TORONTO — Regular gasoline in the Greater Toronto Area dropped overnight into the high 170s to low 180s cents a litre; diesel did not follow it down.En-Pro International analyst Roger McKnight put Friday’s GTA regular near 179.9 cents/L, the lowest so far this month, after an eight-cent cut he tied to the switch from summer-blend gasoline to winter blend. Winter fuel is cheaper to produce. Dan McTeague of Canadians for Affordable Energy had Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland falling 7 to 9 cents on Friday. McKnight told CityNews Saturday takes most GTA stations back up about 7 cents, to 186.9 cents/L — close to the start of the week, and still above the June-to-August highs.Canadian stations must sell summer blend until Sept. 15, and McTeague expects another regular cut around Sept. 17, when winter blend can go on the rack — crude spent the week near or above $100 a barrel A year ago Toronto regular was about 144 cents/L..Ottawa set the federal fuel excise to zero on April 20 — 10 cents/L off gasoline and 4 cents/L off diesel — and on Sept. 2 extended that holiday through Jan. 31, 2027, at an estimated extra $2.9 billion, so the pause is still on. The diesel climb is harvest and cold-weather demand while oil stays high after the Iran war tightened the Strait of Hormuz.McTeague told the Toronto Sun diesel already set a Toronto record at 243.9 cents/L on Sept. 2, and he has since forecast 245.9 cents on Friday and as high as 256.9 cents by Saturday.Ontario’s official weekly table for Sept. 8 still showed provincial diesel at 237.8 cents, while Kalibrate’s Sept. 10 city survey had Toronto at 242.7 cents and Etobicoke at 243.9 — so 243.9 on Sept. 2 is the confirmed peak, and the Friday and Saturday prints remain his pump call.A household that fills 50 litres of regular saves a few dollars today, and a carrier that buys 1,000 litres of diesel at McTeague’s Friday forecast pays about $90 more on the same day. That second number is what shows up in freight, groceries and farm tanks before November, with the federal excise already off the litre and the diesel price still climbing.
