Price of fuel drops in all three Maritime provinces

Drivers in all three Maritime provinces are paying less for fuel Thursday following an overnight price drop.

In Nova Scotia, the price of regular self-serve gasoline fell by 10.5 cents in Halifax’s Zone 1, to a new minimum of 192.9 cents per litre.

“It was just a wonderful surprise,” said motorist Bryan Darrell in Halifax.

“I do follow the gas prices. I really do and I try to structure my trips such that I do a lot of things at one time as opposed to individual trips.”

The price adjustment comes after the province’s utility regulator, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB), invoked its interrupter clause.

Diesel dropped 10.2 cents, the new minimum is 194.5 cents per litre.

“The NSUARB threw its best bullet out last night and that’s probably as good it’s going to get for the foreseeable future,” said Dan McTeague with Canadians for Affordable Energy.

McTeague says Nova Scotia’s regulated market is keeping gas prices higher than in other provinces.

“That still puts you in the vicinity of about a five-cent difference between a regulated market and unregulated markets. Of course, again unregulated markets winning for consumers.”

Drivers in Cape Breton are paying the most in the province, at 194.9 cents for gas and 196.4 cents for diesel.

On Prince Edward Island, gasoline prices dipped 10 cents to a minimum price of 199.2 cents per litre. Diesel fell by 13 cents to a minimum price of 212.9 cents per litre.

The Island’s utility regulator, the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, says its next scheduled fuel price adjustment is Friday.

In New Brunswick, the price of regular self-serve gasoline went up 0.03 cents to a maximum of 202.1 cents per litre. Diesel dropped by 14.6 cents a litre to a maximum price of 215.5 cents.