LABOUR MARKET NEWS
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Highlights on industry activities that have an impact on the local labour market, this information is derived from several sources including local newspapers, newsletters and various publications.
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Accommodation and Food Services
Employment in this sector grew in December but has yet to regain the level of December 2002. (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, seasonally unadjusted data, three-month moving averages: October, November, December 2003)
Accommodation
The former Crowne Plaza Hotel, at Front and Simcoe Streets, has been renovated. It reopened under a new name, InterContinental Toronto Centre. (Ontario Restaurant News: October 2003)
Food Services
Toronto's first Krispy Kreme donut factory/retail store opened in Scarborough during October. Two other retail outlets have since opened at BCE Place and the Richmond Adelaide Centre. (Toronto Business Times: November 2003, Scarborough Mirror: October 2003)
Agriculture
Agriculture is slowly declining in the Greater Toronto Region. Between 1996 and 2001, the number of farms fell by 16%, compared to a 12% decline across Ontario. (Toronto Star: Nov. 23/03)
Business Services
Companies often call on the business service sector for accounting, security, legal and marketing services. Demand is growing fast for the following two types of business services.
Privacy Consulting
Personal privacy is a pressing issue in today's business environment. On January 1, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) came into effect nationwide. The Act outlines how private sector organizations collect, use or disclose personal information. As many firms contract out human resource functions or maintain electronic databases, this Act has great relevance. To ensure that companies comply with the new Act, they need to do privacy impact assessments and develop compliance plans. This can be accomplished by designating an internal privacy officer or calling on the services of an external privacy consultant. http://www.privcom.gc.ca (National Post: July 14/03)
Forensic Accounting
Recent media reports of corporate scandals have raised public awareness of the importance of good corporate governance. Companies are also on the lookout for white-collar crime, including money laundering, fraud and insider trading. This has resulted in a growing need for the services of forensic and investigative accountants. Accountants gain the specialized designation, CA-IFA (Chartered Accountant Investigative and Forensic Accounting), by completing the Diploma in Investigative and Forensic Accounting. This two-year, part-time course is offered at University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/difa/DIFA-New.htm (Dec. 29/03)
Computer Industry
The 2003 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 ranking of the fastest growing technology companies in North America includes eight Toronto companies:
(Toronto Business Times: November 2003) http://www.public.deloitte.com/fast500 /default.asp?type=home
According to market researcher IDC Canada, worldwide spending on computer-related equipment and software is expected to rise 8% in 2004. Technology spending will recover as companies purchase new personal computers and networking gear, and add fresh software and related services. (Toronto Star: Dec. 18/03)
Robert Half Technology surveyed chief information officers (CIOs) at Canadian companies, with 100 or more employees. It found that 12% of CIOs plan to add staff in the first three months of 2004, while 2% expect to cut positions. The main reason for hiring is business expansion. (National Post: Dec. 17/03) http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive /December2003/10/c1665.html
Offshore outsourcing of information technology (IT) functions is growing. Many companies lower wage costs by transferring IT work to other countries. However, Canadian IT workers who keep up with emerging technologies may be immune to outsourcing, as there is a need for local expertise and specialization. (Sanjiv Purba, Globe & Mail: Oct. 29, Nov. 11/03)
Construction
From the fourth quarter of 2002 to the fourth quarter of 2003, employment in construction in the Greater Toronto Region grew by 12.8% (20,000 jobs). (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, seasonally unadjusted data: three-month-moving average, October, November, December 2003)
Residential construction in the Toronto Census metropolitan area showed continued strength during the fourth quarter of 2003. Housing starts in 2003 were the highest in 16 years at 45,475. Compared to other Census metropolitan areas in Canada, Toronto posted the biggest year-over-year increase in building permits, which were up by 9.4% in the first 11 months of 2003. (Toronto Star: Jan. 10, 13/04; Statistics Canada, The Daily: Jan. 12/04)
