Most gas suppliers in B.C. are refusing to share how they set prices at the pump just days before hearings on the issue are set to begin at a public inquiry.
The B.C. Utilities Commission has been ordered to review the last four years of gas and diesel pricing in the province and asked suppliers to complete a questionnaire about various business aspects including their profit margins.
Commission CEO David Morton said the inquiry panel is working to determine if it needs the financial information and to assure the companies that it wonB次元官网网址檛 release confidential information.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think thereB次元官网网址檚 any cause for alarm,B次元官网网址� Morton said in an interview on Wednesday.
The suppliers range from Shell and Imperial to Suncor, Husky, Super Save and 7-11, but documents submitted to the commission show that only 7-11 has responded with details about how it sets the price per litre at the pumps.
It has requested the information not be released publicly and the utilities commission has complied, posting a redacted version of 7-11B次元官网网址檚 questionnaire response on its website.
The other suppliers offered almost identical reasons for withholding profit margin data, with HuskyB次元官网网址檚 submission citing B次元官网网址渃ommercially sensitive informationB次元官网网址� that is B次元官网网址渘ot shared publicly or between refiners.B次元官网网址�
As the price of a litre of regular gasoline in mid-May, Premier John Horgan , saying that gas and diesel price increases were B次元官网网址渁larming, increasingly out of line with the rest of Canada, and people in B.C. deserve answers.B次元官网网址�
The inquiry timetable calls for the release of the second phase of the utilities commission consultant report by next Wednesday, followed by up to four days of oral submissions, where panel members can question industry representatives, including gas and diesel suppliers.
READ MORE:
Bruce Ralston, minister of jobs, trade and technology, said in a statement that heB次元官网网址檚 disappointed with the companies that refused to provide the information and urged them to co-operate.
B次元官网网址淧eople deserve to know why the price of gasoline in B.C. has seen such wild swings,B次元官网网址� Ralston said.
But Morton said heB次元官网网址檚 not surprised that most of the companies withheld the information.
The commission has established procedures for dealing with confidential information, including commercial information around prices that would harm the company if released, but it typically works with gas and electric utilities.
B次元官网网址淢any of the participants arenB次元官网网址檛 as familiar with our approach to confidentiality so we understand there may be some apprehension around it,B次元官网网址� Morton said.
If the organizations can show they would experience harm because a competitive price became public, then the utilities commission would typically honour that, he said.
The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on
