Retail Trade, February 2014, published April 23
Retail sales in February were $41.0 billion, an increase of 0.5% from January and up 3.7% from February 2013. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers and by gasoline stations, retail sales were up by 2.4% from February 2013. Retail sales in volume terms grew 0.1% from January. Increases in month-over-month sales were reported in 7 of 11 sectors representing 56% of retail trade. February 2014 sales over February 2013 were up in all provinces. Alberta led the way with an 8.3% sales gain, followed by New Brunswick (+6.5%) and Nova Scotia (+5.0%). Ontario recorded a 3.2% gain...
Read MoreWholesale Trade, February 2014, published April 22
Wholesalers sold $50.7 billion worth of goods and services in February, up 1.1% from January and 3.5% higher than in February 2013. Excluding the automotive sector, wholesale sales were up 4.0% from February 2013. In terms of volume, wholesale sales were up 0.8% in February from January. Annualized wholesale sales grew in nine provinces. Prince Edward Island (+16.9%) led the way, followed by Ontario (+5.5%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+4.2%). The only decrease occurred in Nova Scotia (-1.2%). Quebec’s wholesale sales were unchanged from February 2013. Wholesalers’...
Read MoreConsumer Price Index, March, 2014, published April 17, (2002=100)
The Consumer Price Index rose by 1.5% in March compared with March 2013, following a 1.1% increase in February. The CPI for goods increased by 1.4% in the 12 months to March while the CPI for services was up 1.7% over the same period. Gasoline prices increased 1.4% from March 2013, after declining 1.3% in February. Overall, energy prices grew 4.6% between March 2013 and March 2014, following a 1.6% increase in February. Excluding energy, the Consumer Price Index rose 1.3% in March, after growing by 0.4% in February. Food prices rose 1.5% in the 12 months to March, up from the...
Read MoreBuilding Permits, February 2014, published April 8
Municipalities issued $6.1 billion worth of building permits in February, down 11.6% from January but 3.1% higher than in February 2013. Four provinces reported an increase in permits over a year ago. Double-digit increases were reported on all four. Prince Edward Island led the way (+167.9%) followed by New Brunswick (+62.4%) and Ontario (+26.2%). Double-digit annualized decreases over February 2013 occurred in five provinces. The largest year-over-year losses were recorded in Manitoba (-37/2%), Nova Scotia (-28.2%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+26.7%). Quebec reported a 1.5%...
Read MoreLabour Force Survey, March 2014, published April 4
Employment in March was up 1.1% from February. The unemployment rate was 6.9%, down from 7.0% in February. Construction employment grew by 0.2% from February while manufacturing employment decreased 0.5% from a month earlier In March, employment stood at 17.8 million, up 1.1% from March 2013. Full-time employment grew by 12,800 from February, while part-time employment increased by 30,100 from the previous month. Full-time employment was up by 136,700 from March 2013, while part-time increased by 53,300 over the same period. Employment over the past year grew in six provinces. Alberta...
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