Highlights:

Consumer prices rose 3.4% in the 12 months to September 2008, due largely to higher energy and food prices. On an unadjusted monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.1% in September from August, a reversal from the 0.2% drop recorded in the previous period.

All-items Consumer Price Index (CPI):

1. The largest upward contributor to the change in the 12-month CPI came from prices for gasoline.
2. The 12-month change in consumer prices across the country varied considerably, from a low of 2.4% in New Brunswick to a high of 5.5% in Prince Edward Island; in Alberta, consumer prices increased at the lowest rate since December 2005.
3. Price increases for women’s clothing and tuition fees were the primary contributors to the upswing in the monthly CPI in September.

Main contributors to the 12-month change in the CPI:

Main upward contributors:

1. Gasoline (+26.5%)
2. Mortgage interest cost (+7.7%)
3. Natural gas (+22.3%)

Main downward contributors:

1. Purchase and leasing of passenger vehicles (-9.3%)
2. Women’s clothing (-4.2%)
3. Computer equipment and supplies (-12.6%)

Main contributors to the monthly change in the CPI, not seasonally adjusted:

Main upward contributors:

1. Women’s clothing (+5.0%)
2. Tuition fees (+4.0%)

Main downward contributors:

1. Natural gas (-9.3%)
2. Air transportation (-10.1%)
3. Purchase and leasing of passenger vehicles (-1.0%)