Economists had expected the rate to pick up because of a rise in gasoline prices last month, but data released by Statistics Canada showed the cost of living rose at the same annual rate in October as the previous month. After easing in September, gasoline prices rose again in October, pushing their annual change to 17.8% over the past 12 months. That’s up from an annual rate of 13.2 percent in the past. The price of a fill-up continues to add fuel to Canada’s inflationary fire, but another major source of consumer concern — the cost of food — is showing signs it may finally be headed in the opposite direction. Food prices rose 10.1 percent in the year to October. That’s still ahead of the overall rate, but a slight decrease from the 10.3 percent rate seen the previous month. This is an encouraging sign that Canadians may finally be seeing some relief on their grocery bills. “Faster price increases for natural gas and mortgage interest costs were moderated by a slowdown in food price increases,” the data agency said.
