Motorists in Ottawa and Carleton Place see an 11-cent difference in gas prices

Why gas is more expensive in Carleton Place Pump prices in Carleton Place are higher than in Ottawa. CTV's Peter Szperling explains why.

CARLETON PLACE, ONT. — If you live or have driven through Carleton Place you may have noticed gas prices there are higher than in Ottawa.

Some drivers in the town about 45 minutes west of Ottawa are choosing to fill up in nearby Stittsville or Kanata instead.

"The prices, they just don’t compare," says Rachel Brownlow-Hewett, who lives in Carleton Place and works in Stittsville. "Now with the prices going down in Ottawa, I don’t know why they’re not matching it here either."

On Thursday, prices for a litre of regular gas at four stations CTV News Ottawa visited in Carleton Place ranged from 139.9 at Pioneer, Canadian Tire, MacEwen, to 140.2 at the Esso on Highway 7.

Brownlow-Hewett says she won't pay those prices if she has a choice of paying less in Ottawa.

"Not at all, at a 142 cents or a 139 cents, there’s no way that I would stop here."

In Stittsville, gas prices on Thursday were 128.9 at two Petro-Canada stations, 128.8 at the Ultramar, and 128.6 at Mr. Gas.

According to gaswizard.ca, the average price in Ottawa for Dec 2 is 131.9.

“Yeah, I used to go to the gas station right there," said Jeff Burger, pointing at a station in Carleton Place. "Because I saw it was cheaper all the time, but now I just fill up in Kanata."

"In Toronto, it’s cheaper than here," another driver tells CTV News Ottawa.

"Gas stations can choose as to what they want to choose, as far as gas prices are concerned," says Dan McTeague, President of Canadians for Affordable Energy. "Traditionally, in the past, Carleton Place has been cheaper than many places in Ottawa."

McTeague tells CTV News Ottawa that some stations are choosing to charge more.

"The price of gasoline across Canada dropped about 13 cents since last week on the Omicron virus," said McTeague. "So, for that reason, some gas stations, I’m seeing in Western Canada are not budging, and they should - it just means, that gas stations are making a lot more money today, then they were last week."

He adds that stations, for the most part, pay a wholesale price of a $1.19 per litre. McTeague says in Ottawa, that means about 11 cents of a retail margin.

"I would strongly recommend that gas stations in Carleton Place that are making 22 cent retail margins or 23 per cent retail margins, give some thought to the fact that this could have long-term negative long-term consequences to people wanting to business with them going forward."