Gas prices set to spike 8 cents in Ottawa, eastern Ontario this weekend

Motorists in Ottawa and eastern Ontario will be paying more to fill up the gas tank this weekend.

Following sanctions put on Russia and its oil exports after invading Ukraine, gas prices are set to rise significantly in the coming days, according to Dan McTeague of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

"I would expect, as soon as this Saturday, to look for an 8 cents a litre increase throughout Toronto, the GTA, much of southern Ontario, and I would say right across the country," says McTeague.

The soaring prices are unseen at this time of year, given fuel suppliers have yet to switch the current gas at the pumps to the more expensive summer blend. 

McTeague expects price to continue rising in the weeks and months ahead, given the federal carbon tax set to kick in on April 1 as well.

"It's likely that you're going to see prices move well above $2 a litre," says McTeague. "That could happen as soon as the next couple of weeks from now."

At the pumps, drivers are feeling the price of fuel burning a hole through their wallet.

"The Jeep usually costs around $50 to $60 (to fill)," says driver Justin Blimkie, who was filling up in Arnprior Thursday at just under $1.50 per litre. "Now in the last month I'm up to $85, almost $100."

For motorists like Blimkie, who also enjoy recreational vehicles, the cost of fuel is making everyday like more expensive.

"It's high, especially supreme," Blimkie says to CTV News Ottawa. "A day on the sleds is running you $100, $120. Around town bumming around in the vehicle, yeah you're noticing it."

For other drivers like Ian Thomson, there's no choice but to continue to fill the tank.

"I don't really have a lot of control over it, I'm going to have to pay it," says Thomson, who paid $89 for to fill three quarters of a tank in his SUV. "I've got to get to work."

The rising price of gas is also impacting his personal life, making him rethink where he drives in his free time.

"What I spend doing this I'll have to cut back somewhere else is all," Thomson says.

With no indication on how long the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will last, McTeague says drivers should prepare for prices to remain high.

"The sanctions, we'll have to impose harsh sanctions on oil," explains McTeague. "That's Russia's main source of revenue and income. And although they may have guarded for this kind of an outcome, this could be a much longer term situation."