Language selection

Search


Fuel Focus, May 27, 2016

Table of Contents


National Overview

Canadian Retail Gasoline Prices increased by 2 cents Over the Last Two Weeks

For the two-week period ending May 24, 2016, the Canadian average retail gasoline price was $1.07 per litre. This is an increase of 2 cents over the two-week period ending May 10, 2016. Prices are 8 cents per litre lower than the same period last year.

Average retail diesel prices increased by 3 cents per litre over the two week period ending May 24, 2016 to reach $0.97 per litre. This is 17 cents per litre less compared to the same period last year.  Over the same period, furnace oil prices increased by 3 cents to reach $0.97, 12 cents per litre less than a year ago.

Figure 1: Crude Oil and Regular Gasoline Price Comparison
(National Average)

Crude Oil and Gasoline Price Comparison

Text version

Figure 1

The graph shows prices in cents per litre for gasoline at retail, gasoline excluding taxes, and Canadian Light Sweet and Brent crude oil prices. Gasoline prices ended the period of May 24, 2016 at  109.1 cents per litre, excluding taxes at 70.6 cents per litre, Canadian Light Sweet at 37.3 cents per litre and Brent at 40.0 cents per litre.

Dates Gasoline at retail Excluding Taxes Canadian Light Sweet Brent crude
06/01/2015 95.0 58.8 33.8 42.0
13/01/2015 91.5 55.7 30.5 38.1
20/01/2015 91.3 55.4 29.8 35.8
27/01/2015 92.5 56.5 30.3 37.6
03/02/2015 96.5 60.2 30.7 39.1
10/02/2015 101.2 64.5 34.7 44.2
17/02/2015 103.0 66.2 35.0 45.3
24/02/2015 103.7 66.8 35.7 47.7
03/03/2015 112.3 74.1 35.1 44.6
10/03/2015 108.6 70.6 35.4 47.4
17/03/2015 105.8 68.0 33.8 45.4
2015-03-24 107.3 69.5 31.6 43.7
2015-03-31 107.1 69.3 34.9 44.6
2015-04-07 108.1 70.2 35.6 44.2
2015-04-14 107.6 69.1 38.1 45.3
2015-04-21 109.70 72.8 40.5 46.8
2015-04-28 111.40 71.0 40.7 48.9
2015-05-05 114.5 75.3 41.8 49.9
2015-05-12 113.0 74.0 44.3 50.5
2015-05-19 113.6 74.6 44.5 50.1
2015-05-26 117.4 78.0 44.5 50.2
2015-06-02 119.0 79.4 44.6 49.8
2015-06-09 118.2 78.7 46.3 50.1
2015-06-16 123.6 83.7 46.0 50.0
2015-06-23 122.1 82.3 45.9 49.2
2015-06-30 120.6 80.9 44.4 49.4
2015-07-07 122.1 82.2 42.8 49.0
2015-07-14 123.5 83.5 38.1 46.0
2015-07-21 122.2 82.3 39.1 46.6
2015-07-28 118.4 78.9 36.5 45.8
2015-08-04 117.6 78.1 34.6 43.4
2015-08-11 114.5 75.5 30.3 40.7
2015-08-18 118.8 79.5 28.8 39.0
2015-08-25 114.1 75.3 29.0 37.8
2015-09-01 110.6 72.0 35.6 42.5
2015-09-08 108.9 70.4 35.1 40.4
2015-09-15 107.1 68.7 35.2 39.3
2015-09-22 106.1 67.9 35.2 39.3
2015-09-29 106.8 68.6 35.5 40.6
2015-10-06 105.7 67.6 35.2 40.2
2015-10-13 106.7 68.5 36.9 42.3
2015-10-20 104.6 66.7 37.8 40.0
2015-10-27 104.1 66.1 34.8 39.7
2015-11-03 107.2 68.9 35.4 40.1
2015-11-10 109.4 70.9 36.1 40.3
2015-11-17 104.8 66.7 33.6 38.1
2015-11-24 103.6 65.6 32.1 37.1
2015-12-01 104.7 66.5 31.9 38.1
2015-12-08 100.7 62.9 31.2 36.7
2015-12-15 101.3 63.5 28.3 34.0
2015-12-22 102.7 64.9 27.7 32.6
2015-12-29 102.1 64.3 28.4 32.3
2016-01-05 101.3 63.4 29.1 32.3
2016-01-12 96.8 59.4 26.6 30.5
2016-01-19 93.7 56.5 23.9 27.5
2016-01-26 91.3 54.3 22.1 26.5
2016-02-02 93.8 56.5 24.4 29.1
2016-02-09 88.6 51.8 23.7 29.8
2016-02-16 88.2 51.5 21.4 27.5
2016-02-23 90.1 53.4 23.2 29.0
2016-03-01 89.3 52.6 25.2 29.7
2016-03-08 96.8 59.4 27.7 31.3
2016-03-15 98.6 61.2 29.8 33.8
2016-03-22 96.9 59.6 29.8 33.4
2016-03-29 99.4 61.8 29.8 34.0
2016-04-05 98.7 61.2 28.3 32.4
2016-04-12 101.9 64.1 27.1 32.4
2016-04-19 102.8 64.8 29.8 35.3
2016-04-26 103.3 65.3 30.2 35.5
2016-05-03 106.6 68.3 32.6 37.1
2016-05-10 104.7 66.5 33.1 36.4
2016-05-17 107.8 69.5 34.8 37.8
2016-05-24 109.1 70.6 37.3 40.0

Figure 2: Weekly Regular Gasoline Prices
Weekly Regular Gasoline Prices

Text version

Figure 2

This graph shows the gasoline price trends from 2014 to 2016.

