Fuel prices drop in all three Maritime provinces overnight Friday
Prices at the pumps dipped in all three Maritime provinces Friday ahead of the May long weekend — with diesel seeing the sharpest drop.
In Nova Scotia’s Zone 1, gas fell by 4.6 cents, bringing the minimum price in the Halifax area to $2.03 a litre. Diesel dropped by 17 cents, with the minimum price now $1.95 a litre in Zone 1.
On Prince Edward Island, gas fell by 5.2 cents overnight, bringing the minimum price to $2.05 a litre. Diesel dropped by 28.7 cents, to a new minimum price of $2.13 a litre.
After increasing Thursday, gas prices in New Brunswick dropped 8.6 cents overnight, bringing the maximum price of gasoline to $2.03 a litre. Diesel fell by 16.2 cents, resulting in a maximum price of $2.38 a litre.
GOVERNMENTS HAVE OPTIONS FOR RELIEF, BUT WILL THEY USE THEM?
A motion brought forward by the New Brunswick liberal opposition to eliminate the provincial gas tax for four months fell flat in the legislature Thursday.
If adopted, the price of gas would have dropped by 10.87 cents, and people making $25,000 a year or less would have got a $500 payment from government.
While the motion did not receive consent for debate, it will get a second chance when the legislature sits again on June 1.
By motion or not, a Cape Breton University political science professor says there are options governments can consider to help consumers with high gas prices.
“Quebec gave $500 and is considering another $500, and that way it's a little more equitable for people who rely on other forms of transportation,” said Tom Urbaniank in an interview with CTV Atlantic Thursday.
In Alberta, the province recently suspended its tax on fuel, which led to an immediate reduction in the price of gasoline.
That’s something Nova Scotia's finance minister said won't happen in the province.
Allan MacMaster said, instead, that their focus is on people at the lowest income levels.
“People who have higher incomes, the inflation we're seeing is not a nice thing to experience, but they're more equipped to deal with it than people at the lowest income levels,” said MacMaster in an interview Thursday.
Government officials, however, could get a break. MacMaster says he's reviewing the province's government mileage rate.
“Anybody that is working for the government and providing service to the public, we don't want there to be any out-of-pocket costs,” said MacMaster. “There is a cost to deliver services and it's the government's costs to bear.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.