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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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E1 Settlement Approval Deepens Rift Over Two-State Solution

 

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich gestures, on the day of a press conference regarding settlements expansion for the long-frozen E1 settlement, that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 


In a move drawing sharp international condemnation, Israel has granted final approval for the long-disputed E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank — a development critics say could effectively sever the territory and extinguish prospects for a Palestinian state.

The plan, championed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, calls for the construction of roughly 3,400–3,500 housing units linking the Maale Adumim settlement to Jerusalem. Supporters within Israel’s right-wing coalition frame it as a strategic safeguard for national security and a fulfillment of long-standing political promises. Smotrich declared, “The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions”.

Opponents — including the United Nations, European governments, and Palestinian leaders — warn the project will bisect the West Bank, isolate Palestinian communities, and undermine the geographic continuity essential for a viable two-state solution. The German government reiterated that such settlement activity violates international law, while the UN cautioned it would “drive a stake through the heart” of peace efforts.

The E1 plan, frozen in previous years under U.S. and European pressure, could see infrastructure work begin within months and home construction within a year. Its approval comes amid heightened tensions in the West Bank and ongoing conflict in Gaza, further complicating the already fragile path toward a negotiated resolution.

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