Pirate's Cove

When governments play social justice/climate justice games with citizen’s lives, things tend not to go well

Gas prices are rising: Here’s how it will make living in Canada more expensive

Canadians living in Alberta and Ontario saw gas prices spike in the New Year due to carbon pricing.

But don’t expect the price hikes to stop there.

“I think 2017 is probably going to be more expensive than the past two to three years, and not just for gasoline but also for diesel,” gasoline analyst Dan McTeague told Global News Tuesday. (snip)

An increase in fuel costs will also take a bite out of the budgets of non-drivers. Here’s a look at the various ways higher fuel prices will impact Canadians.

As you can expect, prices for just about everything will rise. And as prices rise, consumer spending will decrease. It’ll reduce people taking vacations. It will create a lot of problems for people out in the rural areas.

(Lethbridge Herald) Alberta’s carbon tax is now a reality, with the levy being implemented as of Jan. 1. The effects of the tax showed up immediately with prices at the pumps taking a sizable jump. The amount of the carbon levy added to gasoline was 4.5 cents per litre, but locally that hike followed a six-cent increase at some gas stations just before the new year, meaning the price at some pumps in Lethbridge is 10.5 cents per litre higher than it was last week, suggesting there are other factors involved than just the carbon tax.

It remains to be seen how that will affect the cost of other goods and services as the trickle-down effect takes place. The predictions in that regard are wide-ranging. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimated a carbon tax would mean an annual hit of $2,500 to the average household’s wallet. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has said the additional costs would be $1,250 per year. A Maclean’s magazine article in October noted Alberta government estimates were suggesting indirect costs of $100 to $200 per year for the average household. The Trudeau government, which had been pressuring provinces to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions or the feds would do it for them, hasn’t offered much in the way of projected costs to Canadian households.

When it comes to things like this, you can always expect the government assessment to be way to low when reality hits.

(Daily Herald Tribune) The government has said it’s using the carbon tax as a way of changing Albertans’ behaviour “by encouraging individuals and businesses to become more energy efficient.” Premier Rachel Notley drew fire last month after suggesting that some people might decide to walk or take a bus if gas becomes too expensive.

This rubbed Terry Vigen the wrong way.

“If you’re in the country and you gotta go to work and it’s 30 below? She’s out to lunch.”

Government should stop messing with people’s lives for their social experiments.

Vigen noted Australia’s failed experiment with its own unpopular carbon tax, which it eventually repealed. The same thing might happen here, he suggested.

He makes a good point. The parties that passed the carbon taxes in Australia were blown out in the following elections. In Queensland 2012, Labor lost so many seats they weren’t even a recognized political party. But, hey, Leftists, keep pushing for these types of policies for Everyone Else. You don’t even want to pay them yourselves.