Pump prices leap 20 cents
Gas prices jumped nearly 20 cents at many Greater Victoria stations on Thursday, hitting $1.349 a litre for regular. But the previous prevailing price of $1.159 was still posted at some stations. The national average was $1.218 on Thursday; Calgary had the lowest price in Canada at $1.001, said GasBuddy.com. A year ago, Victoria drivers paid $1.225 for a litre of gas, the website said. The Victoria price had been relatively stable for several months. Crude oil prices fell Thursday, with the benchmark West Texas intermediate crude dipping 45 cents to close at $97.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. However, oil finished up more than $5 for the month of January, the biggest monthly increase since August. Also, Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, rose 65 cents to $115.55 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange .
Dial-A-Geek still open
Victoria’s Dial-A-Geek said it was fielding several calls from concerned customers that it had been affected by Thursday’s closure of Best Buy stores. Those customers were likely confused with the Geek Squad brand set up inside the Best Buy. “Due to the closures of Best Buy, we have been receiving phone calls from those who believe that Dial-A-Geek is part of Best Buy and is now out of business ... we are not,” said CEO Chris Gillen. “We are an independent technology support team started 10 years ago here in Victoria and are still going strong. We continue to serve Vancouver Island and remain ready to answer any computer/tablet/phone/networking issues that arise.”
Turning down the heat
The Downtown Victoria Business Association, FortisBC and the Business Improvement Areas of B.C. are teaming up to promote energy conservation during Turn Down The Heat Week, Feb. 2 to 9. Participating businesses will turn down the heat at work and at home and their workers will wear sweaters to help promote energy conservation. “The objective to make everyone more aware of energy consumption while collecting sweaters for those who can really use them,” said Ken Kelly, general manager of the Downtown Victoria Business Association. Habit Coffee in Chinatown is providing free coffee with a sweater donation while others businesses, such as Ocean River Sports, Robinson’s Outdoor Store and Sitka are offering discounts on clothing.
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