Drivers in Regina annoyed by gas price hikes

Gas prices continue to soar upwards in Saskatchewan even though oil remains below $50 a barrel.

On Monday, it cost around $1.08 a litre in Saskatoon to fill your tank, and many pumps in Regina were showing roughly $1.12 a litre.

So why the hike?

“It really doesn’t make sense,” said driver Kent Morin. “It’s always got to go up when the oil goes up.”

The price of oil was only up modestly on Monday. In the last month, gas has increased by about 20 cents a litre, according to gasbuddy.com. In the same time, crude oil has risen by about $4 to $5.

“It depends on who’s making the prices. Depending on the companies that are supplying it too,” said Tom Matechuck who was checking his oil under his engine.

He said the consistent and predictable summertime hikes annoy him, believing companies are taking advantage of peak travelling periods.

Nearby, Josh Knightingale tried to offer his guess as to why gas prices are going up.

“Maybe the distributor for the fuel took out a big loan for his wife and he needs the extra money. You know, whatever it is,” he joked.

“They’re going to jack up the prices and give the people some phony excuse,” Knightingale continued. “They talk about all this and that and the other thing … the gas prices are so high because the government needs to make money somehow.”

For Kinghtingale, gas could be $2 a litre and he would continue driving. He said the price ultimately doesn’t matter.

“If you enjoy driving, you’re going to bite the bullet.”