Manitoba Has Highest Inflation Rate Among Provinces: Consumer Price Index
WINNIPEG — On the heels of Wab Kinew and his NDP increasing Manitoba Hydro rates by 4% on Jan. 1st, the Manitoba Bureau of Statistics is confirming that the Consumer Price Index for Manitoba rose by 3.7% in Dec. 2025 compared to Dec. 2024, with food costs jumping a whopping 5.9%.
“This is outrageous. Manitoba families can’t afford higher hydro bills in the midst of an affordability crisis,” said Midland MLA Lauren Stone, PC Critic for Finance. “Wab Kinew says he’s going to conduct a ‘study’ to look at ways to keep grocery prices down, yet the inflation rate for food is up nearly 6% year over year. The premier needs to act by lowering taxes, not by launching another do-nothing government study.”
All eight major CPI categories show price increases compared to Dec. 2024, and six of eight have an increase in growth compared to the previous month’s year-over-year change. Food costs had the largest increase, up 5.9%. Shelter costs are up 3.6% year over year, making it more difficult for Manitoba families to save for a down payment or upsize their home. Manitoba’s all-items Consumer Price Index increased by 2.7% on an annual average in 2025, the highest rate among provinces and far above the national increase of 2.1%.
“Wab Kinew and his NDP are taking Manitoba families in the wrong direction. Instead of making life more affordable, the NDP are making life more expensive,” said La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth, PC Critic for Economic Development. “Wab Kinew keeps saying he’s going to bring grocery prices and the cost of living down, but Manitoba is spiraling in the opposite direction and Manitoba families can’t keep up.”
Manitoba Harvest reported a 30% jump in food bank usage in the last year. Approximately 40% of clients are employed, representing a 66% increase from the previous year. This includes individuals working full-time who cannot keep up with rising costs. About 68% of food bank users are women, often managing households. Nearly 21% of children under 18 in Manitoba live in food-insecure homes.
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