The man who brought in fuel price regulation in Newfoundland and Labrador twenty years ago says he would never go back to allowing the oil companies to set the price, but he believes change is badly needed.

There was a major jump at the pumps overnight, something to which the province is getting accustomed.

Then-Premier Roger Grimes established a separate agency under George Saunders in Grand Falls-Windsor back in the early 2000s, a system that was fully accountable to the people. Saunders would make himself available to the media each week when the price schedule came out. However, now, the Public Utilities Board releases us the maximum cost but is not available for questions.

Grimes says his successor, Danny Williams, fired Saunders because he was a known Liberal, then folded the agency into the P.U.B. Grimes would keep regulation, but change it so that media had access to the decision-makers.

He says the system put in place 20 years ago by George Saunders is the same one that was used by the late George Murphy and is being used by Dan McTeague. Grimes believes the regulation system should have to explain its decisions to the public.