BUSINESS OPENING AND CLOSING, APRIL 2021

Statistics Canada released updated data on monthly business openings and closures for April 2021. LEARN MORE: Click here for the full data set released for this period.

Highlights for Nova Scotia:
  • The number of active businesses in Nova Scotia increased 0.3% from March to April 2021.
    • Nationally, active businesses increased 0.9%.
  • Compared with February 2020, the number of active businesses was down 0.3% for Nova Scotia in April 2021.
    • Nationally, active businesses are lower by 0.1% from February 2020 to April 2021.
  • The number of active businesses in Halifax was up 1.9% from February 2020 to April 2021. This suggests that the decline in active businesses across Nova Scotia was concentrated outside the city.
  • Nova Scotia’s business opening rate declined slightly from 4.0% in February 2020 to 3.8% in April 2020.
    • By June, the Nova Scotia business opening rate increased to 7.9% as the economy re-opened and restrictions were lifted. Since last summer, Nova Scotia’s business opening rate declined back to be closer to pre-pandemic levels, falling to 4.3% in April 2021.