I read with great interest John Harding’s editorial on the price of gas. According to The Kent Group, one of the reasons for our higher gas prices is that smaller communities don’t pump as much gas as larger centres.
As I write, the price of gas in Parksville is 109.9/L while the price in Ladysmith is 99.9/L. Ladysmith’s population is 8,000 while Parksville is 12,000. I also found it interesting that Harding chose to protect our gas stations and our economy by discouraging residents to drive elsewhere for gas. It is the age old argument for ‘buy local’ of which I am a very strong proponent. I do not fully understand the reason for the high prices here, but I suspect it may be because of the large number of seniors that do not drive long distances so the gas stations feel they have a captive audience. This means the stations can charge whatever they want without concern for the residents of Oceanside going elsewhere.
I have changed my gas-buying habits already.
Jerry FilipskiParksville