Of things to come

Is price gouging being carried out by the big oil and gas companies? Of course. Is there anything to be gained by consumers from the high prices? Probably. As gas prices soar in the past few days, so does the chorus from consumers who believe they are being hosed at the pumps. Washington State is launching an investigation into gasoline prices and the NDP energy critic is calling on the B.C. and Canadian governments to do the same.

To take the cynical view, how could there not be price gouging going on? Prices rise, pretty much in unison, all over B.C., just as they have been doing in Washington state. Meanwhile, profits soar.


Unfortunately, as prices climb, so does the inability of many people to pay the bills. The effect of rising gas prices spreads throughout communities like a spark burning its way along a fuse. The cost to deliver, even manufacture, many goods becomes prohibitive.

The silver lining in this cloud, if it can be seen as such, is it gives communities time to prepare for the future. While this current hike may be temporary, it is a sign of things to come.

The term