This morning, as my son was heading off to work, I gave him one of my much-loved gentle reminders. I’ve found that my sons respond best to hearing the same message many times over. They say I’m repeating myself. I say I have to tell them the same thing over and over just to get it through their heads. Tomato, tomatoh.
Anyway, this morning’s gentle reminder was that, with the long weekend coming, the price of gas was likely to go up a bit, so he should fill his tank today before it happens. Well — huzzah! — he did it yesterday! He actually remembered my oft-stated warning about long-weekend gas gouging, and did something about it.
So I was feeling pretty good about myself, until I realized that I hadn’t heeded my own advice and filled up. I honestly didn’t think it was going to be a problem, because the hikes don’t usually happen until Wednesday or Thursday before a long weekend. So, I went out today with the intent of filling up at the already outrageous price of $1.10 a litre.
Well, the bastards beat me to it. The price of gasoline in Edmonton rose 8 cents a litre overnight. EIGHT FREAKIN’ CENTS A LITRE!
Now, I’m accustomed to the regular rip-off of jacked-up gas prices before a long weekend, but 8 cents a litre is gouging on an epic scale.
Now, if you were to ask the flacks from Big Oil why the price went up, they would calmly explain — in the manner of an adult talking to a slightly dense child — that prices are calculated on market forces, or that external forces are putting the squeeze on prices, or a refinery in Texas is out of commission resulting in a shortage of gasoline that is amazingly felt in Edmonton. There are no shortages of explanations, none of them true.
So, how to do we explain why Big Oil raised the price of gasoline 8 cents a litre, simultaneously, overnight, just before a long weekend?
If the Big Oil flacks were truthful (which, as professional liars, they are not), they would simply shrug their shoulders and say: “We jacked up the price because we can. Live with it, princess.”
It continues to astound me how the federal and provincial governments turn a blind eye to the obvious collusion of Big Oil. Overnight price hikes of exactly the same amount cannot be coincidental, or blamed on market forces. These guys are gougers, and the federal Tories couldn’t care less, since Big Oil calls the shots.
Let’s be honest. It’s not a free market. The big boys do as they please, because there is no one to stop them.
There. I feel a little better now. Still screwed, still ripped off, but marginally less angry.
In This Corner 
They trained us well in 2011 when all the jumps were minimum 6 cents a litre. A few were 8 cents; one was 10 cents. This year, it is clear that the standard jump will be 8 cents.
Disgusting.
Right on and I thought oligopolies were illegal. Only if the government wants the law enforced.