The price of gasoline climbed nearly 10 cents per litre overnight in Steinbach. 

As of Wednesday, the price at the pump at most stations is 134.9 cents per litre. That is up 25 cents per litre since January 25th. It is also now more expensive than it was prior to the Fuel Tax Holiday, which took effect in the first days of January. 

The Fuel Tax Holiday, which removes the 14 cent Provincial Sales Tax, is supposed to be in place for six months, though there has been talk of our province considering extending that.

According to a spokesperson for GasBuddy, the fact that gas prices are climbing in late February should come as no surprise. Petroleum Analyst Patrick De Haan says some refineries begin their routine maintenance at this time of year.

"Combined with the fact that we generally start to see demand going back up as temperatures start warming back up in March, and we begin the changeover to more expensive summer gasoline," says De Haan. "All of that is going to culminate in gas prices that likely continue slowly rising."

In Canada, the most expensive gasoline can be found in British Columbia, where the price at the pump in Vancouver is 186.9 cents per litre.

While Manitoba is still the province with the most affordable average gas price in Canada, the cheapest gasoline on Wednesday could be found in Stony Plain, Alberta at 119.9 cents per litre.

One year ago today, the price of gasoline in Steinbach was 153.9 cents per litre. According to data from GasBuddy, prices tend to dip in January and start climbing again near the end of February each year in Steinbach.

 

With files from Tracey Moody