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Gas Is Still $1.81 a Litre: Why Pump Prices Won't Fall (and What to Do Before Winter)

  Canadians hoping for relief at the pump got bad news heading into this week: it isn't coming soon. The national average for regular gas was $1.81 a litre on Friday, according to Kalibrate, with provincial averages ranging from $1.557 in Alberta to $2.156 in Newfoundland, per GasBuddy. That's after a big policy move. On Friday the G7 announced plans to release 100 million barrels of oil right away, starting with diesel. Brent crude dipped on the news, then climbed back to about US$102 a barrel by the afternoon. Don't expect the release to show up at your station, because crude is only half the story. Crude oil explains only half your pump price Wood Mackenzie's Jim Mitchell says crude makes up 50 to 60 per cent of the retail price of gas. The rest is the cost of refining it, and that's where the squeeze is. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem pointed to damaged refining capacity worldwide in a Sept. 21 speech, noting that pump prices reflect crude roughly US$40 a ...

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Your lookahead horoscope: December 24, 2023

 


HOROSCOPES IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY

How many of your dreams never got off the ground? Probably a lot, but instead of lamenting what might have been think of your experiences, both good and bad, as the foundations of future success. There is still time to be amazing, but you must start now.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20):

Something you see or hear this week won’t exactly delight you but you are advised to take it seriously rather than try to ignore it. Maybe the universe is trying, in its own subtle way, to shift your thinking in a more positive direction.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21):

Someone you meet on your travels this week is likely to become a firm friend and an influential figure in your life. Some of their ideas may seem a bit way out to your way of thinking but if you are smart you will listen and learn.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21):

What happens over the next few days will ease your fears about your money situation. It will also make you realize how silly it is to believe the worst is going to happen when you have zero evidence to suggest that. Next time though, don’t spend so much.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23):

Something you see on the news this week will inspire you to get involved more in the world at large. Your skill as a communicator and your ability to empathize with those who are down on their luck can make a real difference to other people’s lives.

LEO (July 24 - Aug. 23):

A colleague’s willingness to be outspoken will encourage you to open up and let people in positions of authority know what you can do for them and what they can do for you in return. More than a little bit of their courage will rub off on you.

VIRGO (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23):

The most important thing now is that you believe in yourself even when other people clearly do not. You may be cautious by nature but on this occasion you won’t lose out by taking a risk or two – and you may actually win a great deal.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23):

It may be a fool’s game trying to predict how people will react but the clues are there and if they are strong enough it might benefit you to act on them over the coming week. It should help that you are such a good judge of character.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22):

There are a lot of positive signals coming your way now, so put the overly suspicious side of your nature on hold and act as if you cannot fail. That is more likely to be true if you join with like-minded people to make good things happen.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21):

Good news will come your way this week but as mind planet Mercury is moving retrograde you must make sure that what you are told stands up to scrutiny. Just because a friend was correct in the past does not mean they must be correct now as well.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20):

Pay attention to what a friend or work colleague tells you over the next few days and don’t reject it as nonsense just because it isn’t the majority viewpoint. It may be an unpopular position to hold but it is clearly backed up by the facts.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19):

What you choose to do over the coming week will be so far out in left field that even your closest friends may think you have lost your mind. On the contrary, you know exactly what you are doing – stirring things up for the fun of it!

PISCES (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20):

There is a pattern to the way your life is progressing and if you stand back from everyday concerns over the next few days you should be able to see the shape that is forming. Focus on the bigger picture and let it guide your affairs.


 

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