(CFJC Today/File photo).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHNENBURGER: Here’s what we should all do with our gas-price rebate cheques

Apr 5, 2022 | 4:30 AM

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LAUGHING at Premier John Horgan’s suggestion that electric-vehicle owners donate their gas-price rebate cheques to charity.

But maybe he’s actually onto something without knowing it. It’s become very obvious that British Columbians aren’t at all appreciative of the NDP government’s gesture in handing out ICBC rebates in recognition of high prices at the pump.

All policy owners are eligible; commercial policy holders can get $165 while everyone else gets $110. “Hrymphh!” say vehicle owners, “that barely pays for a fill-up these days.”

So maybe those of us who depend on fossil fuels to move our vehicles should join EV owners in donating our rebates to a worthy cause. If Horgan’s offer truly is such a pittance, unworthy of our attention and certainly not our gratitude, turning our rebates over for a different purpose would be of absolutely no inconvenience to us, right?

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And I can think of no more worthy cause than the Ukraine humanitarian effort. As we all know, Ukrainians are starving, being murdered, or desperately fleeing their country. This puts huge pressure on European and Western countries who have reached out with a helping hand.

The ICBC rebates will total $390 million. Think what that could buy in food, medicine and other supports needed for the refugees. The rise in gas prices has been caused at least in part due to the war in Ukraine — what a nice thing it would be if we accept the situation as the price of our support for Ukrainians, and instead of whining about how much it’s costing us, turned the equivalent of a single gas fill-up back to them.

That’s what I’m going to do. We don’t have an electric vehicle in our family, though we do have a hybrid. A “free” fill-up would have been nice, but I can live without it a lot more easily than people suffering in Ukraine can do without food, water, and shelter.

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.