Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Dec 12/01) - Gasoline, called liquid gold by some, took a price drop in the region this past month.

However, unlike the drop in real gold prices, which have slowed mineral exploration to a near standstill in the region, this downward slash was supposed to benefit Kivalliq residents.

Yet, despite the drop in price, fuel consumption has not risen noticeably, say station owners and attendants across the Kivalliq.

"The only change we really saw was initially," says Repulse Bay Co-op manager John Kaufmann.

"People held off the last two days before (the price change), once they heard it was going down.

"Then everyone got gas the first couple of days."

Kaufmann says Repulse is a small community and people buy gas out of necessity, not impulse.

He says it's too early to know if the price cut will have a lasting impact on sales.

"It's hard to judge. It's (selling gas) is weather related, too.

"When the weather's nice, hunters want to go out. When it's not nice, they can't go out.

"In a two-week or three-week period, you can't really judge. It takes a few months."

It may be taking awhile for Repulse consumers to warm up to the price cut, but buyers in Baker Lake have been voicing their appreciation to the seven cent per litre slash.

"A lot of the customers are very happy and they've said that to us," says Baker Lake Arctic Fuels president Leo Lareau.

"It's certainly a bit cheaper than before," adds Mickey Akavak, who does maintenance on the pumps.

"I think hunters in general are getting a better deal with the kind of income they get."

Not everyone has noticed the change, however.

While Akavak says there's a bit more traffic around the gas station since the price change, station attendant David Piryuaq says it's been business as usual.

"There has been no difference at all," says Piryuaq.