Date 2014 Gasoline at Retail Date 2015 Gasoline at Retail Date 2016 Gasoline at Retail
14-01-07 125.00 15-01-06 95.00 16-01-05 101.30
14-01-14 125.60 15-01-13 91.50 16-01-12 96.80
14-01-21 125.70 15-01-20 91.30 16-01-19 93.70
14-01-28 126.60 15-01-27 92.50 16-01-26 91.30
14-02-04 125.90 15-02-03 96.50 16-02-02 93.80
14-02-11 127.60 15-02-10 101.20 16-02-09 88.60
14-02-18 129.30 15-02-17 103.00 16-02-16 88.20
14-02-25 130.70 15-02-24 103.70 16-02-23 90.10
14-03-04 132.50 15-03-03 112.30 16-03-01 89.30
14-03-11 131.80 15-03-10 108.60 16-03-08 96.80
14-03-18 132.00 15-03-17 105.80 16-03-15 98.60
14-03-25 132.90 15-03-24 107.30 16-03-22 96.90
14-04-01 132.90 15-03-31 107.10 16-03-29 99.40
14-04-08 133.90 15-04-07 108.10 16-04-05 98.70
14-04-15 136.80 15-04-14 107.60 16-04-12 101.90
14-04-22 137.70 15-04-21 109.70 16-04-19 102.80
14-04-29 139.80 15-04-28 111.40 16-04-26 103.30
14-05-06 136.90 15-05-05 114.50 16-05-03 106.60
14-05-13 135.70 15-05-12 113.00 16-05-10 104.70
14-05-20 136.00 15-05-19 113.60 16-05-17 107.80
14-05-27 136.80 15-05-26 117.40 16-05-24 109.10
14-06-03 137.40 15-06-02 119.00 16-05-31  
14-06-10 138.10 15-06-09 118.20 16-06-07  
14-06-17 138.80 15-06-16 123.60 16-06-14  
14-06-24 141.20 15-06-23 122.10 16-06-21  
14-07-01 138.70 15-06-30 120.60 16-06-28  
14-07-08 137.20 15-07-07 122.10 16-07-05  
14-07-15 133.80 15-07-14 123.50 16-07-12  
14-07-22 133.00 15-07-21 122.20 16-07-19  
14-07-29 131.80 15-07-28 118.40 16-07-26  
14-08-05 131.10 15-08-04 117.60 16-08-02  
14-08-12 133.60 15-08-11 114.50 16-08-09  
14-08-19 131.30 15-08-18 118.80 16-08-16  
14-08-26 132.10 15-08-25 114.10 16-08-23  
14-09-02 132.80 15-09-01 110.60 16-08-30  
14-09-09 133.00 15-09-08 108.90 16-09-06  
14-09-16 129.90 15-09-15 107.10 16-09-13  
14-09-23 129.40 15-09-22 106.10 16-09-20  
14-09-30 130.10 15-09-29 106.80 16-09-27  
14-10-07 128.00 15-10-06 105.70 16-10-04  
14-10-14 123.10 15-10-13 106.70 16-10-11  
14-10-21 121.90 15-10-20 104.60 16-10-18  
14-10-28 118.80 15-10-27 104.10 16-10-25  
14-11-04 117.80 15-11-03 107.20 16-11-01  
14-11-11 119.20 15-11-10 109.40 16-11-08  
14-11-18 116.20 15-11-17 104.80 16-11-15  
14-11-25 114.40 15-11-24 103.60 16-11-22  
14-12-02 112.30 15-12-01 104.70 16-11-29  
14-12-09 107.20 15-12-08 100.70 16-12-06  
14-12-16 101.10 15-12-15 101.30 16-12-13  
14-12-23 99.40 15-12-22 102.70 16-12-20  
14-12-30 98.10 15-12-29 102.10 16-12-27  
Table 1: Changes in Fuel Prices
¢/L Two week average ending: 2016-05-24 Change from: 2 weeks ago Change from: Last Year
Gasoline 107.2 +1.6 -8.3
Diesel 96.5 +2.7 -16.7
Furnace Oil 96.8 +2.7 -11.6
Natural Gas Prices in $CA/GJ
Alberta (NGX) 1.23 +0.14 -1.55
Ontario (Dawn) 2.42 -0.16 -1.13

Source: NRCan, Bloomberg

Table 2: Natural Gas Prices for Vehicles
2016-05-24 ¢/kilogram ¢/L gasoline equivalent ¢/L diesel equivalent
Vancouver 120.1 79.2 82.1
Edmonton 115.0 75.9 78.7
Toronto 128.4 84.7 87.8

Source: ¢/kg Kent Marketing Services Limited

Recent Developments

  • Gasoline Prices Continue to Moderate the Rise in the Consumer Price Index
    On May 20, 2016, Statistics Canada released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2016. The CPI rose by 1.7% in the 12 months leading up to April 2016. When gasoline prices are excluded, the CPI increased by 2.0%.  This is a smaller year-over-year decline than in previous months, which they attribute to a moderation in the decrease in gasoline prices. Gasoline prices were down 5.8% in April compared to April of last year. This compares with a decline of 13.6% between March 2016 and March 2015. Statistics Canada notes that overall energy prices declined 3.2% in the past 12 months.
  • The National Energy Board (NEB) Recommends Approval of Trans Mountain Expansion Project
    On May 19, 2016, the NEB issued a 533-page report recommending that the federal government approve the Trans Mountain Expansion project, subject to 157 conditions.  The proposed project would expand the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline System, which transports both crude oil and refined petroleum products between Edmonton, Alberta and Burnaby, British Columbia, and increase its capacity from 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 890,000 bpd. A final decision on approval by the federal government is expected by December 2016.
     
  • International Energy Agency (IEA) Oil Market Report
    On May 12, 2016, the IEA released its May Oil Market Report. The report notes that crude oil prices were approaching their highest levels in 2016, as a result of supply outages in Nigeria, Ghana and the wildfires in Alberta. In addition, they note that in spite of a mild winter in the northern hemisphere, demand in the first quarter of 2016 was 1.4 million bpd above the first quarter last year. The IEA suggests that this is due to a significant rise in demand from India, which accounted for 30% of the increase in global demand.

Retail Gasoline Overview

For the period ending May 24, 2016, the four-week-average regular gasoline pump price in selected cities across Canada increased by 3 cents to $1.07 per litre compared to the previous report of May 13, 2016. Compared to the same period in 2015, the average Canadian pump price is 8 cents per litre lower.

