OTTAWA — The annual pace of inflation slowed more than expected in September as increases in the price of gasoline continued to ease.

Statistics Canada said Friday the consumer price index in September was up 2.2 per cent from a year ago compared with a year-over-year increase of 2.8 per cent in August.

Economists had expected the September figure to come in at 2.7 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

The inflation report comes ahead of the Bank of Canada’s rate decision next week when it will also update its forecast for the economy in its monetary policy report.

The central bank, which aims to keep inflation within a target range of one to three per cent and adjusts its interest rate target to help achieve that goal, is expected to raise its key interest rate target, which sits at 1.5 per cent, by a quarter of a percentage point.

Earlier on HuffPost: Poloz says slow first-quarter growth behind holding interest rate. Story continues below.

TD Bank senior economist James Marple said the softer-than-expected inflation report did little to alter TD’s expectation that the Bank of Canada will raise rates next week.

“I don’t think one month of soft price growth is going to change the Bank of Canada’s mind on a rate hike,” he said.

Marple said the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement removed a key risk for the economy, but added challenges such as high household debt remain.

“There’s still are some underlying risks that have always been there and maybe weren’t in the spotlight because we were all focused on trade,” he said.

“We have very high household debt levels. We have mortgage rates that have been increasing and will continue to increase even with very little action from the Bank of Canada.”

Prices up in all eight major components

Statistics Canada said prices were up in all eight major components for the 12 months to September.

The transportation index, which includes gasoline, was up 3.9 per cent in September compared with a 7.2 per cent move in August as gasoline prices last month were up 12 per cent compared with a 19.9 per cent increase in August.

However, the transportation group remained the largest contributor to the overall year-over-year increase in the index.

Food prices were up 1.8 per cent, while shelter costs rose 2.5 per cent. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products were up 4.4 per cent.

WATCH: What happens when there’s an interest rate hike? Story continues below.

Bank of Montreal chief economist Doug Porter noted the price of air fares, while up 7.4 per cent from a year ago, fell 16.6 per cent compared with the previous month. Hotel rates were also down 5.2 per cent compared with a year ago.

“With travel tours also down 3.2 per cent, that meant that tourism overall got a lot cheaper in Canada last month,” Porter wrote in a brief report, adding that vehicle prices were up just 0.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis.

“All of these soft sectors combined to clip core inflation as well, although the easing there was much less dramatic than in the headline tally,” Porter said.

The average of the three measures of core inflation, which look to strip out more-volatile items like gas prices and are closely scrutinized by the Bank of Canada, was 2.0 per cent in September compared with 2.1 per cent in August.

Retail sales down

In a separate report, Statistics Canada said retail sales fell 0.1 per cent in August to $50.8 billion as sales moved lower in seven of 11 of the subsectors tracked by the agency.

Sales at gasoline stations were down 2.0 per cent, while clothing and clothing accessories stores fell 1.2 per cent. Motor vehicle and parts dealers saw sales increase 0.8 per cent.

Retail sales in volume terms were down 0.3 per cent.

Would a quarter of $1 million a year solve all of your financial woes?

Almost 1,500 Canadians were asked how much individual pre-tax income would make them feel “financially comfortable” in a survey by financial services firm Edward Jones. The verdict came in at cool $250,000.

But why stop there? Being comfortable is great, but it’s certainly not going to buy you that fancy watch you’ve been eyeing or get you to Rome anytime soon. When asked how much they’d need to achieve the lifestyle they “truly desire,” most participants added another $50,000 to that total.

The net worth of Canada’s 1 per cent club differs by province.

While both figures are certainly a far cry from Canada’s median after-tax income of $56,000, the survey found that people always felt they earned less than they desired, regardless of which end of the earning scale they were on.

“The more people earn, the more they believe they need,” Patrick French, principal of solutions tools and consulting with Edward Jones, told HuffPost Canada on Wednesday. “That’s because as salary increases, so does expenditure.”

The data was broken down by region: Albertans had the grandest financial aspirations, requiring almost $350,000 to feel comfortable. The phenomenon could be attributed to prolonged economic hardship and mounting debt in the province, French surmised. Manitoba and Saskatchewan needed the least, at about $157,000.

Older Canadians require the most

Figures also differed across generations: Canadians aged 55 to 64 had the most extravagant desired salary at a whopping $398,347. The report said that “this age group may be saddled with unwanted financial responsibilities.”

French said those lofty ambitions can be partially attributed to failing to properly plan for retirement. Another financial burden could include helping children and grandchildren pay for homes in expensive real estate markets across the country.

Millennials turned out to have the most modest outlooks: people aged 18 to 34 said they’d feel comfortable with about $166,000 a year.

