Here we go again.

The price of gas is back up to just short of $2 in the Okanagan and Kamloops as the world continues to plunge further into instability.

The war in Iran and conflict throughout the Middle East keeps getting worse and even though the federal government is offering Canadians some reprieve on the excise tax it isn’t stopping shocks at the gas pump.

The cheapest price for gas in Kamloops and Kelowna is roughly $1.92, in Penticton it’s about $1.95 and in Vernon it’s around $1.91, but most gas stations are a penny or two shy of $2 per litre.

The average gas price in B.C. is at $1.98, one of the highest in the country. The national average is around $1.86.

Over the summer gas prices have ranged dramatically within the Thompson-Okanagan region but at this point they’re much closer together. In August, some gas stations in Vernon were selling a litre of gas for as low as $1.47 while others were at $1.91.

Uncertainty around the world continues to spike prices with no end in sight.

The Strait of Hormuz and its alternative route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, are unsafe for tankers, driving up oil prices. The Brent Crude oil price is more than $100 USD as of Sept. 17.

The federal government extended the fuel excise tax break through January, and in February and March it will come back at 50 per cent of the previous rate. The tax would normally add 10 cents to gas prices, so in February and March it’s going to add 5 cents.

So far, spiking oil prices haven’t spilled over and caused widespread inflation, according to the most recent Statistics Canada report.