The four-week-average crude oil component increased by 3 cents to reach an average of 36 cents over the period. The crude oil price component of gasoline is 15 cents per litre lower than this time last year.

Retail gasoline prices in Western centres increased by 4 cents per litre compared to the previous report and ranged from $0.96 per litre to $1.21 per litre. Prices in Eastern cities increased by 2 cents and ranged from $1.00 to $1.11 per litre.

At the national level, refining and marketing costs and margins were 33 cents per litre, the same as the previous report and 8 cents higher than this time last year.

Figure 3: Regular Gasoline Pump Prices in Selected Cities Four-Week Average (May 3 to 24, 2016)

Gasoline Prices in Selected Cities

Text version

Figure 3

This graph shows the gasoline price components for 2 territories and 10 cities plus the national average.

Note that effective this report, transportation costs are included in the crude oil estimate for Vancouver (2 cents), Toronto (4 cents) and Eastern Canada (3 cents)

  Whitehorse Yellowknife Vancouver Calgary Regina Winnipeg Toronto Montreal* Saint John* Halifax* Charlottetown* St. John's* Canada
Pump Price 107.4 112.9 120.7 97.5 96.4 95.6 107.1 110.5 100.4 103.3 103.3 103.9 107.0
Crude (est.) 34.5 34.5 36.5 34.5 34.5 34.5 38.5 40.8 40.8 40.8 40.8 40.8 35.8
Federal Taxes 15.1 15.4 15.7 14.6 14.6 14.6 10.0 14.8 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 14.8
Provincial Tax 6.2 10.7 32.2 13.0 15.0 14.0 14.7 32.1 15.5 15.5 13.1 16.5 23.5
HST             12.3   11.5 13.5 12.7 12.0  
Refining & Marketing Costs & Margins 51.6 52.3 36.3 35.4 32.3 32.5 31.6 22.8 22.5 23.5 26.7 24.6 32.9

Source: NRCan
* Regulated Markets

An estimate of crude oil transportation costs is included in the crude oil estimate for Vancouver (2 cents per litre), Toronto, (4 cents per litre), and Atlantic Canada and Quebec (3 cents per litre)

Wholesale Gasoline Prices

For the two week period ending May 19, 2016, wholesale gasoline prices rose across selected North American cities as illustrated below.

Wholesale gasoline prices for the two week period ended between 56 and 67 cents per litre. This compares to the previous two week period where prices were in the 46 and 62 cents per litre range.

In Western cities, wholesale gasoline prices increased between 2 cents and 10 cents per litre, ending in the 56 to 67 cents per litre range.

Wholesale gasoline prices in Eastern markets of Canada and the U.S. increased by 3 cents per litre ending the 56 to 64 cents per litre range.

Wholesale prices remain lower than last year in all these markets.

Text version

Figure 4

This graph shows the trend in wholesale gasoline prices for selected centres in Canada and the U.S.

