New Brunswick’s gas prices are adjusted weekly as part of provincial regulations.
But retailers are prohibited from revealing numbers before the 12:01 am Friday weekly price adjustment, according to a spokesperson for the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board.
“The Petroleum Products Pricing Act prohibits retailers from disclosing the price. So when the board gets a complaint, it reminds retailers of that,” Dave Young told our newsroom.
Section 6 of the Act states, “A wholesaler, retailer or person designated by regulation under subsection 3(3) may not disclose to anyone the price fixed by the Minister or the Commission, as the case may be, before the date on which the price comes into force.”
Young said the EUB doesn’t have fining authority, but they could refer a case to the Crown Prosecutor.
“Section six of the act says that the fine under the act is up to $5,200. But that’s for, that’s not for the board to decide, it’s for a judge to decide and the Crown Prosecutor,” Young added.
He explained that the Board sometimes receives a complaint of a retailer disclosing prices before they are supposed to be released, and the Board will issue a reminder.
“It doesn’t happen very often, and not very many people release the price, but on occasion, it does. The idea is to protect small businesses because they have gasoline that’s set at a certain price that they have to sell. And sometimes they sell lower as a result of the changes,” Young stated.
