Gas prices in Alberta climbing ahead of Thanksgiving long weekend
The price at the pump continues to trend upward in Calgary with the average price of fuel sitting at 162.6 cents a litre Wednesday morning, though some stations in the city are posting fuel closer to 172.9 cents a litre.
The cost of fuel has been on the rise in both Calgary and Edmonton since the last week of September with market analysts attributing the jump, in part, to a struggling Canadian dollar.
The jump in prices was exacerbated for consumers by the resumption of 4.5 cents per litre of the provincial fuel tax on Oct 1.
A meeting between OPEC+ oil-producing countries on Wednesday could drive prices at the pump even higher, as the alliance is considering cutting a million barrels of crude a day or more which would be the largest quota cut since 2020.
"When OPEC cuts oil a million to two million barrels a day than of course the world will wind up with three or four million barrels short so that means basically gas prices have nowhere to go but up," said market analyst Dan McTeague.
The cut in oil production is to boost oil prices that have fallen from summer highs of over US$100 to around US$80 a barrel for crude.
The higher prices would also help OPEC+ member Russia which will likely have to lower its prices to find new customers once a European ban goes into effect.
News of the possible cut in production is already impacting the price of oil in Canada, with WTI crude trading up more than US$87 a barrel Wednesday morning.
With files from The Canadian Press, CTV News and BNN
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ontario doctors disciplined over Israel-Gaza protests
A number of doctors are facing scrutiny for publicizing their opinions on the Israel-Hamas war. Critics say expressing their political views could impact patient care, while others say that it is being used as an excuse for censorship.
Here is what Canada's drug shortage situation looks like right now
Compared to the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Canada experienced an uptick in prescription drug shortages in 2022 that Health Canada says has continued throughout 2023.
'We wish we could've reached that kid earlier,' says online educator about boy's suicide after apparent sextortion
The chat may seem innocuous at first. The victims, often young men or boys, start communicating with someone posing as a young girl, typically on the popular social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat. But with sextortion, which occurs when people are blackmailed for money or sexual favours, 'sextorters' convince them to share a sexual photo or video.
'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google
The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.
Live updates Hamas frees 10 Israeli women and children, 4 Thai nationals
A group of 10 Israeli women and children and four Thai nationals have been handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross late Wednesday, the Israeli military said. The release was expected to be followed by Israel freeing 30 Palestinian prisoners. Two Russian-Israeli women were also freed in a separate release earlier Wednesday evening and have arrived back in Israel.
Provinces are moving away from pap smears, but more infrastructure is needed
Some provinces are moving to HPV tests as the primary mode of cervical cancer screening, and others are close behind, an expert says.
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
Musk uses expletive to tell audience he doesn't care about advertisers that fled X over hate speech
Billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that advertisers who have halted spending on his social media platform X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material are engaging in "blackmail" and, using a profanity, essentially told them to go away.
U.S. says alleged murder plotter was directed by India and mentioned B.C. killing
U.S. officials have charged an Indian national in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil – in a case they say is connected to the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.