2 minute read
We did it!
BC starts investigating Powell River fuel prices
BY PIETA WOOLLEY | pieta@priiving.ca
Since October of 2019, I’ve reported on the Powell River fight for fair gas prices each month. In June, we got the first real piece of good news since then.
The BC Utilities Commission confirmed it will be using the new Fuel Prices Transparancy Act to investigate why Powell River’s gas prices are so much higher than other communities–and why prices here spent so much time not varying in 2019. It’s exactly what locals asked for in the petition we sent to the Province in early March. In fact, the Commission has set up a website so you can track information as it comes in: gaspricesbc.ca.
Last month, MP Rachel Blaney reported that federally, the Minister responsible did not do what Powell River asked on the petition–to ask the Competition Bureau to investigate.
ROAD TRIP: MLA Nicholas Simons, pictured here outside the Shell station on Joyce, has been hammering on the minister responsible for the BC Utilities Commission for more than a year, asking for answers. Now, it looks like they’ll be forthcoming. Great job, Nick!
“We’re pleased to see, that unlike the federal government, our provincial NDP government is taking this seriously with the Fuel Price Transparency Act and the recent announcement on the expanded inquiry by the BCUC,” said Rachel. “Consumers in Powell River and on the North Island in particular deserve to know why they’re paying so much more than in other communities for their gas.”
Here is what MLA Nicholas Simons had to say:
Why has this process been important?
MLA Nicholas Simons • I remember complaining about gas prices when I was in opposition, and it was raised on numerous occasions. But the previous government simply put their hands up and said they had no power to do anything. We’ve shown the public that some governments actually do respond to community concerns.
Is this what you were hoping for?
MLA Nicholas Simons • Well, we’re on the way toward getting what we are looking for, and that is transparency and how the price of gas is set. Ultimately of course, we’re not asking for the lowest price, we just want fairness.
About how long should we patiently wait for information to start rolling in?
MLA Nicholas Simons • I’m hoping we get some answers by the end of the year, but if anyone is going to be impatient it’s me.
What should we know about the other communities being investigated?
MLA Nicholas Simons • I don’t know much about the issues other communities raised with the Utilities Commission, but clearly they were concerned about their prices, even though they were usually considerably lower than ours in Powell River and on the Lower Coast.
