| The Commercial Activity Index
compares the actual commercial service employment of a city to the
total employment predicted on the basis of its population. Commercial
services include all market activities that perform tasks for business
or consumer, as opposed to those activities that provide goods.
The commercial activity index combines the effect of both income
per capita and centrality. The highest ranking locations are largely
the same cities as for centrality, where the places that score worst
in the commercial activity index are the more isolated cities in
the poorer regions of the country. From point of view of consumers
or businesses the index identifies the places that are most (or
least) attractive places to locate relative to their population
size. The index can be interpreted as the ratio of the city's service
employment to the average for all cities.
Geographical Description
Consistently high values of the commercial activity index in the
Prairie region contrast with the more varied values in southern
Ontario, and southern Quebec. Quebec cities have generally lower
values, as do many places in the Atlantic region due to low levels
of income. High values reflect city size (hence higher incomes)
and specialized roles in wholesaling or recreation. The larger cities
are surrounded by many smaller centres which support services in
the big cities.
To properly interpret this map, please consult the text Data
and Mapping Notes.
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