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The rate of annual inflation in the Calgary region and Alberta overall exceeded the Canadian average in August, says Statistics Canada.

Its monthly Consumer Price Index for the Calgary metro area was up 1.6 per cent from a year ago. It rose 1.7 per cent in Alberta. Nationally, inflation was unchanged at 1.3 per cent last month.

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Todd Hirsch, chief economist with ATB Financial, said while Alberta consumers may have noticed slightly higher prices in grocery stores and bills in the mail, not all prices have been rising in a straight line.

Big increases in home and mortgage insurance (+16.9 per cent) and Internet access (+12.1 per cent) were the key drivers of Alberta’s slightly elevated inflation levels, Hirsch said. The price of meat (+7.5 per cent), fresh vegetables (+8.2 per cent) and fresh fruit (+7.2 per cent) also increased.

“But while consumers might groan at the price of a pineapple or a nice strip loin steak, they’re getting a break on a lot of other items. Gasoline prices, which tend to be quite volatile month-to-month, were down 7.1 per cent from last year. The cost of natural gas for home consumption (-8.4 per cent) and electricity (-5.5 per cent) also fell,” he said.

Hirsch said a general easing of inflation due to lower demand could still be seen in Alberta in the coming months.