Cost of living in B.C. climbed up in August

Higher gasoline and housing prices, compared with last year's pandemic-related lows, fuelled a leap in the national inflation rate to 4.1 per cent in August, up from 3.7 per cent in July.

Statistics Canada says the hike is the largest year-over-year jump in inflation since March 2003, but if gasoline prices had been excluded, the August rate would have been 3.2 per cent.

The cost of living in BC also climbed last month to 3.5 per cent, up four-tenths of a point from July.

Inflation in Victoria was 3.2 per cent, an increase of half a point since July and Vancouver's rate nudged up 2 basis points to 3.3 per cent in August.