But not yet high enough to change drivers' habits

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CALGARY - Gasoline prices in Canada have been creeping up to close to $1.30 a litre over the past week and that has Canadians talking about changing their driving habits.

But right now, talking is about all they're doing, says Scott Wilson of the Alberta Motor Association.

For AMA members, $1.45 a litre seems to be the tipping point at which drivers would make big changes in the way they consume gas, he says.

"At this point in time we certainly haven't had a lot of feedback from people saying, 'I've really made a change in how I'm driving or I'm going to stop buying gas,'" he says.

"I think a lot of people talk about that, maybe think about it. But I don't know how many people actually follow through on that."

In the days leading up to the Victoria Day long weekend -- the unofficial launch of the summer driving season in Canada -- the national average for gasoline went up to about $1.29 a litre and has gradually been creeping up since then according to the price-tracking website Gasbuddy.com.

And the pain at the pump looks likely to get worse, with crude oil hitting another record, nearly US$130 a barrel yesterday.

Garey Aitken, an energy analyst with Bissett Income Fund, says demand for fuel is not retreating as much as expected, with prices as high as they are.

On the other hand, Jason Toews, the co-founder of Gasbuddy.com, says he expects the high gas prices to have a big impact on summer travel plans.

"All of a sudden it's expensive to drive. If you have an SUV and you want to drive from Regina to Calgary, it's going to cost you $250 to $300 to do that. It's no longer the no-brainer that it used to be," he says.

"Now you really have to think about it. You have to factor it in. A lot of people's car payments aren't even $300."

He says he expects Canadian gasoline prices to average between $1.35 and $1.45 during the summer before falling to around $1.10 in September.