Air travel prices recorded the first year-over-year price decline since December 2015.

An initial, sharp bounce-back in economic activity isn't likely to last, Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says.

It was the first year-over-year decline since September 2009, data from Statistics Canada shows.

The move compared with a year-over-year increase of 2.2 per cent in December.

Slower growth in the price of fresh vegetables helped offset higher energy prices.

But the year-over-year increase is partly a reflection of sharply lower gasoline prices in November 2018, Statistics Canada said.

The price of fresh vegetables was up nearly 17 per cent compared to May of last year.

Gas prices continued to rise in August, although at a slower paced compared to July.

Higher prices for gasoline, airline tickets and restaurants, along with rising mortgage costs, fuelled the inflation increase.

The annual pace of inflation cooled, but the numbers suggest consumer prices are broadly on the rise.