Prix and the human cost of filling up: Montreal drivers brace for the weekend
prix is no longer just a number on a roadside sign in Montreal. It is the reason some drivers are changing when they fill up, why truck owners are bracing for a harder weekend, and why a holiday trip now begins with a calculation at the pump.
Why is prix hovering around 2 dollars in Montreal?
For motorists in the greater Montreal area, the answer is tied to an abrupt turn in market expectations after Donald Trump’s public remarks about Iran. What had been shaping up as a brief dip toward about 1. 88 dollars per litre in Montreal shifted quickly, with the price now set to sit closer to 2 dollars from Saturday to Tuesday. Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, said Friday would be the best day to buy, with a drop of 5 cents, before a rise of 6 or 7 cents on Saturday. He added that some stations that briefly posted 2 dollars later adjusted to 1. 999 dollars, a move meant to stay just under the psychological threshold.
That threshold matters because even a tiny change can alter a family’s weekend budget. On Thursday morning, the average pump price in the Montreal region stood at 1. 972 dollars, with a forecast margin of 6. 8 cents. Elsewhere in the province, the picture was less severe, with some stations in Saint-Liboire on the edge of Highway 20 selling regular fuel for 1. 738 dollars. For a Montreal resident who works on the road, that difference could mean roughly 25 cents saved on a fill-up.
What does this mean for drivers and truck owners?
The pressure is not limited to private cars. McTeague said truck owners will not get much relief, because diesel is expected to rise by 19 cents on Saturday after a small decline the day before. For people who drive daily for work, that kind of jump does not stay abstract for long. It reaches commuting costs, delivery schedules, and the decision to delay or reroute a trip.
Some motorists are already reacting in practical ways. In Montreal, stations that pushed fuel to 2 dollars for only a few hours then dropped to 1. 999 dollars, a pricing pattern that reflects how close the market is to a symbolic line. McTeague said retailers can shift their profit margin a little, but not enough to erase the wider force behind the increase. On top of that, summer fuel is expected to arrive soon, which would automatically raise costs at the pump. His outlook is blunt: prices could reach 2. 10 to 2. 15 dollars per litre by mid-April.
How far can the shock go beyond one weekend?
The concern reaches well beyond Quebec. The price of West Texas Intermediate rose 12. 54 percent on Thursday afternoon, reaching 111. 27 USD, while Brent climbed 7. 49 percent. Some analysts expect the barrel to move into the 130 to 140 dollar range if the conflict lasts for several more weeks. In a more severe scenario cited by the financial group Macquarie, Brent could rise to 200 USD a barrel if the conflict in Iran continues until the end of June and the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to maritime traffic.
Patrick Gonzalez, professor in the Department of Economics at Université Laval, said the market remains uneasy because the Strait of Hormuz normally carries about 20 percent of the world’s crude oil. In his view, as long as the basic conditions do not change, prices remain under pressure. Yvan Cliche, an energy specialist at the Centre for International Studies and Research at the Université de Montréal, offered a similarly cautious assessment, saying that while oil and gas facilities have already been hit by missiles, “we have not yet seen everything. ”
For many households, the result is simple even if the causes are not: every fill-up now carries more weight. A weekend errand, a holiday drive, or a work commute becomes part of a larger chain of events shaped by geopolitics, market nerves, and seasonal fuel costs. In Montreal, the sign at the station is no longer just telling drivers what they owe today. It is warning them about what may come next.
Image alt text: prix pressure at a Montreal gas station as drivers prepare for a costly holiday weekend
