There is one exception. For the jobless rate, a level lower than the country-wide figure is more desirable (and therefore encased in yellow) than a higher one (captured in blue).
With respect to population growth, almost all the fastest year-over-year gains have been occurring from Ontario heading west. Manitoba (+1.6%) is currently leading the nation.
In year-over-year housing starts, it’s primarily the eastern provinces that have been recording the largest percentage climbs – although Manitoba (+61%) and Alberta (+28%) have also been standouts.
Regarding minimal unemployment rates, Manitoba (5.0%), British Columbia (5.3%), Quebec (5.8%) and Ontario (6.1%) have been the leaders.
Strength in jobs creation has displayed good geographic diversity, hop-scotching across the country from Prince Edward Island (+2.9%) on the Atlantic coast; with Quebec (+3.0%) as the next stop; then on to Manitoba (+2.1%) in the middle; and finishing in B.C. (best of all at +3.6%) on the Pacific shoreline.
The year-over-year improvements in hourly earnings have been led by Newfoundland and Labrador (+4.4%), followed by Manitoba (+3.7%), B.C. (+3.5%) and Ontario (+3.3%).
Best weekly earnings gains have been weighted more towards the West than the East, with only Alberta (+1.7%) among the Prairie Provinces failing to reach Canada’s overall increase (+2.0%).
In retail sales, B.C. (+9.9%) and Alberta (+9.0%) have managed exceptional advances, with consumers in Ontario (+8.1%) and New Brunswick (+7.9%) not holding back either.
In exports, a year-over-year crude oil price pick-up has enabled Alberta (+42.7%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+40.6%) to realize outsized percentage jumps in their foreign energy product sales. B.C. (+23.9%), New Brunswick (+17.8%) and Saskatchewan (+16.0%) have also benefitted from international commodities demand that is showing some spark again.
Chart 2 summarizes the results from Chart 1.
Chart 2 records how many yellow versus blue squares there are for each province. (Note that there are no column heads. All that has happened in each row is that like-colored squares have been bunched together.)
Vertically in Chart 2, the provinces are ordered – or, in essence, ranked − by how many yellow squares they have. The result is a ‘heat’ graphic.
All four Atlantic Region provinces, plus Saskatchewan, are in the grips of a chill.
Quebec, Ontario and Alberta are at room temperature.
Manitoba and especially British Columbia are simmering nicely.
Chart 1: Comparison of Latest Provincial Performances – Summer 2017
Year-over-year Changes
Chart 2: Heat Map – Sorted by Number of Yellow Squares
Chart 2: Heat Map – Sorted by Number of Yellow Squares
Yellow denotes equal to or better than nation-wide performance.
Blue denotes worse than nation-wide performance.
(For the jobless rate, it’s better to be lower than the national average.)
Chart 2: Heat Map – Sorted by Number of Yellow Squares
