TORONTO – The main concern of Canadians living in big cities is the high cost of living. Any price is considered too high: that of rent, that of utilities, that of groceries. This is what emerges from a new survey conducted by Maru Public Opinion for CityNews between August 29 and September 6, 2024 among a random selection of 1,801 adults living in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. 

Eighty per cent of respondents in Edmonton said they were finding it increasingly difficult to achieve a good month, followed closely by Vancouver with 77 per cent, Toronto with 75 per cent and Calgary with 73 per cent. When asked whether the city they live in is affordable, 82% of Vancouverites say “no,” as do 79% of Toronto residents and 70% of Calgary residents. Those in Edmonton are more or less split in half on this issue. More specifically, the vast majority of Toronto and Vancouver residents, over 90%, believe their cities are too expensive to work and live in; Calgary is close behind with 83%, followed by Edmonton with 71%. In all four cities, respondents said groceries were the biggest expense they faced, followed closely by mortgages/rent and utilities. And when it comes to which government is most responsible for rising food costs, the majority of respondents in each of the four cities placed the most blame on the federal government, followed closely by the provincial government.

Last week, Statistics Canada reported that food prices in August rose less than a year earlier, at around 2%, a far cry from the peak of 11.4% recorded between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. But we are talking about inflation, that is, the “consistency” of the increase in prices which unfortunately remain very high, i.e. well over 20% compared to three years ago: which, the latter, which economists never say, when they triumphantly announce that “inflation has fallen”… there is little to celebrate if prices remain very high. And ordinary people know this well.

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