Canada: Guzzling up their way of life

Fuel costs may be frustrating city-dwellers, but in rural Canada it’s a much grimmer picture. Gas prices are virtually doubling community budgets and driving farmers to question their profession

Prices at the pumps have shattered records across the country in recent weeks, with experts seeing no signs of reprieve in the near future.

But while the woes of those living in urban centres are being heard loud and clear, many rural Canadians have already reached a point where they’re struggling to survive, according to residents, business owners and politicians.


Gas prices in rural Canada are as much as 20 cents higher per litre than the national average, according to statistics by MJ Ervin & Associates, a Calgary-based energy consultancy that monitors fuel prices across Canada. In some outlying regions, as reported by locals, they are even higher.

Not only do rural residents pay more, they depend on petroleum products more as well, they say. From long drives into town for picking up essentials to filling up farm machinery or fishing boats, the impact is simply huge.

Globe and Mail