The Consumer Price Index
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Note on CANSIM
Data that appears in the The Consumer Price Index (catalogue no. 62-001-X) are also available electronically, free of charge under the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement, in our CANSIM (Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System) database through the Internet, under tables 326-0009, 326-0012, 326-0015, 326-0020, 326-0021, 326-0022, 326-0023, 326-8023 and 326-0031. In general, CANSIM provides a longer historical series. For further information on CANSIM call 1-800-263-1136.
This publication was prepared under the direction of:
Note to users
The Consumer Price Index is published monthly and is not subject to revisions.
| Index for the month | Release date |
|---|---|
| December 2016 | January 20, 2017 |
| January 2017 | February 24, 2017 |
| February 2017 | March 24, 2017 |
| March 2017 | April 21, 2017 |
| April 2017 | May 19, 2017 |
| May 2017 | June 23, 2017 |
| June 2017 | July 21, 2017 |
| July 2017 | August 18, 2017 |
| August 2017 | September 22, 2017 |
| September 2017 | October 20, 2017 |
| October 2017 | November 17, 2017 |
| November 2017 | December 21, 2017 |
| December 2017 | January 26, 2018 |
Please note that the analytical text and charts previously found in this publication continue to be available in The Daily.
Methodology changes: Gasoline Index
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of consumer goods and services over time. In order to accurately reflect changes in the market and in the consumer behaviour, Statistics Canada periodically reviews and updates the methods applied to the various components of the CPI. The release of the August 2017 CPI (published on September 22, 2017) marks the implementation of a new gasoline index methodology.
The gasoline component represents 3.37% of the 2015 CPI basket at link month (December 2016) prices and is part of the transportation index, one of the major CPI components.
The gasoline index methodology changes consist of two main elements: collection of prices in more cities, and over more days of the month (every business day); and, a new aggregation formula.
The indexes for each geographic stratum use an explicitly weighted Jevons index formula. The population count for each city, drawn from the census, is the source for weighting.
Upcoming methodological change: New data sources for the Mortgage Interest Cost Index
The release of the October 2017 CPI (to be published on November 17, 2017) will mark the implementation of new data sources for the calculation of the mortgage interest cost index (MICI).
The MICI represents 3.41% of the 2015 CPI basket at link month (December 2016) prices and is part of the shelter index, which is one of the major CPI components.
The new data sources will use administrative data to replace survey data, which will reduce survey response burden, while better reflecting the Canadian residential mortgage market, and will allow for a simplified estimation process.
A detailed documentation describing the MICI methodology will be available with the October 2017 CPI release on November 17, 2017.
Upcoming changes to table entitled “Inter-city indexes of price differentials of consumer goods and services”: Addition of a new geographic stratum
Data on inter-city indexes of price differentials of consumer goods and services will be updated to October 2016 with the release of the October 2017 CPI (to be published on November 17, 2017). At this time, the geographic stratum “Calgary, Alberta” will be introduced in the table reflecting data for the all-items index and its eight major components.
Real-time CANSIM tables
Real-time CANSIM table 326-8023 will be updated on October 10. For more information, consult the document Real-time CANSIM tables.
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