Ottawa motorists may want to fill up the gas tank today, with prices expected to soar above $1.90 a litre on Wednesday. Canadians for Affordable Energy president Dan McTeague says gas prices will increase seven cents a litre in Ottawa on Wednesday to 196.9 cents a litre. “We’re getting to that point on gasoline where we’re knocking on the $2-a-litre door,” McTeague told Newstalk 1010 on Tuesday. McTeague warns the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could drive gas prices to the point where “people recognize it’s just too expensive to drive.” The average price of gasoline is sitting at 189.9 cents a litre on Tuesday. In a separate interview with CP24, McTeague admitted gas prices over $1.60 a litre is “extraordinarily expensive.” “If markets hold, we could see a three cent drop on Thursday. I know it’s not great relief, considering anything over $1.60 is considered extraordinarily expensive these days,” McTeague said. Gas prices jumped 12 cents a litre last week in Ottawa and across Ontario. Gas has jumped approximately $0.60 a litre in Ottawa since late February due to the war in the Middle East. On April 20, the federal government suspended the fuel excise tax on gasoline for the summer, dropping gas prices 11 cents a litre. With files from CTV News Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras
