Maritime gas prices jump ahead of Thanksgiving long weekend

Maritime gas prices spike ahead of Thanksgiving Gas prices rose in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island ahead of the long weekend.

Maritime motorists are paying more at the pumps ahead of the Thanksgiving long weekend after the price of gas and diesel jumped significantly overnight.

Nova Scotia

The price of regular self-serve gasoline in the Halifax area increased by 6.8 cents, bringing the new minimum price to 157.0 cents per litre.

In Cape Breton, the minimum price of regular-self serve gasoline is now 159.0 cents per litre.

Diesel prices increased by 2.3 cents following an unscheduled adjustment earlier this week.

The new minimum price for diesel is 171.0 cents per litre.

The minimum price of diesel is now 172.9 cents per litre in Cape Breton.

Prince Edward Island

The minimum price of regular self-serve on P.E.I. increased by 4.6 cents overnight to 163.8 cents per litre.

The minimum price of diesel increased by 5.7 cents to a new price of 174.9 cents per litre.

New Brunswick

The price of regular self-serve gasoline in New Brunswick increased by seven cents overnight.

The new maximum price is 161.3 cents per litre.

The price of diesel increased by 10.7 cents, bringing the maximum price to 175.4 cents per litre.

Why prices increased ahead of long weekend

Some may believe gas prices went up due to the long weekend ahead. However, one petroleum analyst says the timing is just a coincidence.

"The long weekend for Canadians is not the long weekend in the United States," said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

"Our gasoline prices tend to be determined by what happened in the United States, except the Canadian dollar, which of course is weakening, so that's hasn't helped."

Prices have been relatively stable in recent months – something McTeague says may not last.

"Consumers have benefited from what has been a strategy, I think by many, to try to bring down the price of energy and try to make money by driving it down," he said. "However, there are geopolitical tensions which cannot be ignored."

With files from CTV Atlantic's Stephanie Tsicos.