Even with large jumps in the price of energy, Yellowknife’s overall Consumer Price Index increase of 1.8 per cent was slightly less than the Canadian average, according to data released Friday by Statistics Canada. The energy category increased by 5.3 per cent (see graph below) with larger spikes in electricity (7.9 per cent) and fuel and other oils (7.4 per cent) being offset by a modest .8 per cent increase in gasoline.
The CPI measures the cost of living in a particular place by tracking the price, over time, of a range of goods and services including everything from food to transportation. The most recent data includes September 2013 through September 2014. By comparison, the index rose by 2 per cent across Canada, 2.2 per cent in Edmonton and .7 per cent in Whitehorse.
