It’s only a few days before Christmas and some drivers in Nova Scotia may think they’re going to get gouged at the pumps prior to the holiday break.
Not so says a senior petroleum analyst.
The province’s regulator sets gas and diesel prices at midnight.
Dan McTeague with Gasbuddy.com says, like last week, there won’t be much of a change.
He says his numbers indicate a decrease of point-6 to point 8 cents a litre and he expects the same for diesel.
“Possibly, if we’re lucky, 3/4 of a cent downward. That’s really up to the NSURB whether or not they will pass on a decrease.”
McTeague says Atlantic Canadians are better off right now than those out west.
He says gas and diesel prices continue to rise in that part of the country.
“Every market in Canada depends on one reference point in the United States. For us its the New York Harbour Spot Price for gasoline. For Western Canada, not including Vancouver, it’s the Chicago Spot Price. Two refineries in that region, the U-S Midwest, have run into trouble with production. That’s caused futures gasoline to go up about 25-cents a gallon, good enough for about a 10 to 12 cent-a-litre wholesale increase and they’re seeing some pretty dramatic increases at the pumps.”