“One reason could be that millennials are at a stage in their lives where they are more focused on consumption,” French said. “They aren’t thinking so much about retirement, running out of time to pay off debts or how to leave something to their kids.”

Looking to boost your paycheque? You might want to look into machine learning.

Millennials are underestimating their future needs: French

While millennials lack in imaginary money, they’re totally flush in another, equally intangible way.

“Young people have the one resource no one can make more of — time,” French said. “Their figure might be lower because they feel they have time to earn money and save, which is true. If they act on that idea, of course.”

But the lower figure could also be the result of a lack of financial literacy and awareness of just how much money they’ll need as the decades roll on, French said.

“It’s also possible that younger people are vastly underestimating how much they will need to live the kind of lifestyle they want, which could be a major problem as they get older.”

The survey polled 1565 Canadians between May 23 to 26, 2017. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20.

TORONTO — A ticket for a minor traffic infraction and a sudden preponderance of black SUVs were Tiffany Babiak’s early clues that something was different about her normally quiet downtown neighbourhood.

Then she learned the reason why: Prince Harry’s then-rumoured girlfriend Meghan Markle lived just a few blocks over and the area was crawling with security.

As word of the royal relationship would eventually spread, so too, did media scrutiny of the tree-lined enclave of stately family homes next to the University of Toronto campus.

The British media were especially hungry for any tidbit related to Prince Harry’s love life, but the royal couple had little to worry about, says Babiak.

By and large, she says neighbours closed ranks and kept mum about anything they’d seen of the couple, ensuring they’d have as much privacy as possible under the circumstances.

“Everyone got very protective of her because it was just like, it’s our neighbourhood, and we didn’t want these kind of paparazzi driving around and harassing anybody,” says Babiak.

“It was funny, my (friend) one day went up to one of the SUVs which was idling … and she went up to the window and she was like, ‘Listen, I don’t know who you are but this is a residential neighbourhood so can you turn off your engines?’ And they were Prince Harry’s drivers.”

Markle, who is set to marry Prince Harry on May 19, may be a California actress, but she’s an honourary Canadian in the eyes of many fans who followed her seven-season run on the Toronto-shot TV series “Suits.”

“We kind of adopted her,” Babiak quips. “As far as I’m concerned she’s more Canadian than American.”

And from all that appeared, Markle certainly embraced Toronto as her home away from home: volunteering at a local soup kitchen, vacationing with cast members over Canadian Thanksgiving, hobnobbing in downtown hotspots, and taking to social media to tout favourite restaurants and hangouts, biographer Andrew Morton writes in “Meghan: A Hollywood Princess.”

By 2016, Markle was the promotional face of no less than two storied Canadian institutions — the 92-year-old retailer Reitmans, for which she designed a capsule collection of wardrobe staples, and the Christian charity World Vision Canada, to which she lent her burgeoning celebrity power to promote aid work in the developing world.

Longtime royal watcher Patricia Treble says Markle’s ties to Toronto portrayed a sparkling version of the city that was young, stylish, and glamorous.

And she provided an invaluable boost to little-known Canadian designers by wearing their clothes abroad, including coats by Mackage and Line the Label, and outfits by Erdem, Greta Constantine and Aritzia’s Babaton brand.

“She really embraced it. She’s worn a lot of fashions from here, you’ve got Birks, you’ve got all the outerwear — and she’s worn that in Britain which has had a huge impact on the Canadian fashion market. A huge impact,” says Treble, a freelance writer and researcher who also helms the blog writeroyalty.com.

But her ascendance as a Toronto tastemaker coincided with turmoil in her personal life, writes Morton, who notes Markle married producer Trevor Engelson in September 2011 just before shooting the second season of “Suits.”

Her nine-month commitments in Canada meant long stretches of time apart, and it was a Vitamix blender that symbolized their growing divide.

“She insisted that her favourite kitchen appliance from their West Hollywood home come with her to Toronto… even though it would have been just as easy to buy a new one,” he writes. “It sat on the kitchen counter in the Toronto house, a material reminder that her home was no longer in Los Angeles.”

The marriage ended in 2013, and was followed by a two-year romance with local celebrity chef Cory Vitiello, further entrenching Markle in a circle of Toronto movers-and-shakers that included marketing and bridal consultant Jessica Mulroney.

Hilda Andrade says she was a frequent follower of Markle’s social media posts, and was delighted to see her involvement with Reitmans.

“I think she brought some freshness to that and some good colours. There was also clothing for those a little bit more chunky like myself and that actually would fit, it was nice,” says Andrade, who works at the University of Toronto and admits to being on the lookout for Markle.

