ROTHENBURGER: Maybe we shouldn’t complain so much about gas rebates

So, who has Premier John Horgan pleased with this move? Absolutely nobody, it would seem.

The criticisms are accurate in that the rebates won’t make a noticeable difference to anybody’s budgets. We’ll fill up with that one tank of ‘free’ gas, and then we’ll forget about it.

Horgan’s talk of finding a solution to high gas prices certainly hasn’t resulted in anything much. We’re still at the mercy of the oil companies and, now, we have the added pressures caused by the invasion of Ukraine.

But maybe this is a time we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe we should take our $110 or our $165 and accept it for what it is — a small blessing, kind of like finding a shiny quarter on the ground or a prize in a box of popcorn.

The gesture is costing $395 million, which is no small piece of change. How many more millions or billions would have made us happy? Let’s be real — Horgan won’t satisfy anyone until he finds a way to temper gas prices in the long term, and that isn’t actually going to happen. So, let’s just take our cheques and enjoy one trip to the pumps without complaining about what it’s costing us.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: Maybe we shouldn’t complain so much about gas rebates

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