Nova Scotians react to pending carbon tax

Delivery driver Emran Hassan is not just carrying food, but also frustration.

“I heard about the new carbon tax and it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s like we’re playing a game of survival,” he said.

The 19-year-old hustles between three jobs to pay for university. He studies computer science at Dalhousie but today he’s facing a different kind of deadline. Before the carbon tax hits, Hassan wants to gas up.

When the federal Carbon tax kicks in on Canada Day prices will spike by more than 14 cents a litre and, go up nearly 4 cents the next weekend when the clean fuel adjuster comes in the following week.

Consumers will receive quarterly rebates. In Nova Scotia for example, an individual will receive $124 while a family of four will get $248 four times a year.

“Is this supposed to save the environment, is it supposed to just make us give the government more money?” asked Hassan. “I love Justin Trudeau for bringing me and my family here but all this stuff, this price of living he’s adding on, it’s getting ridiculous.”

Hassan wasn’t the only one gassing up. Others went to the pumps to try to get ahead of the price jump.

“It’s a big jump especially when you’re filling your tank up every two days, two to three days,” said Ave Trefry who works for a counter top company and travels across the province.

“To me it’s getting out of control.”

Holly Stevens thinks the government is doing what it needs to be doing but believes more needs to be done.

“And I don’t know what that looks like but if it’s carbon tax today it’s probably just a piece of it and we need to do more,” Stevens said.

The cost of heating oil is also going up.

“It’s going to bump the price up by 17.38 cents a litre which is a significant jump,” said James Farquhar, general manager at Scotia Fuels Ltd

Instead of waiting for scheduled re-fills, some homeowners are calling to get it done this week.

“The amount of call and deliveries this time of year is low but right now I would say we’re probably ten times what we would normally have for call and deliveries,” Farquhar said.

Hassan questions what his options are.

He knows some people deliver food on bikes but doesn’t think it would be very efficient outside of the downtown area. He’s considering driving less or investing in an electric car but points out that would mean buying a new car, which is expensive.

“Either buy an electric car or just stop driving. Drive less,” Hassan said. “Especially for people like us that’s doing Uber Eats or taxi driver or Skip the Dishes or DoorDash. You’re just going to have to find another job.”

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