Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne has started a petition protesting high fuel prices in the B.C. interior.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Spencer Coyne Facebook page
May 17, 2020 - 9:30 AM
The Princeton mayor's petition that claims gas price gouging in rural B.C. has gathered more than 800 signatures, almost reaching his goal.
Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne started a petition on Change.org, April 30, and is seeking 1,000 signatures. Coyne argues rural B.C. gets hit the hardest when it comes to gas prices.
“It’s terrible here. We were paying $1.30 per litre when Penticton gas stations were selling for 90 cents,” he said in a telephone interview today, May 1. “It all comes from the same place. There’s no need for the price difference, with record lows for the price of crude oil, worldwide.”
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In his petition he says southern Interior communities pay prices higher than, or comparable to Vancouver, which has a 51 cent transit tax added to the price of a litre of fuel.
“At the time of this poll, Vancouver gas price is 82.9 and Princeton is 107.9. In Osoyoos the gas price is 93.9. Princeton is 114 km closer to the bulk plant in Kamloops than Osoyoos; Princeton is paying 14 cents more per litre than Osoyoos and 25 cents more per litre than Vancouver, which has the transit tax,” Coyne says in support of his petition.
Rural B.C. doesn’t have transit options available in the big city, he argues, and rural areas use more fuel to conduct activities such as logging, mining, ranching and farming.
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As of May 17, he's collected more than 800 signatures so far.
Princeton's gas prices were listed at $107.9 per litre on May 17. Penticton's prices range from $101.9 to $103.9, according to Gas Buddy. Vancouver's prices range from $99.9 to $101.9, and Osoyoos gas prices are listed at an average of $109.9 per litre, according to the website.
Spencer was not immediately available for comment.
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