In this case I believe there is justification in at least revisiting a local inequity that just doesn’t want to go away. In my earlier post I attempted to understand why there should be such a vast difference between the per litre price for gas in Dawson as opposed to Whitehorse. Local lore will always smirkingly reply; “Oh well, that’s the way it is here, we’re always more expensive than Whitehorse!” Why sustain this defeatist and perverse pride of acceptance when we have the ability to make a change?

I’m bringing this issue up again because market observers have said recently that the price of gasoline has stabilized and will follow a flat-line trend well into September. Furthermore, the average price at the pumps in Whitehorse hovers around $1.04 per litre.

I’m assuming that the fuel wholesaler North60 supplies some of the Whitehorse outlets as it does the only gas station within the Dawson town-site which it also happens to own. Yet the per litre price at their gas station here seems to have frozen at around $1.30 per litre regardless of market fluctuations in the real world.

I raise the question, why is this? Is it a business strategy, is it because older more expensive inventory hasn’t been sold or is it to cover off unusually high overhead?

Can we speculate that perhaps we are witnessing a case of opportunistic exploitation of a fortuitous market condition? During music fest weekend I noticed the lineups at the pumps as they filled up for the drive home. I felt sorry for them knowing that there’s a cheaper alternative only a few klicks down the highway.

Consumers have the right to ask retailers about their pricing policies. For them to say “If you don’t like it go elsewhere.” is an unacceptable answer to those of us who raise questions and are trying to improve the cost of living here.

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