Nova Scotia gas prices reach $2 per litre in parts of province

Nova Scotia gas and diesel prices rose Friday, with the price of gas reaching $2 per litre in the Cape Breton area.

The regulated price of gas ranges from a minimum of 198.5 cents per litre in the Halifax area, Zone 1, and is highest in Cape Breton area, Zone 6, at a minimum of 200.5 cents per litre. Friday's increase bumped the price up by more than seven cents a litre.

The price of diesel increased by roughly 4.5 cents per litre in each zone. A litre of it goes for at least 245.8 cents in the Halifax area, which is the cheapest price in the province.

The latest prices for gas and diesel mark record highs in Nova Scotia.

Gas lobbyist Dan McTeague told CBC News a week ago that a tightness in supply, combined with shifting energy priorities and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are causing an energy crisis.

"The years and years of this idea that we can somehow wish away oil and gas has now begun to bear fruit, and unfortunately it's a very bitter harvest for most Canadians," he said.

"Countries that could step up to the plate with additional spare barrels of oil and capacity are no longer in a position to do that — Canada being the most notable one, the third-largest reserves in the world.

"We've spent a considerable amount of time and discourse in this country shutting down pipelines, and as a result, Mr. Putin and others who have oil are able to hold us literally over the proverbial barrel of diesel or oil."

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