{
  "id": 8042214,
  "title": "Inflation drove post-pandemic spike in Canada Child Benefit costs: PBO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/inflation-drove-post-pandemic-spike-in-canada-child-benefit-costs-pbo",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:10:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/2026/09/17/inflation-drove-post-pandemic-spike-in-canada-child-benefit-costs-pbo"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ottawa's fiscal watchdog, the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, has revealed that inflation was the main driver behind a significant rise in the cost of delivering the Canada Child Benefit after the pandemic. The budget office reported a 16 per cent increase in the program's cost between 2022-23 and 2024-25, bringing the total expense to $29.2 billion in 2024-25.\n\nThe Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer pointed out that this 16 per cent jump in cost was higher than the inflationary pressures experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, the benefit received temporary increases to assist families coping with the economic uncertainty triggered by the pandemic. However, the current inflationary surge has outpaced those earlier cost increases.\n\nThe heightened cost can also be attributed to the rapid pace of immigration, which resulted in more families becoming eligible for the program's support. The Canada Child Benefit is annually indexed to inflation, with an 8.1 per cent increase in 2022 being the primary factor behind the cost escalation in the subsequent years.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CityNews",
        "title": "Inflation drove post-pandemic spike in Canada Child Benefit costs: PBO",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/inflation-drove-post-pandemic-spike-in-canada-child-benefit-costs-pbo-8046083",
        "published": "2026-09-17T14:10:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}