The price of diesel increased significantly overnight in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island following more unscheduled adjustments. Nova Scotia The price of diesel increased by 12.8 cents in the Halifax area. The new minimum price is 256.2 cents per litre. The minimum price of regular self-serve gasoline remains 188.5 cents per litre. In Cape Breton, the price of regular self-serve gasoline is still 190.4 cents per litre while diesel is up to 258.2 cents per litre. Prince Edward Island Diesel prices increased by 11.5 cents on P.E.I. overnight. The minimum price is now 256.3 cents per litre. The price of regular self-serve gasoline remains 198.8 cents per litre. New Brunswick Prices at the pumps did not change overnight in New Brunswick. The maximum price for diesel remains 254.3 cents per litre following an unscheduled adjustment on Wednesday. The price of regular self-serve gasoline is still 190.3 cents per litre. The next scheduled adjustment for all three Maritime provinces is Friday. ‘The world is short of diesel’ Alicia King, the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture Antigonish, says fuel prices were high for spring planting and now they’re high again for the harvest. “These events still need to happen. We still need to harvest those crops, and we still need to heat and or cool barns, whatever it may be,” she said. Global issues like the war in Iran, fighting in the Red Sea and Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries are driving costs skyward. “The reality is the world is short of diesel,” said petroleum analyst Dan McTeague. McTeague adds the supply won’t change anytime soon, but the demand is going to continue to grow. “Diesel prices and home heating fuel may go higher because we haven’t approached the season where diesel gets its most use. So, this might be a warning sign, a shot across the bow is that fall and winter could be very, very expensive as far as diesel is concerned,” he said. On Wednesday, the federal government extended the temporary fuel excise tax holiday until Jan. 31, 2027. McTeague says Nova Scotia also needs to step in and adjust the 14 per cent HST people are paying on fuel.
