'Good deals for Christmas': Turkey prices down from last year

With just days to go before Christmas, one of the big items for the big feast could be cheaper this year. Numbers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada show that during November this year, turkey prices were down from the same time last year.

Christmas dinner will be a little less traditional for shopper Lin Montagnon.

"We have a few dinners to host and a few to attend, and this year we decided potluck was the best for all around," said Montagnon.

She said her family and friends plan it out beforehand, all to help with the new reality of trying to fork over enough money to put on a holiday gathering.

"We discussed the cost of living nowadays and the cost of the expense of even hosting a dinner and felt that it was our opportunity to alleviate the cost," said Montagnon.

Fresh turkey prices on average in Canada were $5.45 kg, a drop from $8.93 kg last year. In Manitoba, $7.89 kg this year compared to $8.58 kg in 2023.

There appears to be a similar trend for frozen birds.

The data shows $4.69 kg across the country this year, $5.25 last year. In Manitoba, $5.03 kg in 2024, lower than $5.53 kg last year.

Sylvain Charlebois, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, said this is a similar trend from Thanksgiving.

“We are expecting good deals for Christmas for sure,” said Charlebois.

But Shawn Miller, owner of Winnipeg’s Miller’s Meats, said he hasn't noticed a change.

"As far as this year, it's been status quo from our supplier. They've all remained the same price," said Miller.

However, Miller said they do have a good supply of turkeys.

"All our coolers are very stocked, so we encourage everyone in Winnipeg to come down." 

On prices, Charlebois said some stores are chopping the price of turkeys, using them as a loss leader to get shoppers in the door to buy some of the more expensive fixings.

“We are seeing across the country in some places turkey at 99 cents a pound, frozen turkey at 99 cents a pound, those are prices we haven't seen in many years,” said Charlebois.

Even if Montagnon found a deal on a bird, it wouldn't help her - she's not a fan.

"Turkey? Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass.”