Gasoline prices in Canada eased slightly just before the arrival of the May long weekend.
According to fuel price monitoring service GasBuddy.com, the average retail price at the pump across Canada was around $1.99 a pound on Friday morning.
It was the first time it fell below $2.00 a liter since hitting an all-time high on Tuesday.
But while drivers with plans for Patriots Day weekend will likely appreciate the respite, they should expect prices at the pumps to pick up again in the months ahead.
Gasoline prices have been high since late February. Crude oil prices then jumped to around US$100 in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and there is no sign that they will go down anytime soon.
The US benchmark price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate was around US$112 on Friday afternoon.
Year over year, gas prices in Canada show a 55% increase, according to the GasBuddy website. The service says it expects gasoline prices to continue to climb in the coming weeks, with summer demand could drive prices up even further, putting further pressure on already volatile markets.
On Friday, drivers in Newfoundland and Labrador were saddled with the highest prices in the country, averaging $2.24 per liter. British Columbians followed with an average price of $2.17 per litre.
The cheapest gasoline was in Alberta, where pump prices averaged $1.69 per litre. The next best bargain after that province was in Saskatchewan, where the average price reached $1.86 per litre.