Yellowknife (Feb 09/00) - The cost of living in Yellowknife rose one per cent last year, according to Statistics Canada information recently released by the NWT Bureau of Statistics.

By comparison, Edmonton's annual inflation rose 2.3 per cent. The national average was 1.7 per cent. As for Whitehorse, that city's inflation rate mirrored Yellowknife's with a one per cent jump.

For December, a month affected by lack of ferry service and no ice bridge at the Mackenzie River, costs of goods and services rose 1.9 per cent in Yellowknife compared to the same month in 1998.

Higher costs for transportation, vegetables and women's clothing drove the December index up, the statistics bureau said.

Also contributing to the increase for the last month of 1999 were higher prices for other recreational services, education and reading items, personal-care supplies, meat and other foods, children's clothing, owned accommodation, household goods and restaurant purchases.

Costs were lower for household furnishing and men's clothing. As well, cost for some recreational equipment and services were lower than December 1998.