DATE Halifax Braintree Montreal Rochester Toronto Buffalo Edmonton Grand Forks Vancouver Seattle
Thu 01-Jan-15 50.20 45.88 51.30 47.82 51.70 52.04 47.20 42.25 51.20 41.16
Thu 08-Jan-15 46.90 43.19 50.60 44.81 47.30 48.09 45.00 42.87 48.50 40.72
Thu 15-Jan-15 46.60 42.30 50.30 43.50 47.20 46.68 44.20 43.28 47.00 37.04
Thu 22-Jan-15 47.20 45.26 50.50 45.67 47.20 49.64 43.90 45.92 47.00 39.15
Thu 29-Jan-15 48.20 47.00 51.00 48.37 48.00 50.44 48.40 48.80 48.80 42.85
Thu 05-Feb-15 52.90 50.65 54.60 51.75 52.20 54.13 52.10 53.44 54.60 50.12
Thu 12-Feb-15 56.20 53.56 57.40 54.19 55.40 57.51 56.70 56.48 59.40 53.76
Thu 19-Feb-15 55.60 55.91 57.70 54.23 55.40 58.78 54.70 60.87 60.40 57.33
Thu 26-Feb-15 60.80 57.71 62.30 58.17 60.20 62.69 58.60 65.23 70.30 68.96
Thu 05-Mar-15 61.20 56.75 63.80 57.62 61.20 62.49 56.30 65.32 71.60 63.08
Thu 12-Mar-15 59.30 55.45 62.70 56.74 59.80 62.36 58.20 63.71 66.40 59.34
Thu 19-Mar-15 57.90 54.71 61.40 55.89 58.30 60.60 63.00 63.29 65.20 59.76
Thu 26-Mar-15 58.10 58.24 62.00 57.84 58.90 60.60 60.10 64.71 66.30 63.29
Thu 02-Apr-15 59.60 58.97 63.70 57.44 60.80 58.31 57.10 59.91 66.20 59.80
Thu 09-Apr-15 59.60 54.12 60.70 58.63 57.80 60.01 55.90 58.28 63.30 59.94
Thu 16-Apr-15 62.10 63.74 65.30 63.38 63.10 63.81 59.20 63.94 68.60 64.41
Thu 23-Apr-15 60.70 64.33 64.20 62.59 62.20 64.43 57.80 63.33 68.60 66.20
Thu 30 Apr-15 61.70 65.85 64.70 63.49 63.50 65.56 57.40 65.51 72.60 70.92
Thu 7 May-15 63.50 63.07 66.60 61.79 65.20 63.39 60.20 63.71 73.80 67.87
Thu 14 May-15 63.30 65.00 66.20 64.04 65.20 65.64 60.70 66.92 72.90 70.76
Thu 21-May-15 66.80 64.92 69.10 64.28 68.40 64.92 65.00 67.13 75.70 72.83
Thu 28-May-15 65.70 63.55 68.50 63.23 67.90 64.52 62.90 69.68 74.60 70.32
Thu 04-Jun-15 69.00 66.58 71.90 64.27 71.40 66.25 68.20 72.51 71.20 70.54
Thu 11-Jun-15 71.00 69.89 73.30 69.08 73.70 71.22 72.40 78.00 79.90 78.13
Thu 18-Jun-15 70.30 68.14 72.70 67.49 73.80 69.44 71.70 74.98 81.20 78.24
Thu 25-Jun-15 68.90 65.15 71.20 64.18 72.90 66.12 69.00 71.60 78.60 75.15
Thu 02-Jul-15 70.50 65.89 72.40 65.23 74.20 66.54 68.90 73.39 76.80 73.39
Thu 9-Jul-15 72.30 69.94 73.70 68.60 74.60 68.26 68.70 78.01 76.60 79.02
Thu 16-Jul-15 65.40 65.29 68.50 64.60 71.10 65.97 67.40 86.48 77.10 76.57
Thu 23-Jul-15 65.80 64.02 69.30 62.65 71.50 65.40 69.90 81.58 77.60 74.35
Thu 30-Jul-15 63.80 63.32 67.20 62.28 69.20 63.66 68.50 77.08 75.60 72.95
Thu 06-Aug-15 61.80 58.98 65.60 59.33 67.40 61.06 68.60 75.98 73.50 65.57
Thu 13-Aug-15 64.90 61.15 68.10 61.84 69.10 62.88 81.80 87.41 74.20 69.79
Thu 20-Aug-15 58.20 54.94 61.90 55.63 62.50 58.05 71.10 72.56 70.60 63.58
Thu 27-Aug-15 51.80 52.64 55.30 54.73 55.50 54.73 56.70 64.15 62.30 58.92
Thu 03-Sep-15 58.60 55.09 62.50 60.67 62.30 60.67 62.20 64.51 64.80 55.44
Thu 10-Sep-15 55.40 52.73 58.70 55.18 58.00 57.62 59.80 62.51 59.50 48.89
Thu 17-Sep-15 53.30 51.21 56.70 52.25 56.10 56.43 64.20 64.44 58.00 50.51
Thu 24-Sep-15 54.10 51.85 57.10 52.20 56.70 55.02 66.20 67.01 60.50 49.73
Thu 01-Oct-15 54.70 51.42 57.80 53.17 57.50 55.27 71.80 71.36 58.20 45.83
Thu 08-Oct-15 54.00 50.55 58.00 52.62 57.10 55.71 69.90 73.59 58.80 49.18
Thu 15-Oct-15 52.00 50.11 55.50 48.75 54.60 51.47 60.70 64.09 59.80 49.09
Thu 22-Oct-15 50.60 50.83 55.20 50.13 54.50 52.55 62.00 59.81 59.30 47.02
Thu 29-Oct-15 52.50 51.14 56.90 51.84 56.60 52.88 63.80 59.84 63.00 52.54
Thu 05-Nov-15 55.20 51.13 59.50 52.87 59.70 53.57 66.50 58.09 71.90 56.70
Thu 05-Nov-15 55.20 51.13 59.50 52.87 59.70 53.57 66.50 58.09 71.90 56.70
Thu 12-Nov-15 53.20 49.57 57.60   58.40 51.32 58.20 49.92 68.10 49.57
Thu 26-Nov-15 54.60 51.65 59.40 53.41 59.70 55.86 51.80 51.30 69.40 49.54
Thu 03-Dec-15 50.60 52.01 55.20 52.72 55.80 52.72 48.30 49.18 65.70 49.89
Thu 10-Dec-15 49.00 52.81 53.80 50.65 53.40 51.73 50.60 51.01 63.70 51.01
Thu 17-Dec-15 50.30 54.25 55.10 50.93 54.80 51.30 50.60 50.93 67.10 57.94
Thu 24-Dec-15 50.30 50.11 55.40 50.11 55.20 50.47 52.50 49.01 67.80 58.89
Thu 31-Dec-15 50.20 48.63 55.30 48.63 55.20 50.09 52.30 50.09 65.00 51.19
Thu 07-Jan-16 47.30 54.60 53.10 46.43 53.70 50.89 45.20 44.57 59.20 39.75
Thu 14-Jan-16 44.20 42.91 49.60 44.80 50.10 52.02 40.00 41.77 49.70 37.59
Thu 21-Jan-16 44.20 43.76 49.40 43.16 49.70 51.70 37.10 38.00 50.70 34.99
Thu 28-Jan-16 44.00 43.05 48.80 44.61 49.30 51.08 35.70 37.55 51.70 36.32
Thu 04-Feb-16 41.60 39.20 46.40 40.54 46.70 49.82 35.30 30.91 52.70 35.35
Thu 11-Feb-16 39.40 36.50 43.90 38.49 44.10 41.77 34.10 32.42 53.70 38.38
Thu 18-Feb-16 41.40 37.15 45.50 38.64 45.80 41.72 43.40 38.93 54.70 35.63
Thu 25-Feb-16 41.70 39.23 45.80 40.70 46.10 43.39 43.30 48.04 55.70 42.32
Thu 03-Mar-16 41.70 38.07 46.20 41.97 46.40 39.24 45.90 48.68 56.40 41.37
Thu 10-Mar-16 46.20 43.03 51.20 44.65 51.50 46.63 52.00 53.49 58.80 44.44
Thu 17-Mar-16 46.20 42.53 51.10 43.77 51.60 45.31 50.80 50.80 57.90 43.56
Thu 24-Mar-16 49.40 46.76 53.50 47.57 54.40 48.02 50.20 53.21 57.60 43.75
Thu 31-Mar-16 48.70 47.08 53.50 49.10 53.90 50.37 49.30 51.06 58.70 41.80
Thu 07-Apr-16 49.20 47.43 53.70 48.79 54.10 50.32 49.80 51.12 56.10 45.38
Thu 14-Apr-16 53.60 50.97 58.30 51.51 59.30 53.07 54.90 53.24 59.20 45.78
Thu 21-Apr-16 52.60 51.07 56.50 52.41 58.10 53.29 53.30 52.04 57.80 50.70
Thu 28-Apr-16 55.30 48.71 58.10 52.69 60.90 55.01 57.20 54.35 63.50 55.34
Thu 05-May-16 52.30 50.59 54.10 52.97 58.00 56.02 52.20 61.12 61.60 45.50
Thu 12-May-16 55.90 53.33 57.60 54.01 61.30 55.71 57.00 58.76 64.10 56.73
Thu 19-May-16 58.40 56.13 60.80 56.48 64.00 58.56 60.60 66.53 63.80 55.78

Sources: NRCan, Bloomberg Oil Buyers Guide

Gasoline Refining and Marketing Margins

Four-week rolling averages are used for gasoline refining and marketing margins.

