It might have been April Fools' Day, but the price of gas at the pumps was certainly no prank.
In the immediate aftermath of the B.C. government officially axing the carbon tax, drivers across the province saw the price of gas tumble on April 1.
At a Chevron in the Victoria suburb of Langford, gas fell to 161.4 cents per litre 鈥� an almost 18-cent drop compared to the average 178.9 cents seen across Greater Victoria the day before.
In Prince Rupert, the local Petro-Canada employees were notified early on April 1 to adjust the posted price from 174.9 cents per litre to 156.4 cents per litre.
In the Okanagan, stations in Vernon that were posting 161.9 cent/litre prices March 31, dropped to 143.4 - an 18.5 cent decrease.
Meanwhile Salmon Arm saw a 20 cent drop, to as low as 135.2 cents.
"British Columbians are doing everything they can to reduce their emissions. But people shouldn't have to choose between climate action and being able to afford their bills," said Premier David Eby. "That's why we are eliminating the consumer carbon tax, which has become divisive at a time we need to be united."
The reduction of the tax to $0 is an immediate step to align B.C.'s carbon tax rate with the new federal carbon tax rate. The elimination of the carbon tax means people in British Columbia will no longer be required to pay the consumer carbon tax, taking approximately 17 cents per litre off the cost of fuel and approximately 15 cents per cubic metre for natural gas on their home heating bill.
The savings at the pump have been welcomed by many, including Langford family man Michael Nieles, who uses his car for his two jobs, the school run and general everyday use.
"I'm on the road for most of the time," says Nieles, "So it will be beneficial. "Every two weeks, I'm spending like $100 for a full tank, more or less. So this means I can buy more stuff like hot dogs, right," he adds with a smile.
The price drop came as a surprise to Maria Nedima, who hopes the savings will allow her and her husband more disposable income to play with.
"It's always good to save a little bit," she said. "Maybe we can save a little bit more for us to go have dinner out or something like that."
The climate action tax credit, developed to help offset the impacts of the consumer carbon tax on people and families, will also be cancelled. The final payment will be distributed in April 2025.
"The carbon tax has been an important tool in B.C. for over a decade and half, but it has become too politically divisive and a distraction from the important issues we are tackling," said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Finance. "While this is a significant shift for our province, we will offset the impact while focusing on growing the economy during these challenging economic times."
Cancelling the tax and the credit will have an estimated impact of $1.99 billion in the coming fiscal year. The province will restructure programs funded by carbon tax revenue to minimize the impact on B.C.'s budget, while supporting people in British Columbia in achieving climate goals.
The province will continue to ensure big polluters pay through the B.C. output-based carbon pricing system.
For Langford resident Calvin Johnson, the lower price is a "small victory," but he is skeptical about how long it will last.
鈥淚 look at it like when you are climbing a mountain, sometimes you take little dips, but you're always ascending," he says. "So if it drops now, it's going to go up soon."
Dilkaran Kaur, supervisor at the Langford Chevron, says Johnson is not alone with his skepticism, with many customers all asking the same question 鈥� what's going to happen next?
"It's been very busy from the morning, usually it's not that busy," said Kaur. "And lots of customers have been asking if it's going to increase or decrease now."