The non-residential construction industry had a great year in 2003. Non-residential construction investment in the Toronto area increased by 7.6% in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. In particular, institutional building construction grew 13% in the fourth quarter of 2003. There was significant investment growth in educational institutions in Ontario in 2003, due to the double cohort and an expanding youth population. Industrial and commercial building construction also continued to grow in the Toronto area. (Statistics Canada, The Daily: Jan. 15/04)
Training
The Centre for Skills Development and Training is offering a new program, Enhanced General Carpentry. It trains people, aged 16 to 30, for careers in the construction industry. It consists of 8 weeks in the classroom followed by 18 weeks of paid work. For information, phone 905-333-3499, ext. 121 http://www.thecentre.on.ca/
The Toronto School of Drywall, established in 2002 to alleviate the shortage of drywallers, offers an eight-week drywall training course. Phone 905-270-0443 or see website: http://www.torontoschoolofdrywall.com (Toronto Sun: Dec. 10/03)
Construction Projects
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Toronto's new opera house, Four Seasons Centre, is under construction at the corner of University and Queen. (Toronto Construction News: November 2003)
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The Lakeshore and Bathurst area is being developed. It will be named Fort York Neighbourhood and will offer 5,200 apartment units. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 21/03)
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The Residences at College Park project is being built by Canderel Stoneridge. It will consist of two high rise towers. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 28/03)
Construction News
Future Building 2004 is an upcoming event that will take place at the National Trade Centre March 29 to March 31. This event is sponsored by the Ontario Construction Secretariat. It is designed to help youth, teachers and the general public learn about occupations in construction. (Toronto Construction News: December 2003) http://www.iciconstruction.com Click on Events.
The Construction Industry Advisory Council promotes competitiveness and job creation in Ontario. It is the first group in the province to represent the interests of the entire construction industry. (Toronto Construction News: November 2003)
Construction Site
Culture and Entertainment
Statistics Canada conducted a study of the culture sector in Canada for the period of 1991 to 2002. Employment growth increased 31%, although most of this growth was prior to 1999. One in four workers in this sector was self-employed in 2002. (Statistics Canada, The Daily, Jan. 13/04) http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040113/d040113b.htm
The Ricoh Coliseum, a new sports and concert complex at Exhibition Place, opened in November. (Toronto Star: Nov. 2/03)
In January, the Toronto Truck Theatre closed the curtain on "The Mousetrap", a murder mystery play that ran for almost 26 years. (Toronto Star: Nov. 14, Dec. 19/03)
Education
The Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board have received special funding from the province. It is to be used to hire teacher aides and counselors, who will provide services specifically to students whose second language is English. (Globe & Mail; Toronto Star: Dec. 4/03)
The Toronto District School Board eliminated 500 jobs in October, affecting teacher's assistants, lunchroom supervisors, special needs assistants and administrative staff. (National Post: Oct. 8/03; Globe & Mail: Oct. 10/03)
A report by Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education claims 41% of Canadians have college or university education. Canadian children have more classroom computers and Internet access than children in other developed countries. The report also states that fewer Canadian males now choose teaching as a career. Men represent 35% of teachers now, down from 41% in 1993. http://www.cesc.ca/pceip/pceip2003en.pdf (Globe & Mail; Toronto Star: Nov. 26/03)
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, has provided funding to enable Centennial College to upgrade its training equipment and laboratories. (Toronto Star: Dec. 12/03) http://www.centennialcollege.ca
George Brown College is the first college in Ontario to offer a Bachelor of Applied Business degree in Hospitality Operations Management. This is a joint program with Niagara College. (Toronto Star: Nov. 20/03) http://www.gbrownc.on.ca/degrees/hospitality_faqs.html
Humber College Institute of Advanced Technology and Learning began offering a new paralegal studies program in September. The College is the only institution in the province to offer a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Paralegal Studies. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 17/03) http://degrees.humber.ca/paralegal.htm
