Cost of living putting pressure on families despite slight decline in inflation rate
Despite some relief at the pumps last month, the high cost of living continues to squeeze Canadians’ pocketbooks.
Canadian inflation declined to 7.6 per cent year-over-year in July, according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada released Tuesday.
But the cost of food continues to rise. Prices were up 9.9 per cent compared with a year ago, the fastest pace since August 1981.
Johnny Paolozzi runs Subito Sandwich on Gladstone Avenue in downtown Ottawa. He says it is hard to keep up with the high price of food.
“Everything! everything in general. No matter what we touch, and the supply chain too! When I get an invoice now… I look- did I get the product and how much did it go up? It’s scary,” says Paolozzi.
Paolozzi says he has noticed all items are going up. “You will pick something up one day, and two days later it will be increased by 20 dollars! It hard to price your sandwiches because you feel for your customers.”
He says he has had to raise his prices by nearly $2 since the start of the pandemic. But the increase does not cover all the higher costs of items. “Mayonnaise was at one time 30 to 40 bucks, but I went to buy some the other day and it was $75.”
“We are staying alive … but it’s a lot of hard work,” says Paolozzi.
The slight decline in inflation in July comes after a nearly 40 year high of 8.1 percent in June. The decline was largely driven by a decline in gas prices.
Vivek Dehejia is an economics professor at Carleton University; on the lower inflation in July he says, “It is good news, but I wouldn’t say that it is brilliant, exciting news to shout from the rooftop, it is still 7.6 per cent.
“Prices are still going up very fast and we still have a big problem to deal with. You have to reverse the prices from going up, in other words get inflation back down to 2 per cent, where it is supposed to be, and we are very far away from that.”
Dehejia says it is still too early to see if inflation has peaked and rates will continue to decrease.
“I would like to think that it has peaked at 8.1, but it is still possible that we could have some month-to-month spikes so for example, if the war in Ukraine takes a nasty turn, and there is a crunch in oil and gas prices, it could spike above eight per cent again.”
The Bank of Canada is expected to raise interest rates again in September. Dehejia says, “I think the lesson here for the Bank of Canada, is to not be complacent, we aren’t out of the woods yet.”
--With files from the Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.