Food in Nunavut still costs up to 3 times national average

It likely won't come as a surprise to northerners, but the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics' newest food price survey shows people in the territory still pay two or even three times as much as the average Canadian forbasic necessities.

EveryMarch, the government agency collects food prices in all 25 Nunavut communities and compares that data withaverage Canadianprices compiled by Statistics Canada for the CPI Food Price Basket.

At $6.90, a 1-kilogram bag of carrots costs three times more in Nunavut than it does in the average Canadian grocery store ($2.25).

Shoppers in Nunavutpay $13.70 for a 2.5-kilogram bag of flour, which is 2.7 times more than the average $5.00 across the country.

The data also applies to some other basic necessities, including a 100-millilitre tube of toothpaste, which costs $6.05 in Nunavut, or $2.61 nationally.

Some prices higher than last year

The price of fruits and vegetables hasrisendramatically across the countrythis year, including in Nunavut where the price of cauliflower shot to $13 in at least onegrocery store.

That was the case for much of the produce prices in the new report.

For example, the average price of a 1-kilogram bag of apples was $7.26 in Nunavut this March, as opposed to $6.30 in March 2015.

Take a look at the full list of price comparisons, including differences in Nunavut's three regions.