OTTAWA, Oct 19: Consumer prices in Canada were pushed higher in September by rising petrol (gasoline) costs which stoked the Consumer Price Index to its highest level since May 2006, the government said on Friday.

The government said its consumer price index was up 0.2 per cent for the month of September and 2.5 per cent year-over-year. That marked acceleration from August’s 1.7pc yearly increase.

“Gasoline prices were the primary cause of an increase in the 12-month variation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in most provinces,” the government report said.

Despite the acceleration in headline inflation, the index’s core reading -- which strips out some volatile energy and food costs -- slowed to an increase of 2 per cent in September compared with a 2.2 per cent clip in August.

The core index is seen as giving a cleaner impression of inflationary pressures and is used by the Bank of Canada to monitor its inflation control targets.—AFP