Quebec City, Quebec - Retailers in almost every region of Quebec are earning a very high profit margin of every litre of gasoline they sell today, according to CAA-Quebec. The organization has noted a decrease in the petroleum price indicators on crude oil and refined gasoline in recent days, and said there is “no doubt” that Quebecers are the victims of these disproportionate retail margins, at a time when many are taking summer holiday road trips.

“It’s bad enough that motorists have had to deal with constant and sharp increases in fuel prices for several months, and now that the indicators are showing a downturn in prices, the industry is refusing to give consumers a break,” said Roxanne Héroux of CAA-Quebec. She noted that pump prices should normally follow the same trends as those of the price indicators.

Except for the Greater Montreal Region and Northern Quebec, all regions in the province are affected by extremely high retail margins. CAA-Quebec said that margins are 9.9 cents per litre in Quebec City, 9.4 cents in Saguenay, 11.9 in Trois-Rivières and 9.6 cents in Sherbrooke. The association calculates the realistic price of gasoline daily, which is posted on its website, Gasoline Watch.