Rising costs at the grocery store were causing fresh pain for consumers in November even as Statistics Canada reports the overall inflation rate held steady in the month.
The agency said Monday that annual inflation rose 2.2% in November, unchanged from the previous month and a tick below economists’ expectations.
Grocery prices were up 4.7% year-over-year in November — a jump from 3.4% in October and the highest level recorded since December 2023.
Rising prices for fresh berries were driving the acceleration in November, Statistics Canada said, though costs were also rising in a broad category that includes prepared foods like soup and potato chips.
Prices for fresh or frozen beef were up 17.7% in November amid lower cattle inventories across North America, the agency said. United States tariffs, combined with tough weather conditions, are putting strain on coffee-producing regions, driving the cost of refined coffee up 27.8% annually.
Gas prices are down year-over-year but rose 1.8% on a monthly basis in November thanks largely to oil refinery disruptions, Statistics Canada said.
Meanwhile, consumers were finding some relief on travel costs last month.
Statistics Canada said the price of travel tours fell 8.2% year-over-year in November as fewer Canadians travelled to the United States.
Traveller accommodations also fell 6.9% annually. Statistics Canada said the year-over-year drop was particularly pronounced in Ontario, which in November 2024 saw Toronto play host to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour concerts.
Rent price growth was also slowing in November, offset by accelerating costs for cellular services.
The November inflation figures come after the Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.25% last week.