Pain at the pumps causing Lethbridge residents to rethink summer plans

A gas station in Lethbridge.

This year marks the first summer since 2019 where COVID-19 restrictions won't hinder your travel plans if you're sticking within Alberta, but some say the sky-rocketing cost of fuel still might.

"It certainly has an effect on the plans," said Wade Olsen.

"It doesn't change it drastically, because we choose to camp, but it’s definitely noticed at the pump."

A new survey by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) suggests 66 per cent of drivers plan to cancel or limit their summer road trips due to fuel prices.

Murray Tripp, an avid camper who lives out of his fifth-wheel trailer for six months of the year, says he plans on sticking around southern Alberta for the summer.            

"I try and not travel as much,” said Tripp.

"I probably try and book a campground for a month at a time, so (there's) not very much travelling.”

Those who’re hoping for some reprieve at the pumps in the near future are out of luck, according to GasBuddy.com.

"Gasoline inventories continue to decline even with demand softening due to high prices, a culmination of less refining capacity than we had prior to COVID and strong consumption, a situation that doesn’t look to improve drastically anytime soon," said head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, Patrick Dehaan, in a statement.

The CEO of Tourism Lethbridge, however, sees the rising cost of fuel as an opportunity for the Lethbridge area and southern Alberta as a whole.

"There are going to people looking to stay a little closer (to home) or explore things in their own back yard a bit more," said Erin Crane.

"That’s exactly what we're here for. There’s so much here in the region to do."

The average cost of fuel in Canada is $2.06 per litre, up 11 cents from the week prior.

Alberta still has the lowest average cost of fuel in the country sitting at $1.79 per litre.

Fuel prices are expected to climb another three cents in the coming days, according to Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.