Halloween is a celebration often spent indulging in chocolate, binging scary movies, and perhaps investing time and money into creative costume designs. But for many Canadians, the preparations can be costly. For candy alone, the average household will spend anywhere from $25 to $40, according to experts. (CTV News)
Here is an expert from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:


September 16, 2023 | On September 6 the Bank of Canada decided to hold interest rates steady after two years of high inflation and 18 months of rising interest rates. The premiers of Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador each wrote to the Bank of Canada urging it not to raise interest rates, following the critics from Justin Trudeau's caucus stating that the government has lost focus on affordability issues, especially regarding housing.

February 9, 2022 | A recent report by Statistics Canada has found that more than 63% of Canadians belonging to a low-income household are worried about the impacts of inflation on food, housing and other expenses. Director Chris Ragan mentioned that the increase in prices hurt low-income households more. However according to Ragan, this is not solely due to inflation.

January 10, 2023 | Professor Christopher Ragan, Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy spoke at the Global Risk Institute webinar and said it's "very unlikely" that the Bank of Canada has gone too far already and overtightened. He pointed to inflation expectations from businesses for the next two years remaining above the central bank's target range.

Inflation hit a new three-decade high in January, heaping more pressure on the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates for the first time since the pandemic started. The consumer price index rose 5.1 per cent in January from a year earlier, accelerating from December’s pace of 4.8 per cent and marking the first time since 1991 that inflation has surpassed 5 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. It was the 10th consecutive month that inflation has exceeded the Bank of Canada’s target range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent.

February 11, 2022 | The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust Canada's economy into an extraordinarily unusual state. To break down the issues, Max Bell School director Chris Ragan spoke to David Mann for an episode of the At a Crossroads podcast. Hear Ragan's perspective on inflation, pent-up demand, supply chain disruptions, the housing market, and more.

February 17, 2022 | In this edition of Politico's Ottawa Playbook, Max Bell School director Chris Ragan comments on Canada's recent history of low levels of inflation.

January 19, 2022 | Director Chris Ragan discusses supply chain disruptions and Canada's inflation rate rising to a 30-year high on CBC News. "There's a lot of pent-up demand," Chris notes, referring to businesses and restaurants being closed over the pandemic, and many consumers not having any place to spend their income.
Watch the clip here. Chris's segment begins at 32:42.

December 21, 2021 | In Maclean's "Chart Week 2022" predictions roundup, Chris Ragan answers the question: "When will Canadian inflation return to target?"

November 23, 2021 | How does the public perception of inflation affect their expectations for the future? While the devastation of historic inflation in the United States lingers only in the minds of older Americans, younger generations are also feeling the strain on their spending habits. In this article for the Globe and Mail, Max Bell School instructor David Shribman comments on the trajectory of inflation, and how this may affect everyday life.

The cost of just about everything in Canada was more expensive in September, pushing headline inflation to its highest in almost two decades and complicating the Bank of Canada’s plans to keep interest rates pinned near zero until well into 2022. Prices are being driven higher around the world by an extreme mismatch between supply and demand. Suppliers are now scrambling to catch up, clogging ports and other transportation lanes that are dealing with their own pandemic-related issues. (