The head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com says he continues to be optimistic that the national average for regular unleaded gasoline will remain under $1.75 per litre for most of, if not the entire summer.  Patrick de Haan says this May long weekend Canadians were spending a combined billions less on gasoline compared to last year.

According to Gasbuddy’s survey of 81 gas outlets in Saskatoon, including the change in gas prices in Saskatoon during the past week, prices Sunday were 34.0 c/L lower than the same day one year ago and are 9.0 c/L lower than a month ago.  The national average stands 40.7 c/L lower than that day one year ago.

De Haan says, “As the summer driving season kicks off with May long, we’ve seen gas prices inch back up as oil prices have rallied, driven by debt ceiling discussions in the United States.”

Average retail gasoline prices in Saskatoon have fallen 0.9 c/L in the past week, averaging 152.67 c/L Sunday.