Gas prices in the Okanagan are out of control. I have travelled back and forth from the central and south Okanagan to Kamloops regularly for the last nine years.
Even prior to the Costco gas station in Kamloops, the prices have generally been four to 10 cents a litre less expensive in Kamloops. This is contrary to the claims of MP Dan Albas that the competition in Kamloops from Costco is part of the reason. Oil and gas products are used for almost everything that we do, creating what should be a competitive environment. I also don’t have a problem with paying taxes on gas.
What I have a problem with is suspect pricing. The price difference this last trip was astonishing. I filled up in Penticton on the Friday for $1.28.9 for the drive. I arrived in Kamloops to a price of $1.14.9 and filled up on Saturday for $1.13.9, thinking this was a great deal.
But on Sunday I filled up again for even less, $1.09.9. No that isn’t a typo. The price was 19 cents a litre cheaper in Kamloops. I drove home Sunday, curious to see what the price had dropped to in Penticton over the weekend. It hadn’t dropped and still hasn’t several days later. It is still $1.28.9. The government keeps saying that there is no price fixing. It seems obvious to me that something is going on, and it has gotten worse over the last decade.
J. Tamblyn
Penticton