Sources of Secondary Market Information

There are a number of different sources that you can consult to approximate the size of a market. Remember to make some provision for errors in your estimate of market size as finding completely up-to-date information is difficult. A key source of up-to-date Canadian demographic data can be found on CANSIM on Statistics Canada. CASIM is updated daily and you will want to pay particular attention to Table 551-0002 which has information on the number of businesses in each province or territory, employment size, and types of businesses (Good et. al, 2021).

Other Sites

• Canada Business Network Market Research and Statistics
  • Comprehensive list of key market research resources.
• Statistics Canada Census  
  • Data available from the most recent census of the Canadian population.
• Canada Industry Statistics 
  • Analysis of data on the number of establishments, gross domestic product, and labour productivity for most industry sectors in the Canadian economy.
• Agri-Food Trade Service 
  • List of websites for all Canadian trade associations having to do with food and agriculture products.
• AllYouCanRead.com
  • A comprehensive listing of most trade magazines available in Canada.
• Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)
  • The world's foremost study of entrepreneurship.
• Canadian Universities and College Libraries 
  • Most educational institutions have business services supporting the communities they serve.

Subject Guides

• Relevant to small businesses: 
  • Futurpreneur Canada 
  • Canadian Business Online 
  • Kauffman Foundation Entrepreneurship