Canada CPI revealed | Wealth Professional
Grocery prices continued to slow. Food purchased from stores rose 1.7% year over year in September, down from 2.8% in August and the smallest yearly gain since May 2024, when prices rose 1.5%. Declines in fresh vegetables (-2.9%) and sugar and confectionery (-2.7%) contributed to the moderation. Despite the slowdown, grocery prices have risen 33.0% since September 2020, according to Statistics Canada.
Shelter costs rose 1.8% year over year in September, up from 1.5% in August. Rent rose 2.8% year over year, matching the August figure. Homeowners’ replacement costs fell 1.9% and mortgage interest costs declined 0.2%.
Regionally, prices rose at a faster pace in five provinces compared with August, largely due to higher energy costs. Excluding energy, inflation was highest in Nova Scotia (3.3%), Prince Edward Island (2.6%), New Brunswick (2.6%), and Newfoundland and Labrador (2.4%), all above the national figure of 2.1%.
Tuition fees, priced annually in September, rose 2.4% in 2026, up from 1.7% in 2025. Students in Prince Edward Island saw the largest increase at 4.9%, while those in Newfoundland and Labrador had the smallest at 0.6%, coinciding with a provincial tuition freeze. Ontario tuition rose 2.1% year over year, the largest increase since 2018, after the province ended its tuition freeze.
