Rising tech prices helping to drive up back-to-school costs

Hayley Legault and her daughter are shopping for back to school. An exciting time for kids, but a financial challenge for parents. Definitely we noticed prices had gone up. I have four kids, so it's already pretty high for us, but yeah, it's just another thing that we're expected to pay for. Legault says most of the supplies for her kids in grade school are provided through the division, but the cost of supplies for her older children is much higher. Definitely for my children in high school, just to manage everything that they're taking, and they definitely need to purchase their own laptops. One non-profit organization wants to make sure all students have access to pricey technology. Computers for Schools Manitoba provides refurbished, affordable computers for students across the province for a fraction of the price. Our most expensive device that we distribute is $150 plus tax, and when you compare that against the market, a comparable device is going to be in and around the $8,000, $9,000, over $1,000 range. Executive Director Justin Menard says they distribute roughly 5,000 computers per year to multiple divisions and non-profits in the province. He says we live in a digital age, and it's hard for people without a device to participate in most things. Everything we do, it's on the computer now. If you want to do homework, if you want to do research. In April, the Retail Council of Canada surveyed roughly 1,400 Canadian parents online with children from kindergarten to grade 12 to get their take on school supply shopping. It says most of the parents responded that those costs were rising. They told us that finding good prices and deals is the leading challenge, and staying within budgets. And they can't walk away from any of those purchases because a lot of them are required for their children. Santo Ligotti says the price of computers have gone up recently too, which he attributes to tariff restrictions. Ligotti says you have to be crafty to save some cash. Price compare if you can, if you have the time. And, you know, buy what you need, and just wait and go from there. The Retail Council estimates parents will spend $600 to $750 per child this year. That includes electronics, school supplies, and clothes. Mike Carcino, CBC News, Winnipeg.