Not even the cold weather is putting a stop to changing gas prices this week, according to the latest outlook from Gas Buddy.

Senior Petroleum Analyst Dan McTeague expects prices to drop through most of Western Canada but they won't stay that way.

"We've seen prices drop to $1.05, $1.09 in our area here in Airdrie and around a lot of Southern Alberta. The reality is, however, it's still costing gasoline stations, most that I can see, a $1.02 to buy their fuel."

McTeague said many stations are selling close to wholesale market prices or directly in line with them, which means they aren't making as much of a profit as they can. In the long run, these stations just can't afford to keep that practice going.

"You have to be selling a lot of potato chips or have a rich uncle or be a big box store to be able to sustain those kind of low price," said McTeague. "Until we start to see wholesale prices drop and you're going to see a little bit today, tomorrow and Friday."

If you can take advantage of the prices this week, McTeague says you should before the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day.

"You'll probably see the prices in and around this price range, between $1.02 and $1.09, at least until the first of January, at which point of course we are introduced to another 2.3 cent a litre increase, which of course is the carbon tax here in Alberta."

 

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