Moose Jaw has seen a jump in gas prices over the last couple of weeks but, according to GasBuddy Petroleum Analyst Patrick Dehaan, has prices could stabilize as we get closer to summer. 

DeHaan said gas prices went up about four cents a litre recently for a number of reasons including a greater demand for gas, the switch over the summer gas and refinery maintenance. 

On April 1, the federal Carbon Tax will be going up to $80 per tonne meaning we will see another four cents per litre increase at the pumps. 

According to DeHaan, the good news is that we could see gas prices stabilize in the next couple of months. 

“I think over the next couple of weeks, call it the next three to six weeks, we could continue to see modest increases. But I think that towards the end of that, as we get to mid to late April, we should be close to a plateau. The plateau on average happens in April or May and then prices may start to decrease slightly ahead of the May long (weekend), but don’t expect a big drop,” DeHaan said. 

However, even with the recent increase to gas prices and the increase in Carbon Tax, DeHaan is hopefully we will not see gas prices reach $2 per litre. 

“Last year, we saw prices in the mid to upper dollar a litre range for summer. Prices were in the 150s for most of what we saw last summer. I’d be hopeful that potentially with the Carbon Tax increase, we may be closer to the 160s for most of the summer this year,” he said. 

According to GasBuddy, in Moose Jaw most gas stations are sitting at 154.9 with the cheapest gas being 148.9. In Regina, gas stations are around 152.9 with the cheapest being 136.9. DeHaan said the provincial average is 151.8. 

Meanwhile, DeHaan said the price of diesel has moderated with a warmer than expected winter cooling off diesel prices. 

He said the average diesel price has been stable from mid-February to late March at 168.9. While it is up from 162.9 in January, DeHaan said the average is still lower than it was a year ago at 170.9. 

Here in Moose Jaw, diesel is 163.9 or 169.9 depending on the gas station according to GasBuddy.