Gas Buddy's senior analyst Dan McTeague says changes in the composition between winter and summer fuel sometimes requires refinery shutdowns. These shutdowns are normally a couple of days.
Roger McNight, En-Pro chief petroleum analyst, says that Canada doesn't produce enough product to meet its needs. Canada currently sell its Western Canada Select (crude oil) at below world prices. Recent changes in U.S. laws allow U.S. refineries to sell their product on the world market. It may add up to two dollars a barrel to fuel and that impacts businesses. This means that we aren't guaranteed getting enough fuel back from them to meet our own needs. It also means that we will likely have to pay more for fuel than what we should.
The pipeline problems are a hindrance which represent 60-75 per cent of British Columbia needs. Without the pipeline, this could push our fuel prices to $2 a litre. Alberta's fuel cost would go up also.
What all this information tells me we need to increase our refinery capacity here in Canada. We shouldn't be so reliant on U.S. refined fuel. In a land of a lot of raw resources, we have to look after ourselves first.
Stan New
Prince George
