We have compiled a list of useful websites and resources to help you conduct broad market research or aid your business plan development. If you need any help developing a business plan or conducting market research please feel free to Contact Us.
This article is only a list. Check out our Blog for more detailed guides
A comprehensive list of British Columbia’s cities, towns, regional districts and links to a wide variety of resources specific to the province.
The Provincial government’s primary access portal. Find information on almost any topic related to business, development, training or any other government program you need to access.
A non-profit centre to support small business in BC. Business plan templates, consulting services, seminars, and a wealth of other resources designed to help and support small business in BC.
Detailed guides to help you conduct secondary market research. Each guide will show you how to collect information on competitive intelligence, operating environments, and potential customers.
The national statistics office. Key information on Canada’s national economic, societal, and environmental data.
Small businesses might want to look at Stats Canada’s Small Business Hub.
Research and Business Intelligence. Industry sector data, financial benchmarks, labour trends, and a wide range of business statistics both large and small.
Federal government departments listed in alphabetical order.
https://www.canada.ca/en/government/dept.html
Demographics
Housed and managed by Statistics Canada. This is the best single broad overview of the entire nation’s population and a variety of characteristics like: age, sex, religion, ethnicity, marital status and other vital statistics.
Census data is usually an excellent indicator of broad macro trends. It is important to understand the limitations of these data and the inherent biases that can be built into census questionnaires.
Population projections are a forecast of future population trends and changes. Projections are built around historical data trends such as, births, deaths, and migration. In BC projections are built around health regions to allow for strategic planning of resources. They will have a higher degree of error than an estimate.
If your business is more focused on households than broader demographics have a look at BC’s Household Projections.
Mobility Data quantifies the movement of people internationally and nationally. These data reflect the number of people moving into and out of BC and where they are coming from.
Spending Patterns
Statistics Canada has a survey of household spending. The report is broken down into broad categories like food, air travel, shelter, transportation and so on. It also identifies trends like the replacement of land lines with cell phones.
Statistics Canada maintains an annual table on detailed food expenditures that can be filtered by regions and Provinces.
You can see a number of other data sets on agriculture and food HERE
Do you need to know if a one of your products is being imported at increasing rates from overseas? Do you want to know if there is a market for export your product? Stats Canada’s International Trade statistics will be key to your business planning.
Industry Overviews
Stats Canada’s Research and Business Intelligence has a tool that allows you to filter data on income, expenses, sales, assets, liabilities, and more broken down by specific industries and into even more granular detail.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/pp-pp.nsf/eng/home
Canadian Industry Statistics has a large dataset for each NAICS code tjhat looks at economic indicators such as, labour productivity, GDP, manufacturing and trade data.
This site features economic research, analysis and statistical findings from Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada analysts and external researchers.
Economic Reports
Reports, news, fiscal policy and a other materials on the global economy and financial markets.
https://economics.bmo.com/en/
CIBC Economic group identifies trends opportunities and risks to the North American and global economies. In depth analytical publications, client events, phone calls and one-on-one meetings.
RBC analysts review Canadian and US economic data releases. Daily summaries of interest rates and foreign exchange markets.
A wide range of reports prepared by Scotiabank Economics team. Daily briefings, in depth specific issue coverage, industry-specific reports and global analysis.
Directories
Canada’s original industrial directory. A Sourcing tool for manufacturers, exporters, distributers and service companies.
Search tens of thousands of products from tens of thousands of Canadian manufacturers and distributers. You can search by product, company or brand name.
In today’s digital age it can be easy to overlook what was once always obvious. You can search by business ctageory, company name or geographic region. Quick and easy way to compile supplier lists, competitor lists and anything else in between.
A paid B2B directory. Claims to have over 580,000 companies and direct lines to the key decision makers. B2B Business directory, Canadian Business Database, Corporate Directory Database, Distributers Directory and Manufacturing Business Directory.
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