The fight for fair gas prices in northern Ontario has moved into North Bay. At their city council meeting this week, Councillor Mike Anthony introduced a motion to petition the province to regulate prices. The majority of council voted in favour of the motion. Anthony says it will give consumers some stability with fewer fluctuations between regions. He says there will still be some price differences, but less so.
Anthony says it may not change things right away, but they have to start somewhere. He says you can’t pass a single motion and have the government jump on board, but he has seen governments back off on issues when communities put the pressure on.
This motion was supported after Elliot Lake’s council shot down a similar one, with some councillors saying it will just cost more because the province will have to create a regulatory body. North Bay will now send their motion onto other northern cities and lobby groups like FONOM for support.
The fight for fair gas prices started recently in Timmins as Mayor Steve Black wants to know why there is a 10 to 20 per cent difference between cities.
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(With files from: Rocco Frangione)