A Comment by Becky Day
I don’t know about you but the price of gas is killing me.
Becky Day
I drive (from the Niagara, Ontario community of Thorold) to Vineland once or twice a day for work and I’m paying an average of about $90 a week to fill up. I cringe when I look at the final total. Unfortunately, my pay hasn’t increased to keep up with the rising prices so I’m actually losing money going to work now.
I know a lot of people who are driving over the river (to Buffalo or Niagara Falls, New York) to get gas right now. Personally this isn’t a good option for me because I don’t have time, and if I were to go, I likely wouldn’t save any money anyway because I’d probably end up shopping at the Outlet Mall or Target. You laugh, but I know myself pretty well. In addition, the last thing I feel like doing at the end of the day is driving more!
At our last meeting, Thorold Council unanimously supported joining the Town of Fort Erie in a petition to the province which supports the formation of a gas task force that will look into these rising gas prices. It may not make a difference, but if every municipality and region followed suit, Dalton McGuinty and his friends might actually take note.
While the provincial government claims it has helped Ontario families through tax cuts and credits, I don’t see that anything has been done to alleviate the impact of rising gas prices on my pocket book. Maybe it’s time they stop sending people over the river for gas and try helping our own economy by providing incentives for people to fill up here at home.
Becky Day is a long-time journalist in Niagara now serving as a an elected councillor in the City of Thorold, Ontario. She has a blog on community issues that you can visit at http://movingthoroldforward.com/ . Check it out.
(Encourage your friends to visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com to engage in and support the growth of a truly independent source of news and commentary for our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
When gas prices approach European levels, we will have the incentives in place (finally), to make alternative technologies mainstream. Too bad so many will make so much (think tar sands/Mordor) in the interim. We need to further incentivize hybrid vehicles etc. to make them mass-produced and mainstream, to get ahead of the game. Unfortunately, that won’t likely happen because the Tories will likely win the provincial election and set us back even further while the competitve world (think Asia, China, maybe the U.S) bypasses us yet again and makes a fortune from alternative technology while we wallow in the false gold of fossil fuels and continue to embarrass ourselves internationally.
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For once I have to semi-disagree with you Mark. Unfortunately for those of us living rurally, there are no alternatives but driving to work, etc. The preices are exorbitant to be sure while gas and oil companies, not to mention the government make billions on taxes. While I realize these taxes help fund health care, education and so on, theprofits are extreme and government inefficiencies with these revenues absurd.
Of course I agree we should use alternative fuels but while the military-industrial complex is doleing out payoffs to politicians there will never be incentive to find the alternatives which surely are there. Personally I would love rapid transit systems in place of the QEW but that does not seem to be on the agenda, nor do citizens wish to give up the independence afforded by private vehicles. I am guilty too. Until governments get serious about alternate fuels and the environment nothing will happen. I find it amazing that, with the recent federal election and upcoming provincial election, these matters are barely even mentioned and we are not adamant enough as a people to bring it to the fore. The politicians are paid off and the public is lacadaisical.
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Becky First;
Last week I bought gas in NY state for $3.59 a 3.785 liter gallon the same size gallon when computed using Welland liter costs equals $4.92.
Milk at Aldi’s was $179 a 3.785 liter gallon whereas four liters in Ontario cost us $4.79
Eggs at Aldis range from $0.79 a doz to $1.25 whereas in Ontario a doz eggs costs us anywhere from $2.19 to $3.00 +
Mustard, Ketchup, jams and jellies, bread …such a wide range hotdog or hamburg buns etc etc it’s pathetic
Now Mark
The Oil Industry is the controlling dictators who basically says who, when and why and they pour millions into electing governments that will comply to their demands..We in Canada see of Federal government subsidize the foreign owned oil companies to the tune of over a billion dollars yearly while they pollute our country. our lakes and our total existance.
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I would like to see the government put more subsidies into hybrid cars so that more of us can afford them. If they stopped subsidizing the oil industry, they would have more money to subsidize hybrids etc.
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… and there needs to be better and more efficient and convenient public transit alternatives for those that don’t drive, or cannot for whatever reason. Non-drivers are marginalized in our region. Don’t believe it? Tear up your driver’s license and sell your car, and then try to live the lifestyle you have become used to.
Personally, I think it will take policies that will make driving pay for itself, than leaving all taxpayers — drivers and non-drivers alike — covering these costs, while non-drivers are further marginalized. For many of us, it is NOT a choice.
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