities and six prisons, so maybe the throughput efficiency is extremely high on visitor days.

Most Expensive Gasoline in Canada (cents per litre)

Obviously, Yellowknife and Gander are about as far away from refineries as you can get. But Montréal? Well, to every rule, there is an exception. In this case, a 41.6 cent cent per litre gas tax (second highest in Canada) cancelled out the low prices that should have resulted from Montreal’s close proximity to, three refineries. Labrador City is hit doubly hard with distance and the highest gasoline taxes at 42.1 cents per litre.