Inflation down across Canada, up slightly in British Columbia
Inflation may be cooling across most of Canada, but people are still feeling the pinch of higher prices, especially in B.C. where the cost of goods increased slightly in July, according to Statistics Canada.
The agency said year-over-year, inflation across the country was 7.6 per cent in July, that's lower than June when it was 8.1 per cent. Most of the decrease is driven by lower gas prices.
At the same time, some groceries are costing a lot more. Compared to this time last year -- eggs, fresh fruit and baked goods cost consumers more than 10 per cent more.
According to the Statistics Canada report, B.C. was the only province where inflation increased. The rate going from 7.9 percent in June to eight percent in July. The agency said travel accommodations, car insurance, and gas prices -- notoriously the highest in the country - are the biggest factors.
The province sets rent increases based on July's inflation number. This year, the cap will be lower.
Housing Minister Murray Rankin told CTV News in a statement that the particulars are still being ironed out.
"As many renters are barely hanging on and cannot afford a change in their rent at current rates of inflation, we will be capping the annual allowable rent increase for 2023 below the rate of inflation," he wrote
"We are finalizing the details of what the rent cap will be, and will have more to say in the coming weeks.'
Homeowners may also be on the hook for higher mortgage payments. While the head of the Bank of Canada thinks inflation may have peaked -- it's still much higher than its target of two percent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.