Gasoline refining margins refer to the difference between the price of crude oil and the wholesale price at which the refiner can sell gasoline. The margin includes the costs associated with refining the product as well as a profit for the refiner.

Nationally, the four-week rolling average refining margin for the period ending May 24, 2016 was 24 cents per litre, an increase of 1 cent from the previous report of May 13, 2016. Compared to the same time last year, margins in Canada are 4 cent per litre higher.

The gasoline marketing margins represent the difference between the wholesale and retail prices of gasoline. This margin pays for the costs associated with operating a service station.

Overall, the national average for marketing margins remained at 9 cents, the same as the previous report of May 13, 2016.

Text version

Figure 5

These graphs show the trend in refining and marketing costs and margins for selected centres in Canada and the national average.

4-week rolling average Canada Vancouver Calgary Toronto Montreal Halifax
Marketing Margin Refining Margin Marketing Margin Refining Margin Marketing Margin Refining Margin Marketing Margin Refining Margin Marketing Margin Refining Margin Marketing Margin Refining Margin
2014-01-07 7.7 16.4 5.2 20.8 7.6 18.6 7.4 25.3 4.7 8.1 6.3 7.4
2014-01-14 7.3 16.7 5.5 21.2 6.8 19.7 7.6 25.6 4.1 8.7 5.8 8.1
2014-01-21 7.9 16.3 5.2 20.1 7.0 19.4 7.6 24.3 6.4 8.1 6.6 7.7
2014-01-28 7.9 15.6 6.6 20.1 6.7 20.1 8.7 24.1 7.8 6.9 7.4 6.7
2014-02-04 7.6 16.1 5.5 20.0 6.7 21.3 8.0 24.2 8.2 6.5 8.1 6.7
2014-02-11 7.3 16.4 5.0 16.9 6.1 18.0 8.0 20.7 7.8 6.5 7.6 7.3
2014-02-18 7.0 15.0 4.6 16.4 6.7 17.7 7.9 20.3 6.6 7.2 7.6 8.7
2014-02-25 6.5 14.3 4.3 12.5 6.5 14.3 7.8 16.8 5.1 8.2 7.4 10.2
2014-03-04 6.3 14.1 4.0 11.8 6.7 13.3 7.2 15.0 5.0 9.1 7.4 11.6
2014-03-11 6.7 12.6 4.7 14.0 7.3 16.0 7.1 16.0 5.3 9.1 8.8 11.2
2014-03-18 7.1 13.3 5.9 15.3 6.5 17.9 7.6 15.7 6.3 8.5 9.6 10.4
2014-03-25 7.7 14.3 6.8 19.7 7.4 22.1 7.8 18.0 6.6 8.4 9.6 9.7
2014-04-01 8.1 15.1 8.3 21.5 7.3 24.1 8.4 18.9 7.0 8.4 9.4 8.7
2014-04-08 8.1 16.6 8.3 22.4 8.1 24.5 8.5 19.0 6.8 9.5 8.4 9.3
2014-04-15 7.8 18.2 8.5 23.7 9.0 24.9 8.4 20.3 5.8 11.1 7.1 11.0
2014-04-22 7.8 18.9 8.6 24.4 8.5 25.2 8.6 21.3 5.7 11.5 7.2 12.1
2014-04-29 8.0 20.0 8.7 26.0 9.3 26.1 8.7 23.0 5.9 12.2 8.2 13.2
2014-05-06 8.4 20.3 9.0 26.7 9.6 26.3 8.8 23.7 6.4 12.3 9.4 14.0
2014-05-13 8.7 19.8 8.4 27.4 9.9 26.0 8.5 23.5 7.4 11.5 10.0 13.3
2014-05-20 8.6 19.6 8.1 27.2 9.7 25.2 8.2 22.9 8.0 11.0 9.6 12.3
2014-05-27 8.0 19.4 7.7 27.2 7.9 24.8 7.8 22.5 8.0 10.8 8.4 12.1
2014-06-03 7.7 18.8 7.4 26.4 7.4 23.9 7.7 21.4 8.1 10.6 8.1 11.3
2014-06-10 7.4 19.4 7.3 26.4 6.9 24.3 7.6 22.0 7.7 11.2 7.8 11.3
2014-06-17 7.3 19.8 7.1 26.9 6.8 24.7 7.3 23.0 7.6 10.8 7.7 10.7
2014-06-24 7.8 19.9 7.3 28.5 8.6 25.7 7.7 24.8 7.6 11.0 8.0 10.5
2014-07-01 7.8 20.7 6.9 29.1 9.3 25.1 7.3 25.8 6.9 11.3 7.8 10.7
2014-07-08 8.2 20.0 7.7 28.0 10.0 24.0 7.7 25.6 7.1 10.8 8.2 10.3
2014-07-15 8.6 19.4 7.6 27.9 11.4 23.8 7.8 26.4 6.9 12.2 8.9 11.6
2014-07-22 8.4 19.0 7.3 26.2 11.2 22.4 7.1 25.6 7.2 11.6 8.7 11.3
2014-07-29 8.3 18.4 7.9 25.1 9.9 22.0 7.4 25.2 7.1 11.1 8.3 11.0
