The Weekly Review, October 16 to 20, 2017

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Statistics Canada's look at the week

Release date: October 20, 2017

Not enough Canadian children breaking a sweat

Physical activity is widely reported as being associated with physical, mental and social health benefits. Nevertheless, most Canadian children and youth are still not getting the recommended amount of physical activity, while spending more time on their screens than is recommended. These are some of the findings of two studies released in Health Reports.

The new Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, released in 2016, recommend that children accumulate 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Physical activity means moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). These activities will cause children to sweat and breathe harder or be out of breath.

Only one third of kids are meeting the physical activity recommendation, but others are close.

Percentage of kids getting the given amount of average daily MVPA
Amount of average daily MVPA Percentage
Less than 30 minutes 18%
30 to 44 minutes 23%
45 to 59 minutes 26%
60+ minutes 33%

Source: Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep in Canadian children and youth

The number of Employment Insurance recipients continues to fall

The number of regular Employment Insurance (EI) beneficiaries decreased by 9,600 (-1.8%) to 524,200 in August. This decline continues a downward trend that began in October 2016. The number of beneficiaries fell in eight provinces, led by Manitoba (-8.0%) and Alberta (-4.0%). The number of EI beneficiaries increased in Saskatchewan (+1.9%), while it was little changed in British Columbia.

Source: Employment Insurance, August 2017

Manufacturing posts positive results

Manufacturing sales increased 1.6% to $53.5 billion in August, following two consecutive monthly declines. The gain was mainly attributable to higher sales in the transportation equipment, and petroleum and coal product industries. Sales were up in 8 of the 21 industries, representing 66% of the Canadian manufacturing sector.

Source: Monthly Survey of Manufacturing, August 2017

Retail sales down in August

After increasing 0.4% in July, retail sales declined 0.3% in August to $48.9 billion. Sales were down in 8 of 11 subsectors, representing 57% of retail trade. Lower sales at food and beverage stores more than offset higher sales at gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers. Excluding the latter two subsectors, retail sales were down 1.3%. In volume terms, retail sales decreased 0.7%.

Source: Retail trade, August 2017

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