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Budget 2026 Brings a Second Grocery Top-Up: Who Gets It and How Much

  Canadian Money Brief  |  Budget 2026  |  November 6, 2026 Another grocery cheque is on the way. In Thursday's federal budget, Ottawa proposed a second one-time top-up to the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB), a payment worth half the benefit's annual value, expected to land in early 2027. $339 budget estimate, qualifying single person $679 budget estimate, couple with two children Early 2027 expected timing, exact date not announced $4.1B cost of the expanded program What Ottawa actually announced Budget 2026, a 511-page document titled "Masters of our Destiny," is mostly about investment and productivity. But tucked into its affordability measures is a repeat of something Canadians have already seen this year. The government proposes a one-time payment equal to half of the CGEB's annual value, and the Canadian Press reports it is expected in early 2027. A similar payment went out in June. That June payment was a one-time top-up equal to 50% of t...

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Food Prices Expected to Rise 3-5% in 2025

 

A newly released report predicts that food prices in Canada will increase by 3% to 5% in 2025. The report, a collaborative effort by researchers from Dalhousie University, the University of Guelph, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of British Columbia, forecasts that the average Canadian family of four will spend $16,833.67 on food next year, an increase of up to $801.56 from 2024.

The report attributes the rise in food prices to several factors, including climate change, geopolitical conflicts, energy costs, and the weakening Canadian dollar. Meat prices are expected to rise between 4% and 6% due to prolonged droughts affecting cattle production. Vegetable prices are also anticipated to increase faster than other categories due to the lower buying power of Canadian food importers.

Despite the projected increase, the report notes that the rate of food price growth has moderated compared to the double-digit increases experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers remain cautiously optimistic, hoping for a flattening out of food price increases in the coming year.



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