Gas prices are spiking again and northern NDP MPPs are calling out Doug Ford for failing to act after three years in government, Prices in North Bay are currently around the $1.46 mark.
The political party says it has a bill that would put an end to gas price gouging in northern Ontario.
John Vanthof (Timiskaming-Cochrane), is one of seven MPPs signing a statement that says Doug Ford has had three years to help northerners who are paying the highest prices for gasoline in the province with no end in sight.
"He should have used the tools he has had in his hands since he stepped into office to help make life more affordable for northern families, but he has refused," Vanthof says. "As winter approaches, northern families are facing higher prices for everything from gasoline to home heating to groceries. Doug Ford has an NDP bill in his hands to regulate gas prices in the province which would stop gas price spikes in northern Ontario."
In May of last year, Ford said that much higher gas prices in northern Ontario are 'totally' unfair' and that Minister of Energy Greg Rickford is "all over this."
That was after gas jumping 10 cents a litre In North Bay to the .77 cent range. But prices were much lower in the south...about .72 in the Toronto area.
"Are the gas companies just trying to gouge people?" Ford wondered at the time. "We're going to get an explanation of the gas prices because it's unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. We'll get down to the bottom of this, I promise you. We're already all over this.
See: Gas price difference in northern Ontario 'totally unfair' says Ford
And: Gas stations turn deaf ear to Premier Ford and jack up prices
The NDP’s bill, Fairness in Petroleum Products Pricing Act, 2018, would allow the Ontario Energy Board to regulate the retail price and wholesale mark-up of petroleum products in Ontario. That means that gas prices in Ontario will not fluctuate and could only change once a week.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is highlighting sky-high gas taxes as the price at the pump soars across Canada.
“Drivers are feeling the pain of high gas prices and taxes are making things much worse,” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director with the CTF. “More than a third of the price of gas is actually tax in many provinces. In fact, Canadians even have to pay taxes on top of taxes when they fill up the tank.”
Taxes account for 31 to 42 per cent of the pump price of gasoline, depending on the province.
The federal government and some provinces charge a sales tax on top of other fuel taxes. That means that as the price of gas and fuel taxes increase, the tax-on-tax costs Canadian drivers more money.
"The federal carbon tax is driving up the tax bill. By 2030, the federal carbon tax is expected to cost about 40 cents per litre of gasoline. In addition, Ottawa is implementing a second carbon tax through fuel regulations that could add up to 11 cents per litre. These two carbon taxes could cost a family nearly $40 every time they fuel up their minivan in 2030," says the Federation in a news release.
