Tracking the Impact of Tariffs on Canada’s Main Streets
Tariffs and trade policies don’t just impact national economies—they affect the businesses, workers, and communities that make up Canada’s main streets. As supply chains shift and costs fluctuate, small businesses, independent retailers, and local producers often feel the effects first.
What We’re Tracking: Jobs & Businesses
- Number of People Employed: Tracks job levels on main streets, potentially indicating whether businesses are growing, stable, or facing layoffs due to tariff impacts.
- Number of Employment Insurance Recipients: Measures shifts in economic stability by showing how tariffs may be leading to job losses and increased reliance on EI.
- Number of Active Businesses: Monitors business openings and closures to assess whether tariffs are potentially causing strain on small businesses or leading to economic resilience.
What We’re Tracking: Prices & Consumer Spending
- Consumer Price Index: Captures changes in the cost of goods and services, highlighting how tariffs may be affecting prices for both businesses and consumers.
- Retail Sales: Reflects consumer spending patterns, providing insight into whether tariff-driven cost increases could be reducing demand on main streets.
- Real Time Local Business Condition Index: Offers a snapshot of business confidence and economic conditions, helping track how local economies are responding to trade disruptions.
What We’re Tracking: Investment
- Number of Building Permits: Indicates business and community investment trends, revealing whether tariff uncertainty could be slowing down new developments.
- Total Investment in Building Construction: Measures financial commitments to commercial spaces, showing whether businesses and investors remain confident in main street growth.
- Commercial Rent Price Index: Tracks changes in retail and commercial rent prices, shedding light on how market conditions are shifting for main street businesses.
Tracking Impacts Across Canada
The Tariff Impact Tracker measures key indicators across 41 pan-Canada Census-Metropolitan Areas. Every province with the exception of Prince Edward Island (PEI) is represented on the tracker and we are continually expanding it's functionality.