“She brought some good vibes to the area and (back) then a lot of people would say, ‘Meghan this,’ ‘Meghan that.'”

Buzz only intensified when Prince Harry confirmed the royal romance in November 2016.

By the time Toronto hosted Prince Harry’s beloved event for wounded military personnel, the Invictus Games, in September 2017, “things just went thermonuclear,” Treble says.

“Because he was here for an extended period of time and the entire British royal press was here, and so everyone was waiting and trying to see: Would they go out in public? Would they be seen together? And when they were, that just became news that rocketed around the world,” she says.

“I think what caught everyone off guard was just how quickly the romance has blossomed, how quickly they announced their engagement.”

Even 10-year-old Zelda Armstrong got caught up in royal fever, recalling the time last spring she scrambled to a park in the Annex neighbourhood when she thought she caught a glimpse of the prince.

The grade schooler says she and her friend took a moment to practise their curtsy (her friend also changed into heels) before dashing back to the park, only to find him gone.

“He has red hair just like me,” says Armstrong. “I just find it’s interesting, what royals wear, and also I saw a video on YouTube about the royals and their kids.”

Babiak says the city was certainly energized and is still reeling from the buzz of Markle’s time here.

“Even those people who didn’t want to admit it were pretty excited about it,” she insists of the royal romance’s lasting impact.

“It kind of makes life a little bit more interesting. You never know who you might run into when you take a walk.”

FREDERICTON — The new leader of a New Brunswick First Nation said he’s proud to be elected as the first openly LGBTQ chief in Atlantic Canada — though he said he’s more well-known in his community for his leadership skills and creativity.

Allan (Chicky) Polchies Jr. identifies as two-spirited, an umbrella term referring to Indigenous people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or someone who has both a masculine and a feminine spirit.

“I’m proud of who I am. I always have been and I always will be,” he said during a phone interview Sunday. “Our community has risen the bar when it comes to diversity.”

Polchies was elected as chief of St. Mary’s First Nation last week, unseating incumbent Candice Paul, who had held the position for 14 years.

St. Mary’s is the second-largest Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet community in New Brunswick with a band membership of about 2,000 people.

For Polchies, his recent appointment points to progress within their society, saying that he hopes the outpouring of support during and after the election can help reassure young people who may be struggling with their sexuality or identities.

“This sends a message to all those young people that may think that it’s not OK to be who you are: to be two-spirited, to be however you want to label yourself,” he said. “But I know that I’ve inspired people to be who they want to be, and know that they have a voice and they have a purpose.

“That makes me so, so, so excited.”

Polchies and his partner of eight years are the foster parents of a toddler.

As he lays the foundation for his new role, he pinpoints health-care access, economic development and community opportunities as top-of-mind issues within the First Nation.

Access to mental health care in particular is a challenge, said Polchies, who was born and raised in the community and previously worked as an event organizer and a band councillor.

St. Mary’s First Nation has a mental wellness worker who services the community every two weeks, but Polchie said he would like to hire full-time mental health staff and build community programs to help those grappling with mental illness.

“In this day and age, there’s lots of folks struggling with mental health, and PTSD, and addictions,” he said, adding that problems with accessibility is widespread across the country.

“This is a shame that our governments do not focus highly on these issues.”

Plans to invest in youth, elders

Polchies also said he wants to invest in the community’s young and old. By working with youth, he said he’d like to build mentorship programs that would encourage them to succeed and excel in their school, work and personal lives.

On the other hand, St. Mary’s First Nation doesn’t have a senior’s home, which is something Polchies said he’d like to change.

“They’re folks that we hold highly, and in regard,” he said of the community’s seniors and elders. “We all get older, so it’s going to affect us all.”

Reconciliation and environmental causes are also at the top of mind for Polchies.

While Canada has taken strides in recent years to address issues in Indigenous communities, Polchies said that there’s still a long way to go in terms of reconciliation and respecting Indigenous land.

He said education is the key to Canadians understanding who Indigenous people are and what they advocate for, adding that misunderstanding and misinformation is what’s keeping reconciliation from moving forward.

“Indigenous people are the landkeepers, and when we champion an environmental issue, we’re just protecting your children, your grandchildren, their grandchildren,” he said.

“It’s not just about us: it’s about everyone.”

Twelves band councillors were elected last week as well, with the new chief and council taking office next month.

Also On HuffPost:

OTTAWA — Fissures have appeared inside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s youth council after a group of current and former members publicly urged the Liberal government to reverse its decision to buy Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline.

The request was made in a letter to the prime minister signed by 16 past and present members of the council and released to the public on Monday, in which signatories expressed “our immense disappointment” with the planned $4.5-billion pipeline purchase.

