“TransLink is diversifying the fleet not only because of volatility in the fuel markets, but to meet our emissions targets,” the spokeswoman said. “We are also transitioning some of the fleet to compressed natural gas. Additionally, TransLink is part of the CUTRIC electric battery-powered bus trial starting this summer. All of these efforts should help make TransLink less dependent on gasoline and diesel in the future.”

B.C. Ferries, which spent just over $100 million on fuel in fiscal 2018, can tack fuel surcharges or rebates onto its fees, but neither are currently in place, a spokeswoman said.

The ferry operator said a fifth vessel running on liquefied natural gas will join its fleet Thursday. LNG is better for the environment and costs about half as much as the ultralow sulphur diesel used by its other ferries, the spokeswoman said.

Meantime, Premier John Horgan said his government would keep an eye on the “unseasonably high” gas prices through the summer.

“Those that are arguing that this is about taxation, clearly — we raised the carbon price by one penny on April 1 and prices went up 20 cents,” Horgan said at a news conference Tuesday. “There’s no connection to taxation. It’s a direct connection to the cost of the commodity. We’re going to monitor that. If there’s an opportunity, we’ll take action.”

Asked about Alberta United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney’s recent threat to “turn off the taps” and cut off gas shipments on his first day as premier, if elected, Horgan chalked it up to political grandstanding.

“Certainly, during election campaigns, quite often, political leaders speak hyperbolically,” Horgan said. “They’re overly aggressive. They focus on trying to pander to lowest common denominators. I think Canadians want to work together to meet the challenges of climate change, to meet the challenges of ensuring that the next generation of workers have the skills and the training that they need.”

-With files from Rob Shaw

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