Inflation stayed at 3% in August as travel costs soared, says StatCan

Statistics Canada says the annual rate of inflation was unchanged at three per cent in August as a slowdown in rising gas prices was offset by higher rent and travel tour costs.

The agency says gasoline costs continued to increase in August but at a slower pace, with prices up 22.8 per cent compared with 25.7 per cent a month earlier, as the conflict in the Middle East continued to weigh on prices.

Excluding gasoline, consumer prices rose 2.4 per cent last month.

StatCan says grocery prices increased at a slower pace than overall inflation for the first time in more than two years, with prices rising 2.8 per cent year-over-year.

But the agency says consumers paid more for travel because of a rise in fuel surcharges and as airlines adjusted to the sharp decline in Canadian travel to the United States in 2025.

It says rent prices increased 2.8 per cent year-over-year in August, up from 2.5 per cent in July.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.