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By Katie Neustaeter

REFRACTION

NEUSTAETER: Hosed at the pumps — British Columbians pay again

Apr 28, 2019 | 12:30 AM

I REMEMBER TALKING TO A FRIEND about where to fill up a few years ago as she was loading her four children into the most economically sound option for a family vehicle that they could possibly own (shout-out to the minivan) when she said, “At the end of the day, what am I going to do; not drive?! Whether gas is two cents cheaper at one station or not, I still can’t afford it AND I still have to get my kids to school, piano, the doctor and gymnastics today. I have no options.”

And she was absolutely right.

It’s easy to say, “Walk more, use public transit, ride share, etc.”, but the fact is if your home is 20 kilometres from your work (or more if you live in a rural community), public transit requires transfers and limited scheduling, you have active kids who are often going different directions simultaneously and your provincial government keeps stalling ride-sharing like a toddler resisting naptime, then you kind of have to drive your car (or Swagger Wagon for all the Mamas out there).

I think it’s fair to say that here in British Columbia we were already pretty enraged by the price of gas even before this week when they began to skyrocket even more than usual.

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Carbon tax, protests, pipelines, foreign powers, conflicting world views and good old fashioned selfishness along with a whole lot of political red tape have all contributed to the average family in BC being completely hosed (pun intended) at the pumps for quite some time now. But a week ago when a new premier was elected in Alberta, anyone in BC who had been paying attention at all to the friction between our provinces knew that we were probably in for a whole new world of hurting.

Sure enough if you went to GasBuddy.com just over a week post Alberta election you would have noticed that Alberta had the lowest gas prices in the country, clocking in at a (still ridiculous) $1.206 while BC had the highest prices at a stomach-turning $1.532. (The national average in Canada comes in at $1.327.)

Whether that was a signal to British Columbians from our next-door neighbours or a coincidence that BC gas prices increased so quickly after the election, it felt like foreshadowing of worse to come.

Unless the people who we elected put on their adult pants and work across both aisles and boarders to find reasonable solutions to the problems that significantly impact the everyday lives and livelihoods of the people they represent, the breakdown of love between BC’s odd (and somewhat hamstrung) coalition government and Alberta’s incoming ire-filled government over pipelines and priorities is going to continue to hurt the relationship between the provinces and the people who comprise them.

Contributing internal factors like the carbon tax are supposed to be the catalysts that force the public to reduce their vehicle use, but since that is not yet a realistic option for the average British Columbian, the end result is a public that is taxed to death for a problem that we have very little control over, while our government pats itself on the back for appeasing the coalition partner to whom they are beholden. Meanwhile, the only significant impact being made is to the people and not the environment while cross-provincial relationships dissolve before our eyes.

Contributing external factors like fundamentally different environmental priorities, job creation and economic sustainability are not going to change for either province and must, therefore, be met in a reasonable middle before we have an all-out trade war between neighbours at a time when both provinces can least afford it.

I don’t blame the incoming Albertan government for having their backs up when it comes to the seemingly arrogant and indifferent position of the NDP/Green BC government and I don’t blame the BC government for wanting better standards and practices when it comes to risks involving our natural resources and respect for our Indigenous communities, but the fact is that it’s time for everyone to lay down their weapons and find a solution.

It’s complicated; we get it. There are influencing factors that I haven’t even touched on that make significant contributions to the problem. But at the end of the day, it’s time for something to give, and it can’t just be the wallets of the people and our relationship with our neighbours on the other side of the Rockies.

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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 the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.