2014-08-05 7.9 18.2 7.6 24.6 8.9 21.6 7.2 24.4 7.2 10.4 8.1 10.4
2014-08-12 8.0 18.4 8.1 25.1 9.7 21.8 7.3 24.4 7.8 10.3 7.6 10.5
2014-08-19 8.6 17.8 8.3 25.2 10.5 22.3 7.3 24.2 7.0 10.1 7.8 10.4
2014-08-26 8.6 18.6 8.1 25.9 11.4 23.4 6.9 24.5 7.5 11.3 7.2 11.6
2014-09-02 8.4 19.5 7.9 26.6 11.8 24.5 6.8 24.7 7.4 12.2 7.0 12.5
2014-09-09 8.5 19.6 7.6 26.4 10.1 25.2 7.1 24.1 7.6 13.4 7.5 13.3
2014-09-16 8.0 20.1 8.2 25.4 8.5 25.4 7.6 22.9 7.7 13.4 7.8 13.3
2014-09-23 8.2 19.3 8.3 24.1 7.8 24.8 8.0 21.8 7.8 13.8 8.1 13.7
2014-09-30 8.1 19.2 8.6 22.2 7.5 24.4 7.9 21.6 7.3 14.3 8.0 14.2
2014-10-07 8.4 18.1 9.2 20.2 9.2 23.7 7.6 20.8 7.2 14.5 8.9 14.9
2014-10-14 8.8 17.0 8.6 17.9 11.0 22.1 7.7 19.2 8.0 13.2 9.6 13.9
2014-10-21 9.2 15.7 9.2 17.7 12.4 23.0 7.7 20.4 8.8 14.5 9.3 15.4
2014-10-28 9.6 13.4 8.5 16.5 13.8 21.1 8.0 18.8 9.2 12.5 9.6 13.5
2014-11-04 9.3 15.2 8.1 18.5 12.3 22.2 8.4 19.9 9.4 11.5 8.9 12.3
2014-11-11 9.2 16.2 8.3 19.7 10.5 21.9 8.7 20.2 9.9 10.6 7.5 11.1
2014-11-18 9.2 16.4 8.4 22.4 10.7 22.9 8.8 21.4 9.1 11.0 8.5 11.3
2014-11-25 9.2 16.8 9.4 22.7 10.9 22.7 8.7 21.4 9.4 10.8 8.3 11.0
2014-12-02 9.4 16.8 9.4 22.9 11.8 22.4 8.8 22.2 9.1 13.1 8.5 12.9
2014-12-09 9.7 15.7 9.9 19.4 13.2 19.6 8.8 20.1 8.9 11.5 9.4 11.1
2014-12-16 9.5 14.2 9.5 19.2 12.5 20.2 8.5 20.9 9.1 12.5 9.3 11.7
2014-12-23 9.4 13.8 9.5 18.3 11.8 19.4 8.8 20.1 9.1 11.9 9.0 10.4
2014-12-30 9.6 12.9 9.8 17.5 11.8 18.4 8.9 19.0 9.7 10.3 9.0 8.9
2015-01-06 9.4 12.5 9.7 18.1 11.3 18.3 9.1 18.9 8.8 11.2 9.0 9.0
2015-01-13 9.6 13.0 10.1 17.6 10.7 17.1 9.4 17.8 8.9 11.6 9.0 8.9
2015-01-20 9.5 12.9 9.9 17.1 10.9 16.7 9.4 17.1 8.3 12.1 8.8 9.0
2015-01-27 8.7 13.9 9.4 17.2 8.9 17.4 9.3 17.0 7.0 12.7 7.9 9.2
2015-02-03 7.6 16.1 8.6 18.9 7.5 19.3 8.5 18.3 5.7 14.0 6.1 11.0
2015-02-10 7.5 17.2 8.6 19.3 7.6 19.6 8.6 18.0 5.5 11.8 5.4 9.4
2015-02-17 7.6 18.0 9.3 21.9 7.6 21.9 9.0 19.4 5.3 12.5 5.8 10.6
2015-02-24 7.8 18.5 10.1 23.7 8.6 22.5 9.3 20.0 5.0 12.0 6.2 10.4
2015-03-03 9.5 19.1 11.3 27.3 10.8 23.7 10.2 21.7 7.7 13.2 7.7 11.6
2015-03-10 9.5 20.2 10.5 30.6 11.0 24.4 10.1 23.6 7.3 14.5 8.9 12.6
2015-03-17 9.4 20.9 9.7 32.1 9.7 24.7 9.6 24.4 8.3 15.8 9.9 13.4
2015-03-24 9.5 22.6 8.2 34.7 9.2 27.1 8.6 26.2 9.2 16.8 10.3 13.9
2015-03-31 8.6 22.3 7.5 33.3 7.6 27.3 8.0 25.7 8.4 17.3 10.9 13.9
2015-04-07 8.6 22.4 7.9 31.2 7.2 26.5 7.9 24.4 9.1 17.2 10.6 13.4
2015-04-14 8.7 21.9 8.3 30.1 7.4 25.1 8.1 23.5 9.2 17.1 10.6 13.2
2015-04-21 8.6 20.7 9.2 27.3 7.5 21.7 8.5 21.4 8.7 16.4 10.6 12.6
2015-04-28 8.8 20.0 9.0 27.3 7.8 19.6 8.4 21.2 8.6 16.0 10.6 12.3
2015-05-05 9.2 19.6 9.6 28.2 6.8 18.9 8.8 21.2 8.3 15.7 10.5 12.4
2015-05-12 9.3 19.2 9.7 29.7 7.9 19.0 8.8 21.8 7.8 15.8 11.0 12.5
2015-05-19 9.2 19.3 10.0 29.6 7.0 18.5 9.1 21.2 7.9 16.0 11.1 12.9
2015-05-26 9.0 20.1 10.3 30.0 7.1 19.7 9.0 21.9 7.9 17.0 10.6 14.0
2015-06-02 9.8 20.0 10.6 29.1 9.4 19.5 9.7 21.3 8.9 17.1 11.3 14.1
2015-06-09 9.9 20.7 10.0 29.6 9.9 20.9 9.6 22.4 9.2 18.2 10.9 15.4
2015-06-16 10.2 22.6 10.1 30.6 12.0 23.0 9.6 23.8 8.9 20.1 10.2 17.4
2015-06-23 10.2 23.5 9.4 31.3 12.3 24.0 9.7 24.4 8.7 20.7 10.6 18.1
