Why you will be paying more for fuels in the future

Tonight, the people of Quebec have been victimized by Big Oil and our own gluttony. As consumption continues to increase at an alarming rate well above last years level, we have seen refinery fires in North America.

Thursday morning, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will wake up to an added five cents a litre at the pumps to help put the fires out...

Were they caused by just ordinary accidents?

While no accident should be considered ordinary, I cannot help but think that consumer consumption may have been a marked contributer to what we have come to witness in Ontario and Quebec.

Our own gluttony for gasoline and the Big Oil policy of shutting down refineries to gain control of supply and demnd, has finally come home to roost for the consumer. While we burn it for Big Oil, have we also put them under pressure to meet that consumer demand? Have we become that thirsty for gasoline and their related commodities, that we have become the cause of the problem in the first place?

We have also become complacent in letting Big oil close refineries in the first place. Several refineries in Canada have closed over the past few years, the latest being a PetroCanada facility in Sarnia a couple of years ago. Some 18 refineries have closed since the early seventies in Canada and, have we seen demand decrease in that timeframe?

The answer is "no".

Fewer motorists existed than exist now and we have become a generation that has moved from trains to highwways and tractor trailer transport. While demand has increased, overall production capacity has decreased over the same time period.

Until you hear that Big Oil is going to increase the number of oil refineries, or that the number of drivers on the roads are going to drop, then we will be facing the prospect of ever-increasing petroleum pricing for the next generation to become witness to.

Maybe it's time we move back to the barn?