Like it or not — more of us are bagging our own groceries

Like it or not — more of us are bagging our own groceries

Lawrence Barker says he’s frustrated that cashiers at major grocery stores he shops at no longer voluntarily bag his goods. Barker finds bagging a hassle, as he feels pressured to quickly pack items into his reusable bags before the next customer’s goods slide down the conveyor belt.  So he opts for self-checkout, where he can bag at … Read more

Every year, StatsCan tweaks how it calculates inflation. What to know about this year’s changes

Every year, StatsCan tweaks how it calculates inflation. What to know about this year’s changes

Whenever you pass through the cash register at a grocery store, the price of everything in your shopping cart — from discounted chicken to strawberries on promotion — is collected by the retailer and sent to Statistics Canada. That’s just one of several ways the data agency tracks the spending reflected in its consumer price index, or CPI: Canada’s most comprehensive … Read more

Loss of cooking skills has hurt our ability to adapt to rising food prices, experts say

Loss of cooking skills has hurt our ability to adapt to rising food prices, experts say

Cost of Living1:56Mike von Massow Skyrocketing prices have taken a big bite out of what Canadians are able to serve up for dinner but food economists say our ability to cope has been worsened by our collective decline in cooking skills. “We are less able to cook than we were 30 or 40 years ago, … Read more

Canada’s inflation rate holds steady at 3.1%

Canada’s inflation rate holds steady at 3.1%

Canada’s annual inflation rate held steady at 3.1 per cent in November, matching the previous month’s rate, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday. Economists were expecting the rate to fall below the three per cent threshold, putting the economy closer to the Bank of Canada’s two per cent inflation goal. Mortgage interest costs and the high cost … Read more