Building Permits, March 2013, published May 6
Municipalities issued $6.5 billion worth of building permits in March, up 8.6% from February but 6.7% lower than in March 2012. The only three provinces to report a growth in permits over a year earlier were Alberta (+38.2%), Prince Edward Island (+36.2%) and Saskatchewan (+22.6%) Double-digit annualized decreases over March 2012 occurred in six provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador suffered the largest loss (-64.8%) followed by New Brunswick (-53.2%) and Manitoba (-37.2%). Quebec experienced a 17.4% decline while Ontario’s loss was 16.2%. Builders took out residential building permits...
Read MoreLabour Force Survey, April 2013, published May 10
Employment in April was up 0.1% from March. The unemployment rate remained at 7.2% in April. Construction employment was unchanged from March, while manufacturing employment increased 1.2% from a month earlier. In April, employment stood at 17.7 million, up 0.9% from April 2012. Full-time employment grew by 36,000 from March, while part-time employment decreased by 23,600 from the previous month. Full-time employment was up by 183,900 from April 2012, while part-time decreased by 21,500 over the same period. Employment over the past year grew in seven provinces, led by Saskatchewan...
Read MoreConsumer Price Index, April, 2013, published May 17, (2002=100)
The Consumer Price Index rose by 0.4% in April compared with April 2012 following a 1.0% increase in March. Gasoline prices decreased 6.0% from April 2012, after falling 0.3% in March. The decrease in April was the largest year-over-year decline in gasoline prices since October 2009. Excluding gasoline, the CPI was up 0.8% over a year earlier, following a 1.1% annualized increase in March. Overall, energy prices fell 1.9% between April 2012 and April 2013, following a 0.3% increase in March. Excluding energy, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.7% in April after gaining 1.1% in March. Food...
Read MoreWholesale Trade, March 2013, published May 17
Wholesalers sold $49.1 billion worth of goods and services in March, up 0.3% from February and 1.0% higher than in March 2012. Excluding the automotive sector, wholesale sales were up 0.6% from March 2012. In terms of volume, wholesale sales were up 0.1% in March from February. Since May 2012, national wholesale sales have been relatively flat. Annualized wholesale sales grew in seven provinces. Saskatchewan (+17.5%) led the way, followed by Prince Edward Island (+11.7%) and British Columbia (+7.4%). Quebec recorded a 1.7% sales gain over March 2012. New Brunswick (-4.9%). Ontario...
Read MoreHome Hardware Announces Store of the Year
Canada’s Largest Independent Home Improvement Retailer Honours Top Store St. Jacobs, ON, April 19, 2013 – Brantford Home Hardware, Brantford, Ontario is top of the class for retailing excellence for 2012. The Home Hardware location is the recipient of the 2012 Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year Award, selected from close to 1,100 stores across Canada for achieving the highest standards in retailing, merchandising, Staff performance, and overall quality and service. Brantford Home Hardware was recognized for its outstanding performance at Home Hardware’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in St....
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