Anyone filling up their car in Newfoundland and Labrador received a big surprise at the pumps Thursday morning after the price of gas price jumped 18 cents a litre overnight.
In many parts of the province, gas was being sold at the pumps for just below $1.32 a litre. The day before in the St. John’s area, gas prices hovered around $1.10 a litre.
The overnight surge means the Atlantic province is now one of the most expensive places in Canada to drive a car.
The spike in prices is a direct result of the gas tax doubling revealed in the provincial budget tabled earlier this week.
“It’s too harsh. It’s too much too soon. And this one really hurts,” former NDP NHA George Murphy told NTV News. “It’s the working person that’s paying off this deficit.”
In anticipation of the gas price hike, which came into effect at midnight, motorists filled up at the pumps on Tuesday, prompting long lines at gas stations.
However, gas stations in St. John’s were quiet Thursday morning, reported NTV.
The most expensive gas in the province is in southern Labrador, where fuel is being sold for nearly $1.50 per litre.
The government has said the gas tax is temporary, but it’s unclear exactly when it’s expected to end. A small group of protesters in St. John’s rallied Thursday for the province to scrap the new gas tax in the fall budget.
“People don’t have any discretionary spending, so it’s a concern amongst drivers at a time when expenses are going up,” Murphy said.
Speaking with NTV, local drivers said they’re already feeling the pinch at the pump.
“We could be taxing junk food, we could be taxing cigarettes. There’s a lot more better ways we could be doing this without hurting the middle class more than we already have,” one driver said.
A woman who commutes to work says she now expects to pay upwards of $30 per day.
“It’s unavoidable because I have to go to work,” she said.
With a report from NTV News