2015-06-30 9.2 25.0 8.4 33.6 10.6 26.9 8.7 27.4 7.9 22.5 9.6 20.2
2015-07-07 9.4 26.1 9.2 34.1 10.5 28.1 9.1 28.7 8.2 23.3 8.4 21.1
2015-07-14 9.6 27.6 9.2 37.0 9.8 30.8 9.4 32.4 9.1 23.7 8.4 21.6
2015-07-21 10.0 28.6 10.3 37.8 6.9 31.5 9.8 33.3 9.7 23.7 8.4 21.4
2015-07-28 9.6 30.0 10.2 42.8 8.2 36.5 9.7 37.6 9.1 26.6 8.8 23.9
2015-08-04 9.1 31.2 9.8 44.6 5.6 38.2 9.7 38.4 8.6 27.0 8.9 23.9
2015-08-11 8.5 31.2 8.7 44.8 6.2 39.6 8.8 38.0 7.5 26.7 9.3 23.3
2015-08-18 6.2 32.8 8.5 43.7 6.6 42.3 8.6 36.9 6.7 26.4 8.9 22.9
2015-08-25 6.9 33.0 9.1 41.4 10.2 41.6 9.1 34.6 6.4 25.1 8.9 21.6
2015-09-01 5.1 32.0 9.8 38.5 13.8 39.5 9.6 32.2 6.5 23.1 8.0 19.7
2015-09-08 5.2 30.0 10.4 36.0 12.8 37.4 10.0 30.6 6.2 22.6 7.4 19.0
2015-09-15 6.5 26.4 10.3 30.9 12.4 31.6 10.4 27.2 6.3 20.3 7.8 16.7
2015-09-22 6.1 24.0 10.0 26.0 11.2 28.7 10.1 23.6 7.0 18.6 7.5 15.0
2015-09-29 8.0 22.7 9.3 24.8 10.2 30.5 9.3 22.9 7.1 18.6 8.1 15.1
2015-10-06 8.2 22.1 8.7 23.1 11.9 30.7 9.2 21.1 7.3 16.6 8.3 13.4
2015-10-13 8.6 21.9 8.8 23.4 12.8 32.3 8.7 20.5 6.9 15.8 7.9 12.6
2015-10-20 8.8 20.9 9.1 23.4 14.1 30.9 8.5 19.8 6.5 15.9 7.7 12.6
2015-10-27 8.9 20.4 9.4 22.8 13.9 29.3 8.6 18.9 6.4 15.3 7.6 11.6
2015-11-03 9.0 20.6 10.8 24.9 12.3 29.8 9.0 19.6 6.9 16.1 7.2 12.1
2015-11-10 9.1 21.4 10.6 28.4 12.3 29.5 9.0 20.9 7.0 16.7 7.1 12.4
2015-11-17 8.9 22.4 9.5 31.3 11.9 29.4 8.7 22.7 6.9 18.1 7.5 13.7
2015-11-24 9.3 22.6 9.6 33.4 12.8 26.4 8.7 23.5 6.6 18.5 7.7 14.1
2015-12-01 9.1 22.9 9.0 36.1 12.6 25.0 8.6 25.8 5.5 19.9 7.8 15.4
2015-12-08 8.8 22.3 8.7 35.1 10.7 22.0 8.5 25.2 5.2 19.1 8.6 14.5
2015-12-15 8.6 22.9 9.7 35.4 8.7 22.0 9.1 25.5 4.8 17.7 7.6 14.9
2015-12-22 8.2 24.2 9.5 36.7 8.3 23.9 9.2 26.4 3.7 17.8 7.5 16.0
2015-12-29 8.3 24.6 9.5 38.3 8.5 25.8 9.2 27.0 4.0 22.3 7.7 17.4
2016-01-05 8.3 25.6 9.7 38.0 8.3 26.4 9.6 27.3 3.4 23.0 7.0 17.9
2016-01-12 8.2 25.4 8.6 37.4 9.4 25.9 8.8 28.1 3.5 24.3 8.2 19.0
2016-01-19 8.4 24.3 8.4 33.6 9.0 22.9 8.3 26.9 5.3 23.5 8.7 18.0
2016-01-26 8.6 23.5 8.1 31.4 9.6 21.5 7.9 27.5 6.8 23.9 8.9 18.4
2016-02-02 9.2 22.1 8.0 28.7 11.0 18.9 7.5 26.6 8.6 22.9 9.2 17.5
2016-02-09 9.5 21.6 8.8 27.7 11.2 17.9 7.6 26.4 9.8 21.7 8.5 16.4
2016-02-16 9.5 22.0 8.8 27.4 11.2 17.6 7.6 26.1 9.8 21.1 8.5 15.8
2016-02-23 9.8 18.1 10.8 25.0 10.1 14.0 10.0 22.2 6.2 17.2 7.7 12.8
2016-03-01 8.7 18.0 10.4 26.3 7.5 15.9 10.0 21.3 3.8 16.5 7.6 12.3
2016-03-08 8.1 18.6 10.4 25.4 6.9 16.4 10.1 18.3 2.5 14.5 6.7 10.4
2016-03-15 8.3 18.9 9.8 26.6 8.5 19.5 9.6 18.5 4.5 15.2 6.4 10.8
2016-03-22 8.0 19.3 9.2 26.9 8.3 20.3 9.9 18.3 3.9 15.2 6.8 10.6
2016-03-29 8.3 20.2 9.3 27.5 9.7 21.8 10.0 19.9 4.2 16.7 7.2 11.9
2016-04-05 8.5 21.4 9.1 29.0 9.2 23.7 10.0 22.8 5.3 19.1 8.9 14.2
2016-04-12 8.5 22.7 9.0 29.2 9.2 24.1 10.3 24.4 4.1 20.4 9.8 15.7
2016-04-19 8.5 23.9 9.1 28.9 9.5 24.5 10.1 25.7 4.0 20.9 10.3 16.4
2016-04-26 8.5 24.4 9.3 29.0 8.4 25.1 10.2 26.5 5.1 21.0 10.6 16.8
2016-05-03 8.9 24.8 9.6 27.9 9.5 24.6 10.1 25.7 5.7 20.3 9.5 16.6
2016-05-10 9.0 24.0 9.7 28.5 8.7 24.5 9.9 25.8 6.9 19.8 9.9 16.8
2016-05-17 9.4 23.7 10.3 27.3 9.0 22.9 10.3 24.0 7.8 18.5 9.0 16.2
2016-05-24 9.3 23.6 9.8 27.8 10.4 24.4 10.3 24.8 6.5 19.3 9.0 17.2

