The United Nations estimates that 292 million people worldwide used drugs in 2022, up by one-fifth from one decade earlier, and 64 million people suffered from drug use disorders. To mark the upcoming International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, let’s take a look at illegal drug usage and trafficking in Canada.
While traditional grocery stores continue reporting the most food sales, Canadians are increasingly spending their dollars elsewhere, and, as the data show, patterns are emerging regarding which products are being purchased.
Our latest waste diversion data are for 2023, when 9.8 million tonnes of materials from both residential and non-residential sources were diverted from landfills in Canada. While this number is down from that recorded in 2022 and in 2020 (9.9 million tonnes), it is up from 9.6 million tonnes in 2018.
Statistics Canada's look at the week.
Canadian production of natural gas reached a series high of 8.0 billion gigajoules, an increase of 2.3% from the previous year. Exports of natural gas to the United States increased 6.7% year over year to 3.5 billion gigajoules, while total domestic demand for natural gas climbed 5.4% to 5.2 billion gigajoules.
Statistics Canada's look at the week.
In Canada, more than 70 distinct Indigenous languages are spoken by First Nations people, Métis and Inuit. In 2021, approximately one in eight Indigenous people (237,420 people) reported speaking an Indigenous language well enough to conduct a conversation.
Thanks to better spring growing conditions, Canadian farmers produced 25 907 tonnes of fresh strawberries in 2024, the highest amount since 26 446 tonnes were produced in 2019.
Canada’s farmers produced 128.2 million hundredweight of potatoes in 2024, a new all-time high and fourth record year in a row, following 2023 (126.6 million hundredweight), 2022 (123.5 million) and 2021 (121.1 million).
