The price of gas continued to ascend into the stratosphere in Metro Vancouver over the weekend, topping off at $1.46 per litre for Vancouver’s price-gouged citizens, an increase of $0.05 since last Thursday. A huge change for Canadians, so, we can imagine the effects on other parts of the world where the price of gas was already a large percentage of daily income, much more so than Canada.

Vancouvergasprices.com reported prices at the pump ranged from $1.29 per litre in some Aldergrove locations to around $1.47 at one particular Mohawk station in New Westminster. Why such a fluctuation? Good question, apparently, the price of gas depends on a number of factors, ones that seem to change depending on the desires, needs and future prospects of the oil companies and their partners in crime.

Recent surveys by Leger Marketing indicates half of Canadian drivers say they have cut back on daily driving excursions, while 45 percent indicated they have taken steps to increase gas mileage. British Columbia had the highest percentage for reducing daily driving habits at 56 percent, a nice trend that will surely be increasing in the future, since the oil companies have certainly been setting the propaganda stage for a continued increase in oil prices to over $200 a barrel in the future.

Will Canadians continue to make changes to their daily driving habits? We don’t really have a choice if our standard of living is to survive; we need to find ways to keep our standard of living, while continuing to move toward a society less reliant on gas and oil for energy. To accomplish this we will need to alter our thinking about what our daily requirement for our lifestyle are and implement effective policies if we are to keep our standard of living at its current level, at least for the present and future, if this is possible, the writing on the wall is pointing to a reduced lifestyle for Canadians in the future.

56 percent is significantly lower than the numbers from a similar surveys south of the border, a recent Gallup pole of U.S. gas users indicated 84 percent of Americans indicated they had implemented gas cutting measures in their lifestyles and 76 percent said they took steps to increase their gas mileage in an attempt to save money.

Many in North American society find it hard to cut back on their daily gas usage, their lifestyle, job or other parts of their life not allowing for the changes or maybe their just stubborn, and think they shouldn’t have to change, but as society changes, they will be required to do so as well.

Many Prince George residents, like, Byron Wong, who was filling up his Ford F250 at a Prince George station on Sunday, paid $130 for 90 litres of fuel.

“I just paid $1.36 in Prince George, its tough when the price keeps going up, we have gotten ourselves into a situation where getting to point A to point B is a necessity for work, so we really have no choice, but I will be looking at ways to alleviate the problem,” said Byron Wong, who runs his own automotive paint shop in Prince George.

Like many Canadians, Byron says switching to a smaller vehicle isn’t an option since he uses his truck to haul equipment and supplies, and walking to the grocery stores and other amenities is too far for it to be an option.

Canadians live a sheltered life compared to most of the world, I think were rated as the third best country in the world to live in, we use to be first. The attitude displayed in this gentleman is common in Canadians, Americans, and a large portion of the industrialized world, a spoiled attitude that has never really had to struggle for food, warmth or life as most in the world has had too.

The desire to make the changes one knows are required in order to accomplish the goals one has set is never easy, Canadians have within them the power to change and lead a change in the world around us. We are in a position where we actually have the means, time and energy to be a shining example to the rest of the industrialized world, to show what can be done when humans work together toward a common goal.

Together we can learn to put aside the fear were all feeling at the present facts staring us in the face, and overcome them together as one united force for change. To stride forward toward our common future, one without human gas powered inventions, industrial processes, or suicidal environmental policies.

The change from gas powered transportation to other means is only one change that is coming to our Canadian lifestyle in the years to come; Canadians can expect the changes to affect many parts of their cherished lifestyles and to alter the lifestyles of their children forever, but if our children are to survive and continue the struggle, I think well find these changes are required.

Parents need to implement the changes necessary, then teach the next generation about the mistakes earlier generations made, otherwise were going to be doomed to do it all again.

If you’re a parent of a young, growing mind that is hungry to live a full and long life full of the things we all take for granted, then take the time to talk to your children about the world around us and the problems that are approaching us at breakneck speed.

Help them see their fears as a tool for change, not as something to ignore, hide from, or pretend doesn’t exist, but as the weapon we will use to overcome human weaknesses. That we must change but this doesn’t mean life isn’t good, just different than what they were traditionally told to expect by earlier generations, in fact once the changes are made it maybe better in many ways.

Get their minds and desires involved in the struggle for Mother Earth, after all they will be the ones leading the charge and implementing the new policies that will save the Earth.