Chances are, your wallet felt a lot lighter in April, and now Statistics Canada has the data to prove you paid more, a lot more, for just about everything.
Overall, the Consumer Price Index rose 6.8 per cent last month compared to April 2021. The rate is the highest it has been since January 1991, when it was 6.9 per cent.
File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / Elenathewise
Gas prices jumped 36.3 per cent in April, a slower pace than March when they increased by 39.8 per cent. However, paying more at the pump drove up other costs, including shelter and groceries.
Excluding the cost of gas, Statistics Canada said the consumer price index shot up 5.8 per cent.
The rise in prices at the grocery store, 9.7 per cent overall, is blamed on multiple factors. Transportation and fertilizer accounted for much of the increase, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine didn't help since both of those countries are wheat producers. Poor weather around the world exacerbated the surge, and hourly wages, 3.3 per cent more for workers, attributed to the upwards pressure.
BlackburnNews.com file photo of vegetables. (Photo by Jason Viau)
Canadians paid ten per cent more for fresh fruit, 8.2 per cent more for fresh vegetables, and another 10.1 per cent for meat. Bread rose 12.2 per cent, while cereal went up 13.9 per cent and buying pasta cost consumers another 19.6 per cent more.
Even a cup of coffee cost another 13.7 per cent.
Shelter cost Canadians 7.4 per cent more in April compared to last year. Natural gas prices climbed 22.2 per cent, while other home heating fuels jumped 64.4 per cent. Homeowner replacement costs, linked to new home construction, rose 13 per cent, while other home expenses increased 17.2 per cent.
The mortgage interest cost index was up 0.2 per cent.
Those who rent didn't get a break either. They paid another 5.3 per cent in Ontario.