Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist
GASPÉ – Quebec still has not committed to including regional and Quebec content requirements in wind power projects, even though Hydro-Québec is set to develop 10,000 megawatts of wind energy.
Following the adoption of Bill 69, the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix believes that Hydro now has the agility and flexibility to create winning conditions for Quebec content.
Mr. Sainte-Croix believes that the sector will be able to focus on its objectives and will be included in the development plan.
The elected official indicates that there will be room for Quebec companies such as LM Wind Power in Gaspé and Marmen in Matane.
However, conditions have not yet been set. “We are not yet in concrete discussions to see how this will play out. We have given Hydro-Québec the tools to consider these elements. But we are aware that the contribution of these companies is important for the future,” says Mr. Sainte-Croix.
Meanwhile, the MNA believes that the abolition of the minimum price for gasoline, which came into effect on June 9, is a step toward stimulating competition. He notes that other measures are in the works, including mandatory disclosure of price variations, which will make it easier to track market trends.
The MNA points out that Haute-Gaspésie, Côte-de-Gaspé, and part of Rocher-Percé still have some of the highest gasoline prices in the province.
“It will take some time for the market to regulate itself based on supply and demand. The Clark report in recent years indicated that Gaspésie more often than not had the highest prices in Quebec. The abolition of the price floor will stimulate this impact on prices,” he believes.
In place for 28 years, Quebec felt that the previous price floor mechanism limited competition among retailers and, as a result, led to higher prices.
Meanwhile, when it was withdrawn on June 9, motorists in the Bay of Chaleur were paying the fair price for regular gasoline, according to data from the Régie de l’énergie, However those in Rocher-Percé and Côte-de-Gaspé were paying more.
In Avignon and Bonaventure, gasoline sold for an average of $1.514 per litre, with a profit margin of 11.2 cents, slightly below the annual average of 11.7 cents.
In Chandler and Gaspé, a litre should sell for $1.54, but it is priced at $1.57.
The margin on the Gaspé Peninsula is 14.8 cents, compared to an average of 12.5 cents last year. In Rocher-Percé, it was 12.8 cents, compared to an average of 11.6 cents last year.
Government actions in recent months have lowered the average profit margin by 3 to 4 cents, depending on the sector.
The report by economist Robert Clark, published in May 2024, who was tasked with investigating the practices of oil companies, concluded that the Gaspé region had the highest annual pre-tax gasoline price in the province over the past decade.
Furthermore, for the third time since 2019, a report showed that the annual profit margin for retailers in Gaspé was the highest in the last decade.
The expert noted in his report, for example, that the profit margin in Gaspé rose from 9 cents in 2021 to 15.2 cents in 2023.
According to him, lower sales volume did not explain the higher prices charged in the region.
The Quebec government has since forwarded the Clark report to the Competition Bureau.