What Are People Buying and Where Are They Buying It (aka Spending Patterns)?

Spending Patterns in Canada

Check out a report released today called Spending Patterns in Canada. From Statistics Canada, with data from 2006, this is a direct quote from the report’s highlights:

“Household spending in 2006 continued to show the effects of the strong resource economy in the West. Spending growth in Alberta surpassed all other provinces by a wide margin.”

This publication is available online for FREE. For a quick read, browse the Analysis section; navigate through the various sections of the report using the sidebar links. For those of you who like numbers, there are tables of data to look at. There is also a pdf version of the whole report available too.

Hardly surprising, most money was spent on personal taxes, shelter and transportation (both vehicle purchases and public transportation). Other big expenditures were on wireless communication, new computer hardware, and new audio and video equipment. Notably, people spent more on health care in 2006 and less on tobacco products (a nod to an aging and more health-conscious population?).

Alberta Business

To learn more about Alberta and to take advantage of the growth taking place in that province, check out AlbertaFirst.com. This website is a provincial, municipal and industry partnership created to provide information to businesses and individuals interested in starting a business or locating to Alberta. There is a a Business Directory Search as well as a Profile page which provides links to extensive statistical data for all Alberta communities and census divisions. If you click through to the Regional MarketPlace Profiles, you will see demographic, labour force, household income and expenditure and other statistical data for 11 distinct regions in Alberta. Click through to the Investment Profiles section and you will be directed to the Government of Alberta’s Investment Attraction System, which provides economic indicator information.

Another credible website for small business information in Alberta is The Business Link: Alberta’s Business Information Service. The Business Link is a not-for-profit organization supported by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta.

Note: Don’t forget about The Business Link for other provinces too. The main page has flags at the bottom representing each province which you click on to get to the various provincial small business pages.