Notes · Data ·
Alberta inflation.
Alberta’s inflation is above Canada’s, and the news blamed housing. Housing prices rose less here than across Canada. Free to read on Flossy Data.
What the news said
Alberta’s inflation is above Canada’s, “as housing drives up costs”.
That was CTV News Calgary on September 14, reporting the August prices. The first half is true. In September, prices in Alberta were 3.6% higher than a year before, against 3.1% across Canada.
What the data says
Housing isn’t why. Car insurance stands out.
Shelter prices in Alberta rose 0.8% in a year, less than half of Canada’s 1.8%. Rent fell 2.3%, while Canada’s rose 2.8%. August said the same: Alberta shelter up 1.2%, Canada’s up 1.5%.
Car insurance rose much faster here: 22.8% in Alberta, against 5.0% across Canada. Natural gas, which is part of shelter, rose 11.2% while Canada’s fell 6.8%, but electricity fell 0.5% here while Canada’s rose 3.6%. Gasoline rose 25.6% here against 27.8%. Groceries rose about the same in both, 1.8% and 1.7%.
How much of the gap each one explains depends on how much of a household’s spending it is, which differs by province, so this chart doesn’t say.
How it was made
Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index, read from the source.
Table 18-10-0004-01, Alberta and Canada, each price compared with the same month a year before. Each place’s index starts from its own prices, so only the changes can be compared. Car insurance is the price of the same coverage over time, not what drivers paid. It updates every month. It’s free to read, no account needed.