Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

The rate of inflation in British Columbia, at 2.2% was the highest amongst all Canadian Provinces – while those receiving Employment Insurance INCREASED to 39,530 (+1.6%)



You likely don’t subscribe to the BC Infoline, but it seems the BC NDP government wants to keep re-releasing OLD BAD NEWS.  If the embarrassment means that much to them, here it is for you yourself to see:

Consumer Price Index ... March 22nd, 2019

British Columbia’s consumer price index (CPI) was 2.2% higher (unadjusted) in February 2019 than in the same month of 2018. On a monthly basis, the rate of inflation rose 0.5% from January 2019.

The overall annual inflation rate increases by 2.3% when food and energy are excluded from the index.

The cost of food climbed 2.9% since February of 2018.

Prices for groceries purchased from stores (+3.0%) and meals purchased from restaurants (+3.0%) were both up from the previous year. Within the food category, the highest rise in prices was for fresh vegetables (+8.4%), fish and other seafood (+6.6%), fresh fruit (+5.4%), and coffee and tea (+3.2%).


The cost of shelter continued to climb in February (+3.2%), with prices for both renters (+3.4%) and home owners (+2.9%) rising. Within the shelter category, there were increases in the cost of utilities, including piped gas (+10.5%), fuel oil and other fuel (+3.3%), and electricity (+2.8%).

The overall cost of clothing and footwear was also on the rise (+2.6%) compared to February 2018. The price for clothing (+2.3%) and footwear (+3.8%) increased.


The transportation index rose 1.4% in February, with the price of both private (+0.7%) and public (+3.3%) transportation going up. The price of gasoline (‑4.4%) decreased since February 2018, and public transportation passengers paid more to travel between cities (+3.3%).

Compared to a year ago, consumers paid more for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products (+5.6%), household operations and furnishing (+1.7%), and health and personal care (+1.7%), and recreation, education and reading (+1.2%).

Consumer prices rose in both Vancouver (+2.2%) and Victoria (+2.3%) compared to February 2018.

Canada’s CPI was up 1.5% (unadjusted) in February. The rate of inflation in British Columbia (+2.2%), Manitoba (+2.0%), Alberta (+1.6%), and Ontario (+1.5%) were highest among the provinces.

Visit the Consumer Price Index page for more information

You may also be interested to note that the number of regular Employment Insurance (EI) recipients in B.C. climbed (+1.6% seasonally adjusted) to 39,530 in January, resulting from an increase in the number of both male (+1.8%) and female (+1.4%) beneficiaries.

Nationally, the number was down (-2.2%) in January, with 435,600 Canadians receiving regular EI benefits.

Data Source: Statistics Canada
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH -- Before anyone gets excited about one poll showing a candidate with a 25 percent lead, and 44 percent support overall, let’s give it a few more weeks

Is this based in reality -- how accurate are the numbers? In the past couple of weeks a couple of candidates, for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party, have been presenting polling results that they lead the pack – one even going so far as to say they have a lock on 44% of those who will be voting, and a twenty-five percent lead over the individual ranked second. I am going to say that this one, from Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is highly suspect. First of all the company conducting the poll, ERG National Research, is not a Member of Industry Bodies (the Canadian Research Insights Council), meaning they do not adhere to established industry standards for research, such as transparency, privacy, and methodological rigor. AI Overview states that ... based on alerts from the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and reports, ERG National Research should be treated with extreme caution regarding its reliability, and legitimacy, in conducting political polling. Before I even read this in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more