Calling it a “first step” in providing British Columbians with more information about how gasoline and diesel prices are set in the province, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) announced on Tuesday that it has launched GasPricesBC.ca.

The BCUC said that through a series of dashboards, the website displays publicly available data, which visitors can customize to view information based on geography or price components. The dashboards will be updated with further data as submissions are provided to the BCUC from industry participants.

The website also includes information about:

The BCUC’s inquiry into gas and diesel prices in BC;

BC’s Fuel Price Transparency (FPT) Act – which requires companies to report information and data on their activities in the gasoline and diesel fuel market in BC;

The BCUC’s role as the Administrator of the FPT Act;

Components that influence fuel prices in BC.

As part of the website’s launch, the BCUC said it has also developed a feedback form for visitors to share what information they would like to see on the site, as improvements and enhancements will continuously be made.

Last month, the BC government designated the BCUC as the Administrator of the FPT Act.

As the Administrator of the FPT Act, the BCUC will be responsible for collecting and publishing information about gasoline and diesel fuel activities in BC, in an effort to promote competitiveness, and public confidence in the competitiveness of the fuel market.

The BCUC, however, does not regulate fuel prices in BC.