If you’re getting close to “E” in your vehicle, now is a good time to fill up.
The price of gas has gone down slightly in Winnipeg, with the average hovering around $1.01/litre, and some stations selling it for as low as 94.9 cents.
Industry expert Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, attributes it mostly to marketing.
“Those stations are offering fuel for the price they’re buying it, taxes in. They want to get you in the store to buy other products, or they are selling so much gasoline they’re actually getting decent discounts from suppliers.”
The average gas station owner receives up to a three per cent discount on gas when purchasing it from wholesalers.
But if you’re a premium gas user, you might not be in line to receive the same deals.
“Sometimes it’s 20 to 25 cents per litre more [than regular], so that’s where they’re really making their money, because with the wholesaler it’s only about an 11-cent difference,” McTeague says.
He adds the drop in prices comes at a time when the cost of gas on the prairies has remained largely the same since late summer.
“I think that’s going to continue a little bit. We might see prices tip up a little bit in February and March as we get closer to the ‘Magic Day.’”
McTeague says that day is April 1, when the federal government raises the carbon tax by about 2.2 cents/litre.
“On April 15th we see the shift from selling cheaper winter fuel, to more expensive, summer-blend fuel,” McTeague adds.
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