Retail Trade, May 2016, published July 22
Retail sales in May were $44.3 billion, up 0.2% from April and an increase of 3.6% from May 2015. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers and by gasoline stations, retail sales were up by 4.5% from May 2015. Retail sales in volume terms were up 0.1% from April. Increases in month-over-month sales were reported in 6 of 11 sectors representing 51% of retail trade. May 2016 sales over May 2015 were up in eight provinces. British Columbia experienced the largest monthly gain (+6.5%), followed by Manitoba (+6.2%) and Quebec (+5.0%). The year-over-year gain in Ontario was 4.1%....
Read MoreWholesale Trade, May 2016, published July 21
Wholesalers sold $55.9 billion worth of goods and services in May, up 1.8% from April and 3.6% higher than in May 2015. Excluding the automotive sector, wholesale sales were up 2.5% from May 2015. In terms of volume, wholesale sales were up 1.5% in May from April. Annualized wholesale sales were up in eight provinces. Prince Edward Island (+13.7%) led the way, followed by New Brunswick (+11.2%). Ontario’s annualized gain was 5.6% while Quebec reported a 7.1% year-over-year increase. Saskatchewan experienced the largest loss (-11.4%), followed by Alberta (-8.4%). Wholesalers’...
Read MoreBuilding Permits, May 2016, published July 7
Municipalities issued $6.8 billion worth of building permits in May, down 1.9% from April and 0.3% lower than in May 2015. Seven provinces reported an increase in permits over a year ago. Nova Scotia experienced the largest gain, (+26.0%) followed by Manitoba (+25.6%) and Prince Edward Island (+25.0%). Annualized losses occurred in New Brunswick (-43.9%), Alberta (-33.2%) and Saskatchewan (-23.7%. Ontario recorded a year-over-year increase of 3.4% while Quebec posted a 5.2% gain over May 2015. Builders took out residential building permits worth $4.3 billion in May, down 1.1% from...
Read MoreLabour Force Survey, June 2016, published July 8
Employment in June was unchanged from May. The unemployment rate was 6.8%, down from 6.9% in May. Construction employment was down 2.0% from May and manufacturing employment decreased 0.8% from a month earlier. In June, employment stood at 18.1 million, up 0.6% from June 2015. Full-time employment fell by 40,100 from May, while part-time employment increased by 39,400 from the previous month. Full time employment was up by 31,200 from June 2015, while part-time employment increased by 76,500 over the same period. Employment over the past 12 months grew in four provinces. British...
Read MoreRetail Trade, April 2016, published June 22
Retail sales in April were $44.3 billion, up 0.9% from March and an increase of 4.6% from April 2015. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers and by gasoline stations, retail sales were up by 4.7% from April 2015. Retail sales in volume terms were virtually unchanged from the 1.3% decline posted in March. Increases in month-over-month sales were reported in 7 of 11 sectors representing 64% of retail trade. April 2016 sales over April 2015 were up in all provinces. Prince Edward Island experienced the largest monthly gain (+8.2%), followed by British Columbia (+7.9%) and...
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