'It's ridiculous': Gas is now selling for $2 in every Maritime province

Drivers in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are paying more at the pumps after gas prices went up overnight in both provinces.

In Nova Scotia, the price of regular gasoline went up 7.6 cents, bringing the minimum price to 198.5 cents per litre.

The biggest jump was in Cape Breton, where gas is now selling for $2 per litre.

Shawn Rose of Sydney, N.S., is required to make regular trips to Halifax, where his daughter receives treatment for a brain tumour she's been fighting for years.

He says it now costs more than $200 to fill up his truck -- a hefty amount when long road trips are required.

"It's ridiculous. I feel like the oil companies are making so much money, billions of dollars, in profits," said Rose. "And we're kind of taking it the way we shouldn't be."

"We're not going on vacation. We're going for something that's medically needed, and unfortunately, it's going to cost us more money than it should have to."

Paul MacDonald, the owner of Belly Buster Pizza in Membertou, N.S., says his team is also struggling as gas prices rise.

"We're losing drivers. We have to subsidize gas money now just to keep them. It's putting our prices up. We're not generating revenue," he said. "It's tough, but you've got to keep going. We've got a lot of staff who want to keep going."

The cost of diesel in Nova Scotia also went up by 4.5 cents in the Halifax area overnight, bringing the new minimum price to 245.8 cents per litre. In Cape Breton, diesel is selling for 247.8 cents per litre.

Mike Pace owns a home heating oil company in Sydney that operates 15 diesel trucks. He says their costs are up about 250 per cent for the month of April and expects it to be even higher in May.

"We're just trying to battle through it, like the consumer is," said Pace. "It's $2 a litre for heating oil at the door. So, it's very challenging for both parties -- both the consumer and the oil company."

Gas prices on Prince Edward Island increased by 3.5 cents Friday morning. The minimum price of gasoline is now 202.8 cents per litre.

Diesel prices on P.E.I. remained unchanged, sitting at a 259.6 cents per litre.

On Thursday, New Brunswick's gas prices increased by 10.6 cents overnight, bringing the new maximum price for regular self-serve to 202.4 cents per litre.