Gas, food prices on the rise in Sask.
The cost to fill up your tank and your grocery cart is on the rise in Saskatchewan.
In Regina, gas prices jumped approximately seven cents overnight, to an average of $1.382 per litre. In Saskatoon, the average gas price is $1.36 per litre.
According GasBuddy, the rise in the cost of gas is due to swelling oil prices over the past week and a half. The price of oil is now at it’s highest level in seven years.
“There’s been kind of a looming energy crunch that’s been developing globally. And much of it is probably due to COVID-19,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
DeHann said disruptions in supply chains have lead to a drop in China’s coal inventory, and a natural gas shortage in Europe has driven the price of that commodity higher.
“And all of that has sent another form of energy, crude oil — which can be used to back up both of those — (to) accelerating prices as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, the price of food is also going up. According to the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, meat, dairy and other groceries have increased in recent months. On average, food is five per cent more expensive than it was this time last year.
“The ongoing pandemic has continued to disrupt shipping patterns from trading partners. And not just commodities, but things like packaging,” said Janet Music, the Agri-Food Analytics Lab research program coordinator.
Music said adverse weather events have also impacted prices.
“Droughts in the prairies cause farmers to shrink their herds a bit, which has resulted in really high meat prices at the meat counter. Some cuts are 30 per cent more,” she said. “Wildfires in California disrupts where produce comes from.”
The packaging shortage means the ‘centre of the store’ items will also cost consumers more.
“Cookies and oils and noodles, those things have really increased in price,” said Music. “They’re staples and generally speaking, we can’t cook without them.”
According to Music, the end of the pandemic should help the ‘bottlenecking’ at shipping ports. However, she said it’s hard to predict when, or even if, adverse weather events will stop.
“I think it’s safe to say that five per cent is going to be normal right up through Christmas,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.