Seneca College announced it will open a Markham campus in the fall of 2005. Seneca purchased the Allstate Insurance building at Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 404 in Markham. The property is large enough to accommodate future buildings. The school expects 1,500 students initially, growing to 3,500. (Toronto Star: Jan. 7/04)
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Leasing
In the Greater Toronto Region, employment was 4.3% higher in the final quarter of 2003 than in the final quarter of 2002. The strong real estate market contributed to this growth. (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, seasonally unadjusted data, three-month moving averages: October, November, December 2003)
The Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) was launched in 2001 to promote the competitiveness of the Toronto financial services sector. The TFSA recently surveyed its members on Toronto's competitiveness with other cities. Toronto financial services employment grew in 2000-2002, outpacing other North American cities, but it slipped in 2003. Financial services employment growth in the communities surrounding the City of Toronto has been much stronger than within Toronto itself. (Toronto Star: Oct. 25/03) http://www.tfsa.ca/
Banking
The five largest banks had a substantially more profitable year in 2003. The banks have dealt with bad loans, focused on retail banking, and benefited from more brokerage and investment banking activity, while cutting expenses slightly. (National Post: Dec. 3/03)
Real estate analysts report that banks have moved some functions from downtown Toronto to outlying locations such as Mississauga. (Terrence Belford, Globe & Mail: Dec. 16/03; National Post: Dec. 4/03)
Insurance
Royal Bank of Canada plans to buy UnumProvident Corp.'s Canadian insurance operations. The purchase, to close in March, will expand RBC Insurance's activities in the fast-growing living benefits market, which includes disability, long-term care and critical illness insurance. RBC Insurance expects to keep all of Burlington-based UnumProvident's more than 600 employees, with very minor staff reductions. (Globe & Mail, National Post, Toronto Star: Nov. 19/03)
Securities Industry
Canadian securities industry employment declined a little in the July-September 2003 quarter, compared to the previous quarter. Employment was down 4% in the first nine months of 2003 compared to the same period in 2002. However, after three difficult years, profitability rose for a second successive quarter. The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX composite index rose 24.3% in 2003. There are indications that selective recruitment may have replaced hiring freezes. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 15, 27/03, Jan. 1, 2/04; National Post: Nov. 8, 27/03) Investment Dealers Association of Canada, http://www.ida.ca
GMP Capital Corp. plans to expand into merchant banking and retail brokerage, focussing on wealthy customers. It expects to hire 50 to 100 brokers over the next five years. (Globe & Mail: Oct. 25, Dec. 11/03; Toronto Star: Nov. 28/03)
Mutual Fund Industry
Despite negative net sales for the year, the mutual fund industry ended 2003 with three months of increasing sales. In 2003, assets under management rose by 12%, compared to a decrease in 2002. December was the best sales month of 2003, improving the outlook for the industry. (Globe & Mail, Nov. 18, Dec. 16/03, Jan. 16/04) Investment Funds Institute of Canada, http://www.ific.ca
Toronto-based Dundee Wealth Management Inc. has acquired Cartier Partners Financial Group Inc., a financial planning company. This continues a consolidation trend among financial planning firms. (Globe & Mail, National Post: Nov. 12/03; Toronto Star: Dec. 31/03)
Residential Real Estate
Sales of Toronto area existing homes set a record of almost 79,000 in 2003, up 6% from 2002. The average price for 2003 rose 6% to $293,000. There were 32,528 sales of single-family dwellings in the City of Toronto, up 2% over 2002. The average price in the City of Toronto rose to $318,000 in 2003. (Toronto Star: Nov. 7, Dec. 5/03, Jan. 9/04) Toronto Real Estate Board,http://www.torontorealestateboard.com
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reports that the apartment vacancy rate has risen to 3.8%, the highest rate in more than 30 years, in Toronto area buildings with three or more units. Some rents declined slightly. Low interest rates, which allowed renters to buy homes, lower immigration, and increased youth unemployment contributed to the rising vacancy rate. CMHC reports the following average monthly rents for Toronto area apartments:
(Globe & Mail, National Post, Toronto Star: Dec. 3/03; Globe & Mail, National Post: Dec. 5/03; Albert Warson, Globe & Mail: Jan. 6/04; Toronto Star: Dec. 6/03) CMHC News Release, http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/News/nere/2003/2003-12-02-0815.cfm
Commercial and Industrial Real Estate
