Statistics Canada updates CPI basket, raises weight of shelter and transportation

Statistics Canada building and signs are pictured in Ottawa on July 3, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada on Tuesday updated the basket weights for the goods and services it uses to determine inflation, increasing the influence of the shelter and transportation components.

The updated weights based on consumer spending in 2024 will be used to calculate the consumer price index starting with the reading for May 2025, that will be released next week.

The shelter component now makes up 29.12 per cent of the basket, up from 28.57 per cent, driven by mortgage interest costs and rent.

The basket share for the transportation group rose to 17.29 per cent, compared with 16.78 per cent, due to an increase in the weight for passenger vehicles.

The clothing and footwear component decreased to 4.40 per cent from 4.70, while recreation, education and reading component slipped to 10.16 per cent from 10.42 per cent.

Each item in the basket of goods and services is assigned a weight that is proportional to its share of total spending by Canadian households. The greater the weight an item is given, the more it influences the overall reading of inflation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025.