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Consumer Price Index, September 2018

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Released: 2018-10-19

Consumer Price Index

September 2018

2.2% increase

(12-month change)

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.2% on a year-over-year basis in September, following a 2.8% increase in August. Month over month, the CPI decreased 0.4% as transitory pressures from the gasoline, air transportation and travel tours indexes, which boosted the all-items CPI in July and August, eased.

Chart 1  Chart 1: The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the CPI excluding gasoline
The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the CPI excluding gasoline

Component highlights

Prices were up in all eight major components in the 12 months to September. The transportation index increased at a slower pace in September (+3.9%) than in August (+7.2%), but remained the largest contributor to the year-over-year increase.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Consumer prices increase in all major components
Consumer prices increase in all major components

Prices for durable goods rose 0.2% year over year, after increasing 1.1% in August. The purchase of passenger vehicles index (+0.6%) rose less on a year-over-year basis in September than in the previous month (+2.3%), which was largely attributable to the lower availability of new model-year vehicles compared with the same month last year.

Year over year, prices for non-durable goods (+3.0%) increased at a more moderate pace in September than in August (+3.8%). Gasoline prices were up 12.0% in the 12 months to September, following a 19.9% increase in August. Supply disruptions in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which drove up prices at the pump in September 2017, no longer affect the 12-month movement.

The price of services (+2.5%) increased more slowly on a year-over-year basis in September than in August (+3.1%). The cost of travel decreased on a month-over-month basis in September, with air transportation (-16.6%), traveller accommodation (-6.2%) and travel tours (-3.4%) registering monthly price declines.

Regional highlights

Prices rose less year over year in every province in September compared with the previous month, with price growth decelerating most in Newfoundland and Labrador (+1.4%), Prince Edward Island (+1.7%) and Nova Scotia (+1.7%). Year-over-year growth in consumer prices for fresh vegetables slowed in all four Atlantic provinces, while increasing at a faster rate on a national level.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Consumer prices rise at a slower rate in every province
Consumer prices rise at a slower rate in every province

Seasonally adjusted monthly Consumer Price Index

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI declined 0.1% in September, following a 0.1% increase in August. The seasonally adjusted transportation index (-0.6%) and recreation, education and reading index (-0.7%) contributed the most to the decrease.

Chart 4  Chart 4: Seasonally adjusted consumer prices increase in five of eight major components
Seasonally adjusted consumer prices increase in five of eight major components






  Note to readers

Upcoming methodology change

The November 2018 release will reflect changes in methodology for the telephone services index, as well as the introduction of new data sources for pricing smartphones to improve the overall quality and relevance of the index.

Users should note that changing methodological elements of any index may result in variations in the series. As such, the interpretation of the 12-month price change indicator should be made with caution, particularly in the year following the implementation of a new methodology.

Real-time data tables

Real-time data table 18-10-0259-01 will be updated on November 5.

Next release

The Consumer Price Index for October will be released on November 23.

Products

More information about the concepts and use of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is available in The Canadian Consumer Price Index Reference Paper (Catalogue number62-553-X).

For information on the history of the CPI in Canada, consult the publication Exploring the First Century of Canada's Consumer Price Index (Catalogue number62-604-X).

Two videos, "An Overview of Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI)" and "The Consumer Price Index and Your Experience of Price Change," are available on Statistics Canada's YouTube channel.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).

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