Alberta UCP announces cost of living measures as provincial inflation rate rises

Alberta's United Conservative government has announced two measures to help curb an increasing cost of living.

The province says will keep a 13-cent provincial excise tax on gasoline in place for three more months after it first came into effect in April.

The fuel tax relief program is to be reviewed in September.

The province said in a second news release it will also provide homes, farms and small businesses with $50 monthly credits for electricity bills in July, August and September.

The rebate will be applied to the bills automatically.

The announcements were made after Statistics Canada reported the province's annual rate of inflation increased to 7.1 per cent last month from 6.3 per cent in April, largely due to higher energy costs.