You might be used to a rise in temperatures during the summer, but now you may have to get used to a rise in gas prices, too. 

The price of gas was sitting at 1.3/l in Saskatchewan in December 2021 and now six months later is at 2.03/l. 

Patrick Dehaan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, thinks relief will be sparingly, if it comes at all.

"I don't expect much relief until potentially after the summer, and after hurricane season passes its prime. We may not see significant relief until September or even October."

The global pandemic greatly affected the production of gas, and the supply declined. Post pandemic, the demand for gas is growing faster than the production of it, leading to an increase in the price.  

"The problem is that the demand for gasoline has grown at a far faster pace compared to production," he said.  "And it's that widening imbalance that has pushed gasoline prices up to record levels."

Kindersley and Rosetown have never seen prices this high. In fact, Christmas time was the first time in over a decade that gas prices had reached 1.4/l in the region. 

"It's acting as an incredible drag on a recovering economy," Dehaan explained. 

It's possible that West Central residents could see prices continue to increase dramatically over the summer, especially if there are any unexpected jolts to supply such as refineries shutting down or hurricanes interrupting production.