Stats show inflation rate continues slowly returning to normal

To paraphrase that old Isley Brothers hit, it's not quite time to "Shout," but inflation is trending "a little bit softer now."

The latest figures from Statistics Canada show the pace of inflation slowed in September, with the cost of goods rising 6.9% from a year earlier. Inflation has been declining for three months, after peaking at 8.1% in June.

The sharp rise in costs was initially attributed to fuel shortages caused by the war in Ukraine, a super-heated housing market and supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, fuel costs have stopped rising as sharply and supply chains are getting close to their typical efficiencies.

"However, these gains were largely offset by the continued rise of prices for food and services. Unfortunately, there was no progress on 'core' inflation, which held steady at 5%," Canadian Chamber of Commerce Chief Economist Stephen Tapp said. "Today’s lack of progress on inflation — together with Bank of Canada surveys released earlier this week that suggested inflation expectations remain elevated — should be concerning enough to the Bank of Canada for them to deliver the 50 basis-point interest rate hike that the market expects (Oct. 26)."