Nunavut moves to uniform fuel prices outside the capital

As of today, April 1, fuel customers in every Nunavut community—except Iqaluit—will pay the same prices for six different fuel products, no matter where they live.

In some communities, and for some products, this means cost reductions of between three and four cents per litre compared with prices that the GN announced in October 2018.

In other cases, the cost reductions amount to just a fraction of a cent per litre.

It completes a process that started in 2018.

That’s when the Government of Nunavut, for the first time, awarded a contract to a single supplier to obtain the fuel supply that was shipped to the territory in the summer of 2018.

GN contract records, and GN website information, show that contract was awarded to Av Nunavut Fuels of Rankin Inlet and Woodward’s Oil Limited of Labrador.

GN documents suggest the GN acquires about 200 million litres of refined petroleum products each year.

The GN is the only government in Canada that purchases the entire jurisdiction’s fuel supply each year. They do this work through the petroleum products division, or “PPD,” a unit within the Department of Community and Government Services.

Prior to this summer’s shipping season, the PPD made an early purchase of fuel at a lower rate, the GN public service announcement said.

“PPD’s early purchase program secured 59 per cent of fuel products during the 2018-19 winter months, for delivery for summer 2019 at a reduced rate,” the GN said in a PSA.

Here are the new standardized prices:

• Diesel heating oil, all Nunavut communities except Iqaluit: $1.0390.

• Diesel vehicle fuel, all Nunavut communities except Iqaluit: $1.1847.

• Diesel aviation fuel, all Nunavut communities except Iqaluit: $1.4253.

• Gasoline, all Nunavut communities except Iqaluit: $1.0964.

• Jet fuel, all Nunavut communities except Iqaluit: $1.5014.

Also, the price of naptha remains unchanged, at $8 per can.

Fuel prices in Iqaluit are set by individual retailers.