Stats & Facts

2.4%

Canadian housing starts continued to trend lower in October, down 2.4 per cent month-over-month to 264,264 units from 270,661 units in September. In spite of this, the level of housing starts activity remains high in historical terms, on a trend and monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) basis. The standalone monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada was 236,554 units in October, a decrease of 5.3 per cent from 249,922 units in September. The SAAR of urban starts dipped by 3.7 per cent in October, to 214,797 units.

—Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

1.5%

31,000

Manufacturing sales declined three per cent to $58.5 billion in September, the lowest level since May of this year. However, sales of wood products rose 1.5 per cent to $3.5 billion. Despite the month-over-month increase, sales of wood products were down nearly 30 per cent in the third quarter. This is primarily attributable to the downturn in prices of lumber and other wood products.

—Statistics Canada

The Canadian economy added just 31,000 jobs in October, a far smaller increase than in recent months. The labour force participation rate slipped to 65.3 per cent, while the unemployment rate inched down to 6.7 per cent. Notable gains were made in retail trade (up 72,000) and other services (up 20,600). In the goods economy, employment fell (down 6,200) as gains in construction (up 4,300) were more than offset by a reduction in manufacturing employment (down 7,700). Across the 10 provinces, employment rose in Ontario and New Brunswick. These increases more than offset declines in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In British Columbia and Quebec, employment was virtually unchanged.

The total value of building permits increased 1.3 per cent to $10.3 billion in October, led by gains in British Columbia and Ontario. Construction intentions in the non-residential sector were up 4.2 per cent, while the residential sector edged down 0.1 per cent.

—Conference Board of Canada

$10.3 billion 3.4%

High-pressure laminate flooring production is projected to climb 3.4 per cent annually through 2024, to 162.9 million square metres, valued at $1 billion US. Use of high-pressure laminate flooring is much lower than that of low-pressure laminate flooring because of its high cost, although its superior impact resistance and greater durability make it a viable option for nonresidential applications.

—Robert Half

2.8%

Global demand for ceramic flooring is forecast to rise 2.8 per cent a year to 8.8 billion square metres in 2024, supported by the material’s favourable performance properties and aesthetics, supporting its application in a wide range of end uses; low cost, which promotes its use among value-conscious specifiers, such as homebuilders and commercial contractors; and wide availability in fastgrowing, developing markets in the Asia/ Pacific, Africa/Mideast, and Central and South America regions.