Vancouver has some of the highest gas prices in North America right now

It’s West Coast versus East Coast, but it’s a battle Canadians on either end of the country likely don’t want to win.

Currently, drivers in Vancouver and St John’s, Newfoundland, are vying to see who is paying the highest gas prices in North America.

Vancouver took the unwanted honour over the weekend with a continent-leading high of between $135.9 and $139.9 per litre. That price has since dropped, but at the time of writing it was still sitting between $125.9 and $132.9.

Meanwhile, in St John’s during the same time period, prices were between $127.9 and $139.9.

Although the prices at the pump might be similarly staggering, the reasons behind the increases couldn’t be more different, according to one industry analyst.

In the Lower Mainland, not enough gasoline is produced locally to meet the need of the market, Dan McTeague of Gasbuddy.com told Daily Hive.

The high demand in gas south of the border combined with a low Canadian dollar means more pricey petroleum for Metro Vancouver motorists.

“Vancouver depends on US gas for some of its needs,” he said. When prices increase State-side – as they did last week – “it means we too must pay.”

Over on the East Coast however, the high price has to do primarily with taxes around the sale of gasoline, McTeague said.

“St. John’s saw a net 21 cent increase last June, on top of existing gas prices,” he furthered.

So can drivers expect any sort of decrease any time soon?

The short answer is yes, said McTeague, who added that prices “should drop one or two cents for Thursday.”