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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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Washington Pressures Kyiv With Threats to Halt Military Aid

 

People stand at a makeshift memorial for the victims who were killed when a Russian missile hit an apartment building on Wednesday, , in Ternopil, Ukraine.

The United States has reportedly escalated pressure on Ukraine by threatening to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons supplies unless Kyiv agrees to the framework of a U.S.-brokered peace deal. According to sources familiar with the matter, Washington has presented Ukraine with a 28-point plan that aligns with several of Russia’s demands, including requiring Kyiv to cede additional territory, reduce the size of its military, and abandon aspirations to join NATO.

The move marks the most intense pressure Ukraine has faced from Washington during the war. U.S. officials are said to be pushing for Ukraine to sign the framework by next Thursday, signaling a desire to bring the conflict to a close even if it requires significant concessions from Kyiv. One source noted bluntly, “They want to stop the war and want Ukraine to pay the price.”

A delegation of senior U.S. military officials recently met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss the proposal. While Zelenskyy has not outright rejected the plan, he has reportedly been cautious in his response, balancing the need to maintain U.S. support with the risk of alienating allies in Europe who may oppose such concessions.

The plan has sparked concern among Ukrainian officials and observers, who fear that accepting it could undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and embolden Russia. Critics argue that forcing Kyiv into concessions under threat of losing military support risks destabilizing the region further, while supporters of the U.S. approach insist that ending the war—even through compromise—is a priority.

This development underscores the fragile balance between military support and diplomatic pressure in the ongoing war, raising questions about how far Washington is willing to go to secure a peace deal and whether Ukraine can withstand the mounting pressure without fracturing its alliances.


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