Royal LePage Commercial Inc. reports that the Toronto area office vacancy rate declined slightly in the fourth quarter of 2003, but remains high. (National Post, Toronto Star: Jan. 8/04) http://www.royallepage.com/
Canada Life Assurance Co. announced construction of a 15-storey, $75 million office tower at Queen and Simcoe Streets, near University Avenue in downtown Toronto. When completed in 2006, the building will be 70% occupied by the Government of Canada on a 20-year lease. (Toronto Star: Oct. 29/03)
Colliers International reports that much of the strength in industrial real estate is due to continued tenant expansion in warehousing and distribution. In the fourth quarter of 2003, Mississauga and Vaughan accounted for more than half of newly completed industrial space, followed by Brampton and Oakville. (Albert Warson, Globe & Mail, Dec. 30/03; Toronto Star: Jan. 17/04) http://www.colliers.com
Downtown Financial District
Government Services
Provincial
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food plans to hire 61 full-time and 57 part-time meat inspectors. (Toronto Star: Nov 29/03)
Ontario plans to recruit 33 additional water quality workers, to test and protect the water supply. (Toronto Star, Globe & Mail: Dec 16/03)
Municipal
York Region plans to hire 378 new police officers and 175 other civilian workers, over the next five years. (Toronto Star: Nov 27/03)
Health and Social Services
Government spending on health care moved ahead of spending on education in 2001. Provincial governments in Canada spent 17% of their total outlay on health, and 15% on education. (Globe & Mail, National Post: Nov. 26/03)
Nurses
The occupation of "parish nurse", one type of community-based nursing, is new to Canada. Parish nurses are registered nurses who work as member of a congregation's ministry team. Emmanuel College at University of Toronto has a post-graduate course in parish nursing, open to registered nurses. http://vicu.utoronto.ca/emmanuel. Canadian Association of Parish Nurse Ministry http://www.capnm.ca/
Doctors
The Ontario College of Family Physicians estimates that Ontario is short about 1,000 family doctors. This shortage will increase to 4,200 by 2010, due to retirements. (Toronto Star: Oct. 8/03)
Pharmacy technicians
Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists and are in demand due to the shortage of pharmacists. The job is not currently regulated and pharmacists may choose to train their own technicians. Pharmacy assistant training courses are offered at community colleges and private career colleges. Certification can be obtained by writing a voluntary exam through the Ontario College of Pharmacists. (Toronto Sun, Career Connections: Oct. 8/03) http://www.ocpinfo.com
Hospitals
Construction of a new hospital at the William Osler Health Centre in Brampton is about to begin. The 600-bed hospital, a publicly owned and operated facility, will open in 2006. It will employ 200 doctors and 1,500 nurses. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 21/03)
Pharmaceuticals
Hemosol Inc. has an agreement with Prometic Life Sciences Inc. to use Hemosol's Mississauga plant to recover proteins from human blood plasma supplied by the American Red Cross. (Globe & Mail: Dec. 5/03)
Manufacturing
Manufacturing employment in the Greater Toronto Region fell by 35,000 jobs or 6.7% from the fourth quarter of 2002, to the fourth quarter of 2003. Since November 2002, the Canadian dollar has risen in value by 22%, compared to the U.S. dollar. This made exports to the U.S. more expensive and caused a drop in sales across the border. Manufacturers of computers and electronic products, electrical equipment and appliances were especially affected. (Statistics Canada - Labour Force Survey, seasonally unadjusted data: three-month moving averages, October, November and December 2003; Bruce Little, Globe & Mail: Jan. 10/04)
Motor vehicles
All motor vehicle sales in Canada fell 6 % in 2003. Sales by the "Big Three" automakers (General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler) fell 11.2%. In a bid to regain market share in 2004, half of their products will be new models. (National Post: Jan. 2, 6/04; Globe & Mail: Jan. 6/04)
Desrosiers Automotive Consultants expects soft sales in 2004 especially if interest rates rise and affect incentives. They expect recovery in a year or two. This is part of a cyclical downturn which regularly affects the industry. (National Post: Oct. 16/03, Jan. 6/04)
Daimler-Chrysler will produce nine new vehicle lines in 2004. Its Brampton plant will produce a new model car and a new model station wagon. (National Post: Nov. 18/03; Toronto Star: Dec. 5/03)
Automakers demand higher quality and lower costs from parts makers that supply them and can move production to cheaper suppliers very quickly.
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General Motors may increase purchases from Canadian auto parts makers by 25% over the next three years because of improvement in quality.
