Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs are less likely to invest than their counterparts in most other parts of the country according to the Business Development Bank of Canada’s annual study on investment intentions for 2018.
In response to weaker retail sales of housing starts, declining employment growth, and large infrastructure projects coming to a close this year, the BDC is reporting that small- and medium-sized enterprises investment intentions are down 14 per cent. Only Saskatchewan and Manitoba came in lower at 22 per cent.
The main obstacles to investment are qualified staff, risk and liquidity.
Moreover, the Atlantic region has the lowest average investment per business at $210,000.
They also have Canada’s second lowest proportion of projected revenue at 67 per cent. Saskatchewan is lowest at 63.
