BC – The monthly Business Barometer® index for British Columbia moved 0.4 points down in April, showing little to no change from the previous month, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
The BC small business confidence index sits at 55.5 points, placing it below the Canadian average (56.7) by 1.2 points and almost 10 points below the threshold for a healthy and growing economy.
“April marks the third consecutive month BC has seen little movement in terms of small business confidence,” said Muriel Protzer, Policy Analyst, BC and Alberta. “The BC Government needs to seriously examine the cumulative effect new taxes, regulations and other costs have on local business across the province.
“No doubt, better economic policies that support local business would boost the outlook of BC’s entrepreneurs,” added Protzer.
Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, an index level above 50 means owners expecting their business’ performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance. An index level of between 65 and 75 means that the economy is growing at its potential.
To view the full report, please visit http://www.cfib.ca/barometer
The provincial numbers for April were: Nova Scotia (66.7), Quebec (63.6), PEI (60.7), Ontario (59.1), British Columbia (55.5), New Brunswick (53.5), Manitoba (50.9), Saskatchewan (50.4), Newfoundland & Labrador (48.8), and Alberta (44.1).
The April 2019 findings are based on 757 responses, collected from a stratified random sample of CFIB members, to a controlled-access web survey. Data reflect responses received through April 15. Findings are statistically accurate to +/- 3.6 per cent 19 times in 20.
