Consumer prices in British Columbia increased by 1.0% in February compared with the previous month, according to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released this morning by Statistics Canada.
This is below the national increase of 1.2% for the same period. Only Alberta had a smaller decrease than B.C., with a 0.9% rate of inflation.
Year-over-year, B.C. and Alberta were tied for the lowest CPI increase, both up 0.9%. Nationally, consumer prices increased by 1.2% over the same period.
The provinces with the highest rates of inflation in February, compared with the previous month, were:
Newfoundland and Labrador (1.8%);
Quebec (1.4%); and
New Brunswick (1.3%).
Nationwide, prices for clothing and footwear decreased over the last year by 0.5% – the only consumer category with a drop year-over-year – but increased by 4.0% from the previous month.
The price of gasoline saw the biggest jump, both year-over-year and over the previous month – 3.9% and 8.4%, respectively.