“The decision to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline project calls into question your commitment to young Canadians,” the letter reads, adding that youth will be “disproportionately affected” by climate change.

Yet the letter has generated surprise and frustration inside the council, with other members saying they do not agree with its position and at least one expressing concern that it became public.

“I thought it was very partisan and that is not the role of the prime minister’s youth council,” said council member Sara Wheale, who has worked for more than seven years in Alberta’s oil industry.

“We’re supposed to be non-partisan. … We haven’t seen a letter go out like this and I don’t think it was appropriate the way this was handled at all.”

The Liberals’ plan to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline has been a political hot potato since it was announced in May amid fierce opposition from the B.C. government, environmental groups and Indigenous communities.

Trudeau spokeswoman Chantal Gagnon said Monday the prime minister “always appreciates input from the youth council” adding: “It is heartening to see young Canadians engage on political issues that affect them and become involved in the democratic process.”

At the same time, she defended the government’s decision to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline while noting that it was investing more to protect marine safety.

Some members disappointed

The prime minister sat down in June to talk about the Trans Mountain purchase with the youth council, which was established in 2016 as a non-partisan advisory board comprising up to 30 young Canadians between the ages of 16 and 24.

Nmesoma Nweze, a neuroscience and psychology student at the University of Toronto and council alumna, said some members were disappointed by the lack of consultation before the decision given that Trudeau’s meeting came after the deal had already been announced.

That is when she started to draft the letter, which says many young Canadians supported Trudeau during the 2015 federal election because of his promises on reconciliation and climate leadership, and that he subsequently promised to listen to — and honour — the concerns of young people.

The letter specifically asks Trudeau to: protect the environment and respect Indigenous rights by cancelling the purchase, condemn calls to crackdown on peaceful protests against the pipeline and organize roundtable discussions with youth representatives.

Letters to PM rarely shared with media: former council member

Nweze defended the decision to release the letter, saying the council wants to start doing more outreach and “we know we’re not the only young people who feel this way.”

Fellow alumni Chris Zhou acknowledged having been surprised when he saw that the letter had been distributed to the media.

“When we send letters to Trudeau, those tend to not be released to the public because we do want to retain a certain relationship with the prime minister in which we can both be candid and genuine with each other,” Zhou said. “This letter is not the case.”

Zhou nonetheless said that he wasn’t opposed to releasing the letter.

But Wheale took issue with some members using their roles on the advisory council to publicly advance their positions on such a politically sensitive issue, and worried about the long-term impacts for the board as well as her own career.

“The way the letter is being presented, it’s being presented on behalf of the youth council,” she said.

“And there are other people on the youth council, either alumni or current members, who work in the oil and gas industry as well. And it’s very concerning as to what sort of impact this is going to have on our careers.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this Canadian Press story said Chris Zhou was surprised the letter to the prime minister about the government’s involvement in Kinder Morgan was released to the public. In fact, Zhou was surprised the letter was sent to media.

OTTAWA — Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien says he is investigating Statistics Canada’s request for private banking information on 500,000 Canadians.

Therrien said Wednesday that numerous people have complained to his office about the agency’s effort to gather detailed information on transactions held by Canadian financial institutions, from cash-machine withdrawals to credit-card payments to account balances.

The formal investigation will include an examination of the requests Statistics Canada has made to businesses in multiple industries for data they collect on their customers and business partners, he said.

Earlier: Watchdog weighs in on privacy laws, Facebook, and political parties

Canada’s chief statistician, Anil Arora, said traditional methods of gathering data aren’t good enough to measure Canada’s economy and changes in society.

“More than 75 per cent of purchases are conducted online by Canadians and Statistics Canada has to have access to these data in order to provide all Canadians with the timely and quality statistics they need in areas such as housing and debt and the impacts of transitioning to a gig economy,” Arora said.

Therrien’s last report to Parliament mentioned Statistics Canada’s growing reliance on “administrative data sources,” mainly information collected by businesses about their customers. Many of those businesses have contacted the privacy commissioner to make sure that sharing it is OK, his report said.

Therrien suggested that wherever possible, Statistics Canada should tell the companies involved to strip names and identifying information from the data before sending it over.

Statistics Canada says ‘personal information is carefully protected’

“To ensure transparency, we recommended StatCan let the Canadian public know how and why it is increasing its collection of data from administrative and other non-traditional sources,” the report said.

Arora said the privacy commissioner was consulted as Statistics Canada planned its pilot project on financial data, but added he has asked Therrien to take a second look.

Statistics Canada can compel businesses to supply a wide range of data.

“I understand the concerns that Canadians have and want to assure them that their personal information is carefully protected and never shared publicly,” Arora said.