Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Statistics Canada says retail sales in April posted their largest drop since April last year at the start of the pandemic as governments moved to deal with its third wave.
Statistics Canada said Wednesday retail sales fell 5.7 per cent to $54.8 billion in April, the largest decline since April 2020 during the pandemic's first wave.
The agency also said its preliminary estimate suggested an additional drop of 3.2 per cent for May, but cautioned the figure would be revised.
TD Bank economist Ksenia Bushmeneva said third wave-related restrictions on non-essential and in-person shopping held back retail sales in April as expected.
"In addition to restrictions, auto dealers were also impacted by the shortage of microchips, limiting their inventory and weighing on sales that month," Bushmeneva wrote in a report.
"While the microchip shortage may persist for some time, other headwinds will ease. With the vaccination campaign gathering speed and most provinces gradually lifting restrictions in June, consumer spending is on track to rebound strongly in the second half of the year."
The drop in April sales was concentrated in retailers deemed "non-essential" as sales fell in nine of 11 subsectors.
Core retail sales -- which exclude gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers -- fell 7.6 per cent.
Sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores plunged 28.6 per cent in April, while general merchandise stores dropped 8.1 per cent.
Statistics Canada said sales at building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers fell 10.4 per cent, their first drop in nine months.
Meanwhile, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations also fell for the first time in four months
Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers fell by 1.4 per cent, while sales at gasoline stations fell 4.1 per cent in April.
Retail sales in volume terms fell 5.6 per cent in April.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2021.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the U.S. over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.