Renting a car this summer? Plan ahead — and watch out for sticker shock
CBC
If you're planning on vacationing in Nova Scotia this summer, don't expect to get much of a break on car rental pricing – that is, if you're able to rent one at all.
Mike Cybulski and his wife, who live in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., had already plotted out their itinerary for a long-awaited trip to the Maritimes this August, including stops in Lunenburg, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island, when they finally got around to booking a rental car.
But after finding out the cost of a two-week rental would run from $2,000 to $3,000 after taxes, they cancelled the trip.
"We're not going. It's that simple.… I'm not going to pay $2,000 for a car rental," said Cybulski.
CBC News reviewed pricing for a two-week rental on both Expedia and directly from major rental companies Hertz, Avis and Enterprise and confirmed prices were in line with the ones Cybulski cited. The cheapest rentals came in at just under $2,000.
As Nova Scotia's tourism industry continues to rebound from the pandemic, Cybulski's worried about how it will be affected if more people follow his lead and cancel their trips.
"My big concern is for all the business owners in the Maritimes, Airbnbs and restaurants and so forth.… People will not pay those car rental prices."
According to the Consumer Price Index, rental car prices in Canada increased nearly 50 per cent from from 2019 to 2022.
Expect prices to stay high and supply to remain tight this summer, says Craig Hirota, the vice-president of government relations and member services for Associated Canadian Car Rental Operators
"Atlantic Canada struggles to find cars even in the best of times during the summer season," he said.
"I could definitely see situations where the pricing for vehicles is reaching extremely high levels simply because there's not enough cars to go around even to meet the normal local demand right now."
According to Hirota, many car rental agencies are still trying to rebuild their fleets after downsizing in 2020, but automobile manufacturers haven't been able to supply enough new vehicles to meet demand.
Higher maintenance costs have also contributed to the increase in rental prices, he said.
If the cost of renting a car is out of your budget, Stephen Olmstead with the Canadian Automobile Association's Atlantic region says there are other options.
A judge ruled Thursday to remove an injunction in place since the summer against Alberta's law prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care to youth.
A pedestrian is dead and another is in life-threatening condition after two vehicles collided in Richmond Hill on Thursday, striking three people, police say.
A Pelly Crossing, Yukon, resident said he's frustrated over the fact he's still waiting to get paid for work he did during last month's territorial election.
A few days after Michael Ma decided to cross the floor to the Liberals, Pierre Poilievre was asked whether the loss of another MP was a problem for his leadership of the Conservative Party.
Ontario released a new curriculum for kindergarten in the province on Thursday, but the shift away from “play-based” learning towards “academic rigor” is sparking concern from teachers and opposition.
Ekati Diamond Mine is getting a a $115 million loan from the Canadian government to continue operations at the mine and protect jobs, its owner announced Thursday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirmed he'll protect Canada's supply management system, as the United States signalled it's ready to fight over this country's dairy rules at the negotiating table.
It all started with a 14-year-old Indigenous boy who was sitting in jail last year, not because he couldn’t get bail, but because he had nowhere to go once released.
Several people dressed as Santa and a group of masked elves were filmed at a grocery store in Montreal on Monday night filling up carts with food.
Three of the biggest players in P.E.I.’s health-care system have reached an agreement that sets more flexible models for how many patients family doctors can and should handle.
A London man is facing charges after allegedly emailing death threats to London's city hall.
Prosecutors have withdrawn a second-degree murder charge against a man who spent 23 years in prison for the killing of a 10-year-old girl in 1989.
The Redwood Meadows fire station was badly damaged by a fire on Wednesday evening.