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Gas Prices Are Spiking Again — Here's How to Protect Your Wallet as the Iran Conflict Escalates

  Published July 20, 2026 If it feels like you're filling up more often for the same money lately, you're not imagining it. Oil markets jolted higher to start the week, and Canadian drivers are almost certain to see it at the pump in the next few days. What just happened Brent crude — the global benchmark that drives Canadian gas pricing — jumped nearly 4% on Monday to trade above US$90 a barrel, its highest level since mid-June, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate traded near US$84. The move came after the United States and Iran escalated hostilities over the weekend, including strikes on vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz and an attack on an oil facility in Kuwait. That strait matters enormously to your gas bill: roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes through it. When shipping through it slows or stalls, traders price in a "risk premium" almost immediately — and that shows up at Canadian pumps within days, not weeks. What it mea...

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Grocery prices to rise by up to 4.5% in 2024, report predicts

 

The annual Canada’s Food Price Report forecasts that the average Canadian family of four will spend $700 more on food in 2024, reaching a total of $16,297.20. The report, which is produced by four Canadian universities, projects that bakery, meat and vegetables will see the highest price increases, up to 7 per cent.

The report attributes the rising food costs to several factors, including interest rates, energy costs, climate change, transportation expenses and geopolitical risk. However, it also notes that the rate of increase is slowing compared to the previous two years, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the food supply chain and caused inflation to spike.

Some essential items, such as dried pasta, sauces and canned goods, could become cheaper in 2024, as grocery chains compete for customers and benefit from lower commodity prices. The report also suggests that families spent less on groceries in 2023 than in 2022, possibly due to higher housing costs and debt levels.

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