On Monday (January 19), Statistics Canada released the consumer price index (CPI) figures for December. The data showed an uptick in inflation to 2.4 percent year-over-year, up from 2.2 percent in November. Much of the increase was driven by a 5 percent increase in grocery prices and an 8.5 percent increase in food purchased from restaurants. StatsCan noted that the rise coincides with the GST/HST holiday that began on December 14, 2024, which primarily affected those two categories. The holiday ended on February 15, 2025. Balancing out the increase were declines in prices at the pump, with gas prices falling 13.8 percent year-over-year, following a 7.8 percent decrease in November. The reporting agency also released its annual CPI review on Monday. In that release, StatsCan indicated that on an annual average basis, CPI rose 2.1 percent in 2025, after recording a 2.4 percent increase in 2024. The year’s growth rate…
