Denmark seeks Arctic peace on eve of Greenland summit

Denmark's foreign minister has made a plea for peace among Arctic nations, including Canada, on the eve of an international summit in Greenland aimed at easing territorial tensions in a region experiencing unprecedented melting and thought to contain a quarter of the world's remaining oil reserves. Per Stig Moller's appeal for countries to end the "rush" for control over the Arctic and the emerging competition over "who comes first or who plants their flag where" -- a clear reference to last summer's controversial Russian expedition to the North Pole -- coincides with a new prediction by U. S. scientists that, for the first time in recorded history, the pole itself could become ice-free at the height of this summer's thaw.

Canada’s Arctic mapping key to resource claims: Lunn

After returning from a trip to the polar cap where he visited a northern Canadian research outpost, Lunn said "I really think it's important that we have jurisdictional control to ensure that we decide what's in our nation's interest," Lunn said in a phone interview. "We (would) make the rules on ensuring that the environment remains protected not to mention the economic benefits of the natural resources as well."

Expect more hikes at the pumps: Harper

Gas prices will likely continue to rise for the next several years and there is little governments can do to lower them, the Prime Minister said Wednesday. "I don't think government should fool people into thinking it can control the price of gas. It - generally speaking - can't," Stephen Harper told reporters during an announcement at a fruit farm in Southern Ontario. "These prices are set internationally. We are seeing increased prices around the world."

Gas headed for up to $1.50 a litre, analysts say

"What we haven't seen yet is that seasonal rise in gas prices related to supply and demand," she said. In the early summer, prices usually jump along with demand, as drivers head out on vacation trips, Ms. Hay said. In most years, this adds about 10 to 15 cents to the price of a litre of gas. The price then tends to slip back as the summer progresses. Last year, the jump was as much as 25 cents a litre because gasoline inventories were low, but this spring "what will serve to moderate the spike is the fact that we are entering the peak gasoline demand season with inventories in quite good shape," she said. Others think prices could go even higher. Jason Toews, co-founder of the gasbuddy.com website, said he expects prices to hit $1.50 to $1.60 a litre in Canada this summer, and possibly more if crude oil continues to rise.