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Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. switched a contract to make plastic parts that cover bumpers from Decoma International Inc. in Concord, to Flex-N-Gate Corp. in Tillsonburg, to reduce costs. (National Post, Toronto Star: Nov. 6/03; Globe & Mail: Dec. 20/03)
Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. and Daimler-Chrysler temporarily shut down plants to bring production in line with lowered demand. The companies are facing stiff competition in the minivan market from Honda, Nissan and Toyota. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 25/ 03, Jan 2/04)
Canam Manac Group Inc. permanently closed its Orangeville truck-trailer plant, resulting in the layoff of 245 workers. (Globe & Mail: Jan. 6/04)
Canadian assemblers are 7% more productive than American assemblers and 30% more productive than Mexican assemblers. The Harbour Report, which compares vehicle assembly plants, claims that a strong Canadian dollar could eliminate that advantage. (Globe & Mail: Oct. 8/03)
Other Manufacturing
In October, Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd. started assembling business computers in Mississauga. The company hopes to gain more of the computer market from Dell Inc. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 14/03)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Bownmanville will lay off 160 people in April, when it stops producing conveyor belts. (Globe & Mail: Oct. 17/03)
GreenBud Manufacturing, which supplied Roots Canada with clothing, has closed its North Toronto plant and laid off 200 people. The plant was no longer cost effective. Some of the affected workers will be moved to Roots stores. Roots leather factory will continue to operate. (Globe & Mail: Jan. 22/04) http://www.cbc.ca/
Dorel Industries Ltd. is closing its Carina Furniture factory in Brampton and will lay off 300 employees. The plant is no longer efficient because of competition and the stronger Canadian dollar. Affected employees will be offered jobs at a more efficient plant in Cornwall. (Globe & Mail: Jan. 22/04)
Personal Services
The funeral services industry has seen an increasing demand for pre-planned funeral arrangements. In Ontario, 20% of funerals are now pre-arranged, with $6 billion held in trust for pre-planned services. (Toronto Star: Oct. 26/03)
Telecommunications
Canadians have increased their use of the Internet over the last two years. A survey by Leger Marketing of Montreal showed that 64% of Canadians accessed the Internet at least once a month. The survey also found that 51% of the population used the Internet to access government services over the previous 12 months. (Toronto Star: Dec. 22/03)
Bell Canada is converting all of its network traffic to use Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology. Bell expects that the changes will reduce costs and improve services to customers. The company expects to retrain 1,000 employees and to add 200 engineers in 2004 in order to support the new IP technology. (Toronto Star: Dec 18/03) http://www.bce.ca
Transportation and Warehousing
In the Greater Toronto Region, employment in transportation and warehousing increased by 4.8% (6,800) jobs from December 2002 to December 2003. (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, seasonally unadjusted data, three-month moving averages: October, November, December 2003)
Air
Westjet Airlines Ltd. will triple its Toronto service by shifting 60% of its Hamilton flights to Toronto, including all flights to Montreal and Ottawa. To accommodate its expansion, the airline plans to hire up to 800 people over the next 12 months. (Globe & Mail: Jan. 15/04; National Post: Dec. 20, 23/03)
Jetsgo plans to add two new planes to its fleet. Traffic on its short-haul routes has been stimulated by the introduction of a frequent-flier program. (National Post: Jan. 7/04; Toronto Star: Nov. 18/03)
Canjet Airlines plans to order 20 new aircraft over the next 3 years. It is adding new destinations in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. (Globe & Mail: Nov. 20/03)
Plane taking off from Pearson
Transit & Rail
GO Transit plans to add a third track between Toronto and Hamilton. The company also plans to add a third track on the Lakeshore East line between the Don River and Scarborough station. It expects to increase riders by at least 50% over the next ten years. (Globe & Mail: Dec. 15/03)
Warehousing
Many companies outsource their storage and transportation functions to third-party, logistics warehousing companies. One example of a firm offering this service is Metro Canada Logistics Inc. (MCL). It operates a large, high-tech warehouse in Concord, north of Toronto. (Albert Warson, Globe & Mail: Oct. 28/03)
Travel and Tourism
Cruise Ships
Thousand of Canadian youth counselors and social staff work on cruise ships. They organize recreational and social activities for young travelers, aged three to 17 years. For example, Royal Caribbean employs over 1,200 Canadians, accounting for 60% of their total youth staff.
