Inflation rate by province in Canada, Sept. 2026

Canada’s annual inflation rate was 3.1 per cent in September 2026, ranging from 2.5 per cent in Ontario to 5.7 per cent in Prince Edward Island among the provinces, according to Statistics Canada’s consumer price index release of Oct. 19, 2026. Whitehorse had the highest reading of any reporting area at 6.1 per cent.

Updated Oct. 21, 2026: figures reflect the September 2026 release. The next release, for October, is scheduled for Nov. 16, 2026.

The territorial rows are for the cities of Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit, as published by Statistics Canada. Iqaluit’s index uses a December 2002 base. The release table does not show provincial August 2026 year-over-year rates, so this page shows the monthly change from August instead.

Highest provincial inflation rates

Prince Edward Island had the highest provincial rate in September 2026 at 5.7 per cent, followed by Nova Scotia at 5.6 per cent and New Brunswick at 5.0 per cent. Higher prices for fuel oil and other fuels pushed inflation above five per cent in the Maritime provinces, where heating oil is widely used. Excluding energy, the Daily reported Nova Scotia at 3.3 per cent, Prince Edward Island at 2.6 per cent and New Brunswick at 2.6 per cent, compared with 2.1 per cent nationally.

Lowest provincial inflation rates

Ontario had the lowest provincial rate at 2.5 per cent. British Columbia followed at 3.0 per cent, then Quebec at 3.1 per cent, equal to the national rate. Ontario’s index rose 0.2 per cent from August, while Alberta and British Columbia saw monthly declines of 0.3 per cent and 0.2 per cent.

What the index measures

The consumer price index tracks the change in prices of a fixed basket of goods and services bought by Canadian households. The year-over-year rate compares September 2026 with September 2025. A reading of 3.1 per cent means the basket cost 3.1 per cent more than it did a year earlier. Index levels in the table use 2002 as the base year, equal to 100, except Iqaluit.

Why rates differ by province

Nationally, gasoline prices were 27.8 per cent higher than a year earlier, as we reported in our September inflation story. Provinces that rely on heating oil saw larger increases than those that do not.

Related provincial comparisons

Readers comparing price growth with incomes can check our guides to minimum wage by province, unemployment by province, sales tax rates by province and 2027 rent increase limits.

How we compiled this

All figures come from Statistics Canada Table 18-10-0004-01, Consumer Price Index, monthly, not seasonally adjusted, as shown in Table 2 of The Daily released Oct. 19, 2026. Narrative details come from The Daily. We copied each value as published and did not round, estimate or adjust it. We checked the source on Oct. 21, 2026 and will update this page after each monthly release.

Cite this page: Canada News Media, Inflation rate by province in Canada, Sept. 2026, updated Oct. 21, 2026, https://canadanewsmedia.ca/inflation-rate-by-province-canada-2026/

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