85%

of Canadians live within 
1km of a main street

280K

businesses

1.9M

jobs

$300B

in annual revenue

Why Main Streets

While national attention goes to major projects, most Canadians work, shop and connect on main streets. They’re where independent businesses start and grow, where local dollars circulate, and where communities take shape. Hundreds of thousands of individual small businesses aren't a weakness in Canada's economy. They are its strength.

Yet main streets rarely show up in the data. Most numbers stop at the city or the region. We're changing that, making main streets something you can count, map and compare.

Introducing the Main Street Economy Index

Now main streets have their own number. Every quarter, the MSE100 tracks 100 main streets across Canada to answer one question: how is Canada's Main Street Economy doing?

Three signals, one index

  • Visitation: are people showing up?
  • Spending: are they spending when they do?
  • Business health: are businesses succeeding financially?

Free, every quarter, in your inbox.

Main Street Dashboards

Built on national data and tailored to your street. See who's visiting and from where, who lives nearby, what households spend, and which businesses and civic assets are on the street. Your Dashboard is updated monthly. Over 100 BIAs and municipalities across Canada have one already.
Bloor West Village
In one month, Bloor West Village drew nearly 690,000 visits, busiest on Fridays from noon to 6. No city-wide average shows that
Revelstoke
Visitors spent about 731,000 nights in Revelstoke in 2025: about 2,000 extra people a night in a town of 8,275.

Main Street Dashboards

See your street clearly

Built on national data and tailored to your street.

See who's visiting and from where, who lives nearby, what households spend, and which businesses and civic assets are on the street. Your Dashboard is updated monthly. Over 100 BIAs and municipalities across Canada have one already.

In one month, Bloor West Village drew nearly 690,000 visits, busiest on Fridays from noon to 6. No city-wide average shows that.

Visitors spent about 731,000 nights in Revelstoke in 2025: about 2,000 extra people a night in a town of 8,275.

What We Offer

Main Street Canada delivers a suite of services, data tools, research, and peer networks to support community-building leaders across the country. From strategy development to real-time metrics, national benchmarks to local insights—we help community-builders strengthen their main streets and grow resilient, inclusive economies.

Main Street Metrics

Main Street Metrics

Our data dashboards and impact reports help communities understand who’s on their main street, what’s driving change, and where to focus investment. Built on national datasets and tailored to local needs.

Main Street Advisory

Main Street Advisory

We help communities develop actionable plans to revitalize main streets—backed by local engagement, economic analysis, and policy alignment—and grounded in what’s worked and built to support real outcomes. Whether you’re just getting started or scali…

Main Street Exchange

Main Street Exchange

A national network for main street leaders to connect, learn, and grow. From peer roundtables to Canada’s Main Street Index, the Exchange brings communities together to share what works.

Why Main Streets Matter More Than Ever

Main streets are the backbone of Canadian communities. They are where local businesses fuel the economy, where people connect, and where culture comes to life. Yet, main streets face mounting pressures - from rising costs and global market shifts to changing consumer behaviors and climate challenges. Investing in their resilience isn’t just about preserving the past; it’s about securing the future.

We are the Canadian Urban Institute

CUI is Canada’s urban policy and research hub, working with communities, governments, and businesses to build more resilient, inclusive, and economically vibrant cities. Through data, leadership, and place-based solutions, we strengthen the backbone of Canada’s local economies—our main streets.
Learn More