Cruise lines seek candidates with a recreational education or teaching certificate, and related experience. The average monthly pay is $2000 (US) with room and board. The recruiting of Canadian candidates is done through job fairs and web-based ads. Major cruise lines show employment opportunities on their websites:
(Globe & Mail: Dec. 31/03)
Toronto-Rochester Fast Ferry
The new Toronto-Rochester ferry service is scheduled to begin this May. The ferry will accommodate 750 passengers and 238 vehicles. During peak tourist season, three trips will be done per day. The new landing site on Cherry St. will include Customs and Immigration and retail space. The Toronto Port Authority is to build a new passenger terminal. The ferry service will enhance economic development, and provide tourism opportunities that will revitalize the waterfront. For more information, visit Canadian American Transportation Systems, the operator of the fast ferry service, or the Toronto Port Authority:
http://www.catsfastferry.com
http://www.torontoport.com
(Toronto Star: Dec. 11/03)
Wholesale and Retail Trade
Employment in wholesale and retail trade in the Greater Toronto Region was unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2003, compared to the fourth quarter of 2002. (Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, seasonally unadjusted data: three-month moving averages, October, November, December, 2003)
Canadian wholesale sales, on a month-to-month basis, rebounded 6.1% in September after the Ontario power blackout in August. Sales were unchanged in October. On an annual basis, wholesale sales grew by 2.4% from October 2002 to October 2003. Wholesale sales of motor vehicles, parts and accessories fell 7.4% from October 2002 to October 2003. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/031223/d031223b.htm
Motor and recreational vehicle sales were flat in October after declining in August and September. Food store sales for the first 10 months of 2003 were 5.5% more than for the same period in 2002. Furniture sales were up 5.7% for the first 10 months of 2003 from the same period in 2002. General merchandisers' sales have steadily increased since early 2003. Drug store sales have generally increased since the spring of 2000. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/031222/d031222a.htm
Shoppers spent 9% more in December 2003 compared to December 2002, according to Moneris Solutions which processes debit and credit card transactions. (National Post: Jan. 15/04)
Vegetable Stand
Openings and Expansions
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Canada's oldest enclosed mall, is 40 years old in 2004. More than 200 stores and services at Yorkdale employ 5,500 people. A new wing in 2004 will add 40 more stores to the mall. (Globe & Mail: Dec. 20/03) http://www.yorkdale.com
Hennes & Mauritz, a leading fashion retailer in Europe, will open four stores in the Greater Toronto Region in 2004. The first two stores open in March at Fairview Mall in North York and Promenade Mall in Thornhill. In the fall, two more outlets will open at Markville Mall in Markham and the Eaton Centre. (Toronto Star: Oct. 10/03, Jan. 16/04) http://www.hmgetintoit.com
In October, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. created 800 permanent jobs by opening four new Sam's Club stores in Vaughan, Etobicoke, Pickering and Richmond Hill. Sam's Club stores compete with 10 Costco Wholesale Corp. stores in the GTA. They also compete with outlets of Loblaw Company Limited (Loblaws). Sam's Club and Costco stores charge customers an annual membership fee. They offer bulk wholesale-priced brand name and luxury goods. (Toronto Star: Oct. 30, Nov. 5/03; Globe & Mail: Oct. 30/03)
Loblaws opened its first Ontario Real Canadian Superstore in Ajax in October, selling groceries and general merchandise. Sales of non-food items at Loblaws are growing twice as fast as food sales. The firm plans to open 41 superstores in Ontario and to close 11 conventional stores. (National Post: Nov. 7/03; Toronto Star: Nov. 7/03; Globe & Mail: Nov. 7, 24/03)
Loblaws has dropped plans to convert Maple Leaf Gardens into a supermarket. (National Post: Dec. 24/03; Toronto Star: Dec. 24/03)
Canadian Tire has opened a test store in Markham. It is 20% larger than its other outlets and is designed to appeal to female shoppers. It is one of four test stores in Canada. (National Post: Nov. 1/03)
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