For many of us, the first ‘oh, oh’ moment of 2017 was when we filled up our vehicle with gas. This week gas stations across the Lower Mainland were sporting $1.35 per litre signs. Yes, $1.35.
And, not surprisingly, these prices are apparently not supported by any economic reality. The bump in price was due to investors thinking there might be a shortage of gas coming out of certain producers. And, apparently, that speculation was completely unfounded. Welcome to 2017.
But it’s hard to empathize with those of us who still complain about gas prices. After all, we should be using public transit, or at the very least, be pleased that high prices will force more people to use less fossil fuels. But it doesn’t all end with gas prices. You’re also going to pay more for parking that vehicle in certain areas of Burnaby. A plan most of us can certainly support. After all, who wants to see folks hog those street spaces? And all of that parking cash goes into city coffers, which, hopefully, takes a bit of the load off of taxpayers.
Even if you are a much better person and choose to use public transit, you’re going to get dinged there as well.
TransLink plans on increasing its single-use fares by 10 cents starting July 1, while monthly passes will go up by $2.
And then there’s all of those other things going up.
MSP premiums will rise for most folks (about $136 to $150 more per year), but lower-income folks will get a bit of a break.
Food will go up, as usual. The weaker Canadian dollar is to blame, but transporting all of those foreign fruits is also costly.
And keeping warm (particularly when it is as cold as it is now) will cost more.
Hydro rates are going up 3.5 per cent starting April 1, while Fortis B.C. customers will see a 2.76 per cent increase on their electricity bill starting Jan. 1.
It’s no surprise that taxes are also going up, and, of course, ICBC rates as well.
If you only look at one or two of these latter items, you could just shrug it off. But when you add it all up and throw in sundry other increases, it starts to sting. And then take away your homeowner’s grant because your bungalow is now worth $1.5 million and you have a situation where a lot of people are going to have to rework their budgets.
It might just be time to cash in those wishes for prosperity in 2107.
