Building 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...
Read MoreWholesale Trade, April 2016, published June 20
Wholesalers sold $54.8 billion worth of goods and services in April, up 0.1% from March but 0.2% lower than in April 2015. Excluding the automotive sector, wholesale sales were also down 0.2% from April 2015. In terms of volume, wholesale sales were up 0.2% in April from March. Annualized wholesale sales were up in four provinces. British Columbia (+5.8%) led the way, followed by New Brunswick (+5.5%). Ontario’s annualized gain was 2.6% while Quebec reported a 1.2% year-over-year increase. Saskatchewan experienced the largest loss (-16.0%), followed by Alberta (-11.4%)....
Read MoreConsumer Price Index, May, 2016, published June 17, (2002=100)
The Consumer Price Index rose by 1.5% in May compared with May 2015, after an annualized increase of 1.7% in April. The CPI in May for goods was up 1.1% from a year earlier while the CPI for services rose 1.9%. Gasoline prices in May were down 7.1% from May 2015, after dropping 5.8% in April. Overall, energy prices declined 3.6% between May 2015 and May 2016, following a 3.2% annualized rate of decrease in April. Excluding energy, the annualized Consumer Price Index rose 1.9% in May, down from 2.1% in April. Food prices rose 1.8% in the 12 months to May, after the 3.2% rate of...
Read MoreBuilding Permits, April 2016, published June 8
Municipalities issued $6.9 billion worth of building permits in April, down 0.3% from March and 8.1% lower than in April 2015. Five provinces reported an increase in permits over a year ago. New Brunswick reported the largest gain, (+104.8%) followed by Manitoba (+54.3%). The largest annualized losses occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador (-47.2%), and Nova Scotia (-38.9%). Ontario recorded an annualized decrease of 14.3% while Quebec posted a 6.6% year-over-year gain. Builders took out residential building permits worth $4.3 billion in April, down 1.8% from March and 4.1% lower than in...
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