Source: NRCan

Crude Oil Overview

For the two weeks ending May 24, 2016, prices for the three light crude benchmarks averaged between CAD$367.99/m3 and CAD$396.29/m3 (U.S.$45.05 and U.S.$48.52 per barrel).

Canadian light crude oil prices at Edmonton increased by CAD$34.12/m3 (U.S.$3.44 per barrel) from two weeks ago, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased by CAD$29.76/m3 (U.S.$2.85 per barrel) and Brent increased by CAD$27.97/m3 (U.S.$2.60 per barrel). The price of Western Canada Select increased by CAD $35.26/m3 (U.S.$3.75) from two weeks ago.

The discount for Canadian heavy oil, as measured by the Western Canadian Select price differential to WTI averaged CAD$97.39/m3 (U.S.$11.93 per barrel) for the two weeks ending May 24, 2016.

The wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta have resulted in very little damage to oil sands operations.  The situation is improving and the disruption to oil sands production now stands at less than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) down from a high of 1.5 million bpd earlier this month. This represents less than 40% of Canada’s oil sands production capacity. Production is expected to return to normal over the coming weeks. 

For the week ending May 20, 2016, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed a 4.2 million barrel decrease in U.S. commercial crude inventories week-over-week, with total stocks now at 537.1 million barrels. U.S. crude oil inventories are at historically high levels for this time of year. EIA data also showed a decrease in U.S. refinery utilization, with rates declining by 0.8 percentage points to 89.7%.

Figure 6: Crude Oil Price Comparisons

Crude Oil Price Comparison

Text version

Figure 6

This graph shows crude oil prices for Canadian Light Sweet, WTI, Brent and WCS. The average weekly prices for the week of May 20, 2016, were $372.58/cubic metres, $392.50/cubic metres, $399.98/cubic metres and $295.07/cubic metres for the Canadian Light, WTI, Brent and WCS, respectively.

Dates Canadian
Light Sweet
WTI Brent WCS
01/13 549.97 592.14 699.83 387.55
02/13 553.76 605.29 736.06 370.93
03/13 560.66 598.93 705.36 430.10
04/13 571.20 590.06 663.78 441.27
05/13 598.81 608.31 662.59 519.16
06/13 577.25 630.51 680.52 489.10
07/13 664.03 685.36 703.73 592.16
08/13 665.21 697.44 722.47 595.65
09/13 647.06 691.84 723.16 543.60
10/13 592.41 655.54 713.92 483.77
11/13 511.65 620.13 711.21 413.23
12/13 524.69 655.42 740.65 394.48
01/14 561.87 651.27 735.43 452.06
02/14 665.35 699.89 756.56 566.93
03/14 655.67 701.90 752.47 554.81
04/14 647.62 704.92 747.57 550.77
05/14 652.85 697.62 748.13 566.87
06/14 665.50 715.93 762.22 589.57
07/14 629.45 690.70 730.08 558.81
08/14 606.25 660.32 710.46 507.84
09/14 608.92 644.03 681.65 515.00
10/14 551.84 594.78 621.20 497.90
11/14 474.20 540.12 569.75 447.90
12/14 378.11 430.68 459.36 313.77
01/15 304.92 359.85 377.71 232.32
02/15 350.67 399.16 461.37 287.18
03-15 339.32 379.25 452.57 269.44
04-15 394.52 422.81 471.56 313.37
05-15 444.34 455.08 502.89 387.66
06-15 453.67 444.84 472.46 377.74
07-15 373.96 411.43 457.53 353.39
08-15 303.26 351.68 395.72 210.71
09-15 356.80 389.09 406.85 267.30
10-15 363.10 380.00 404.44 258.44
11-15 319.23 339.52 383.58 224.73
12-15 292.17 321.73 336.10 206.42
01-16 245.04 281.71 285.42 156.75
02-16 236.45 263.21 290.71 153.29
03-16 292.79 312.53 331.26 206.60
04-16 299.15 331.34 350.57 220.91

Week of May 6

331.08 355.35 364.19 252.03
Week of May 13 348.17 369.23 378.02 270.68
Week of May 20 372.58 392.50 399.98 295.07

Sources: NRCan

Changes in Crude Oil Prices
Crude Oil Types Two- Weeks Ending:
2016-05-10
Change From:
Two weeks prior
Change From:
Last Year
$Can/
m3
$US/
bbl
$Can/
m3
$US/
bbl
$Can/
m3
$US/
bbl
Canadian Light 367.99 45.05 +34.12 +3.44 -78.28 -13.48
WTI 387.93 47.49 +29.76 +2.85 -64.63 -11.86
Brent 396.29 48.52 +27.97 +2.60 -104.31 -17.14
WCS 290.54 35.57 +35.26 +3.75 -93.66 -14.83

Source: NRCan

Download the report

Fuel Focus - Printable Version [PDF, 218 KB]

To read Adobe Acrobat® files, you will need to download and install the free Acrobat Reader® software available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Page details

Report a problem on this page
Please select all that apply:

Thank you for your help!

You will not receive a reply. For enquiries, contact us.

Date modified: