Regulate gas prices, MPP Gilles Bisson tells province

The NDP MPP for Timmins-James Bay is calling for gas price regulation after noticing a 26 cent-per-litre hike in the north last week.

Gilles Bisson said there was also a 10-cent-per-litre difference between Kirkland Lake and Timmins.

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He posed the question in Queen's Park yesterday, asking why the province can't control the price of gas.

And he compared it to the price of beer, which he says is the same in Kenora as it is in downtown Toronto.

"If you can sell a case of beer in Kenora for the same price you can sell it in downtown Toronto, how is it you're going to have a 26 cent per litre difference on the price of gas? I ask you again, are you prepared to step in and get these guys under control, and if not, regulate them," he said.

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli responded by saying that provinces that have tried to regulate prices saw them stay the same or rise to cover the cost of regulation.

"The provinces which have tried to regulate, Mr. Speaker, have seen their prices stay the same as the other provinces or they went up, Mr. Speaker, because of the cost of administering the price controls they're trying to implement."

The Consumers Council of Canada said gasprices vary from place to place for many reasons:

• Tax rates vary from one province to another and, in some cases, within provinces.
• Areas that have higher gas prices are often farther from the major terminals that supply them incur higher transportation costs.
• Stations in large urban centres generally sell higher volumes so their cost per litre is lower.
• Large stations often have more opportunity to sell other goods and services, and these additional revenues make it possible for gasoline to be sold for less.

Bisson said the government should regulate gas prices, given that it eliminated public transportation through Ontario Northland.