The District of Sicamous wants to lobby the province to regulate fuel costs in B.C.

Acting mayor Malcolm Makayev says inflated fuel costs in Sicamous have a negative impact on local tourism.

“We’re a year-round resort, Sicamous is a gateway to the Shuswap, so we rely on tourism… You can get an app that tells you what all the gas prices are as you’re travelling, and we can easily be bypassed just because of our gas prices. And that has a direct impact to our local economy,” Makayev says.

“The question is, why does Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta enjoy an average provincial price of a bout $1.07 or $1.12 a litre, and the province of B.C. pays on the average of $1.35 per litre?”

Gas prices in Metro Vancouver are subject to tax for TransLink of 17 cents per litre, and gas everywhere in B.C. there is a nearly-eight-cent-per-litre carbon tax as well as another 8.5 cents per litre on two other fuel taxes.

Sicamous mayor Terry Rysz will be bringing a motion on the matter to the Southern Interior Local Government Association convention, which takes place in Penticton beginning on April 30.