Factoids have become an very popular component of the Chamber's weekly eNews.  Because of the various calls the Chamber office receives about our weekly Factoids, this page presents an archive of all previous Factoids.  BUSINESS FACTOIDS present interesting facts about Canadian business and the economy.  BURLINGTON FACTOIDS present interesting facts about the City of Burlington.  During Small Business Month (October) Factoids focus on small business information.  Both Burlington and Business Factoids featured prominently in the 2007 Curling Bonspiel trivia contest.

 

BUSINESS FACTOIDS

• The number of Canadian business bankruptcies dropped 10.8% in the third quarter of 2006 compared with the same quarter in 2005.  (August  3, 2007)

• Baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1966) account for approximately seven out of ten SME business owners.  (July 27, 2007)

• The bulk of new jobs in 2006 were created in large companies (160,000 jobs).  (July 20, 2007)

• In the fourth quarter of 2006, 2.53 million were self-employed, a 2.3 percent drop from the same period in 2005.  (July 13, 2007)

• The number of self employed workers in Canada rose 0.9 percent per year between 2000 and 2006.  (June 29, 2007)

• According to a recent Bank of Canada survey, 88% of firms expect the rate of change of the Consumer Price Index over the next two years to be within the Bank's inflation control range of 1 to 3 percent.  (June 15, 2007)

• According to the Bank of Canada, hiring intentions continue to be higher in the services sector than in the manufacturing sector.  (June 8, 2007)

• According to a recent Bank of Canada survey, businesses expect their input prices to rise at a slower pace over the next 12 months than the previous 12 months.  (June 1, 2007)

• According to a recent Bank of Canada survey, the proportion of firms reporting that labour shortages restrict their ability to meet demand has increased.  (May 18, 2007)

• The average Canadian now spends nearly two full weeks each year getting to work and returning home.  (April 20, 2007)

• 2.8 million Canadians own a small or medium sized company.  (April 5, 2007)

• On average, Ontario workers spend 36.5 hours per week at work.   (March 23, 2007)

• The average weekly staff meeting lasts for 50 minutes.   (March 16, 2007)

• Fifty-six percent of Canadian CEOs consider themselves to be workaholics.  (March 2, 2007)

• The number of Canadian business bankruptcies dropped 10.8% in the third quarter of 2006, compared with the same quarter in 2005.   (February 16, 2007) 

• The number of self employed workers in Canada rose from 1.84 million in 1990 to 2.51 million in 2005, an average annual growth rate of 2.1%.   (February 2, 2007)

• In the third quarter of 2006, there were 2.49 million self-employed workers in Canada, down 1.2 percent from the same quarter in 2005.   (January 19, 2007)

• In the second quarter of 2006, employment in the small business sector increased by 103,200 compared with the same quarter in 2005.   (January 5, 2007)

• Employment in small businesses increased by 84,423 in the first quarter of 2006 compared with the same quarter in 2005.   (December 15, 2006)

• The estimated number of Canadians receiving regular employment insurance benefits in September was  492,600.  (December 1, 2006)

• 3.2 million Canadians want to start their own business.  (November 17, 2006)

• The average income in Canada:  Women - $41,000, Men - $56,000.  (November 3, 2006.)

• There are roughly 2.4 million small businesses in Canada.  (October 27, 2006)

• There are 10 percent more small businesses today than there were three years ago.  (October 20, 2006)

• There are roughly 873,000 small businesses in Ontario.  (October 13, 2006)

• Small businesses make up 24 % of Canada's gross domestic product.  (October 6, 2006)

• Twenty-nine percent of working women earn more than their husbands. In 1967 only 11% of women earned more than their husbands.  (September 29, 2006) 

• The value of building permits surpassed the $5 billion mark for a sixth straight month in May, up 6.9% from April and fuelled mainly by intentions in the non-residential sector.  (September 15, 2006)

• Sales of motor vehicles, parts and services amounted to $18.1 billion in the first quarter of 2006, up 4.8% over the same quarter last year.  (September 1, 2006).

• Consumers spent $82.7 billion on goods and services in retail stores in the first quarter of 2006. This is an increase of 6.5% over the first quarter of 2005.  (August 18, 2006)

• Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.4% in July, slightly above the rate in June, a 32-year low of 6.1%.  (August 4, 2006)

 

BURLINGTON FACTOIDS

• In February 2006, the City of Burlington won the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the third straight year.  (July 6, 2007)

• The Burlington public library system has six libraries.  They are electronically and operationally connected.  (April 13, 2007)

• The population density of the City of Burlington is 812 people per square kilometer.  (March 30, 2007)

• There are 32 kilometers of Bruce Trail within the City of Burlington.  (March 9, 2007)

• In 1873 Burlington became a village.  It was incorporated as the City of Burlington in 1974.  (February 23, 2007)

• Since 1915 there have been 27 Mayors in Burlington  (February 9, 2006)

• There are 22 parks in the City of Burlington (excluding Windows to the Lake)  (January 26, 2007)

• In 1975 the population of Burlington hit 100,000 ( January 12, 2005)

• 4.3 percent of Burlingtonians ride a bike or walk to work  (December 8, 2006)

• The City of Burlington has 171 signalized traffic intersections.  (November 24, 2006)

• In the 2003 municipal election, only 16.55% of registered voters cast a ballot.  (November 10, 2006)

• Based on the Canada Post business count, there are 4,813 businesses in Burlington.  (September 22, 2006)

• Between the last two census (1996 to 2001) the population of Burlington rose by 10%.  (August 25, 2006)

• There are seventy-nine companies in Burlington that have at least 100 employees.  (August 11, 2006)