Contents
- British Columbia business openings statistics: provincial opening and closure rates
- British Columbia business openings statistics: monthly national rate context
- British Columbia business openings statistics: July 2024 industry changes
- British Columbia business openings statistics: July 2024 active-business context
- British Columbia business openings statistics: July 2020 opening and closure counts
- British Columbia business openings statistics: pandemic reopening cohort and measurement
- Sources
British Columbia business openings statistics: provincial opening and closure rates
The available British Columbia figures describe a specific pandemic-era cohort, rather than a monthly count of newly opened businesses. Statistics Canada followed businesses that were active in February 2020 and then closed during March or April. In British Columbia, those closures represented 18.2% of the businesses active in February. This is a two-month closure share measured against the earlier active-business population; it does not mean that 18.2% of all businesses opened or closed in either month separately. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release, Table 2)
The same table tracks how many of the closed businesses had reopened by later checkpoints. By June 2020, 46.1% of the British Columbia businesses in that closed group had reopened. By July, the share was 53.6%. These are cumulative cohort measures: the denominator is businesses active in February that closed in March or April, and the reported share records those that had reopened by the specified month. They are not a monthly opening rate and cannot be read as the share of all British Columbia businesses that were operating again. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release, Table 2)
| British Columbia cohort measure | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Businesses active in February 2020 that closed in March and April, as a share of the February active group | 18.2% |
| Closed businesses reopened by June 2020 | 46.1% |
| Closed businesses reopened by July 2020 | 53.6% |
(Statistics Canada, July 2020 release, Table 2)
The distinction between a cohort and a flow matters when interpreting business openings statistics. A monthly opening rate counts openings relative to active businesses under the monthly series’ definitions. A reopening share follows a previously active group through closure and possible return. The British Columbia observations here support statements about that group’s experience in 2020, but not a province-wide monthly opening trend or a current provincial rate. Statistics Canada’s experimental table is designed to provide monthly estimates by province and territory, among other geographies, but the table page available for this research did not expose data rows for British Columbia. (Statistics Canada, Table 33-10-0270-01; July 2020 release)
British Columbia business openings statistics: monthly national rate context
Canada-wide monthly rates provide broader context, but they are not estimates for British Columbia. In the seasonally adjusted business-sector series, Canada’s opening rate was 5.2% in December 2024. It was 4.7% in January and February 2025, then 4.8% in March, April and May. The rate was 4.7% in June and 5.1% in July 2025, according to the January 2026 chart vintage. (Statistics Canada, monthly openings and closures chart)
The later months show the same kind of month-to-month movement: the Canadian opening rate was 4.7% in August 2025, 4.8% in September, 4.5% in October, and 4.9% in both November and December. The series’ January 2026 entry reports a closure rate of 5.0%. That final figure is a closure rate, not an opening rate, so it should not be placed in the same opening-rate sequence as the preceding values. (Statistics Canada, monthly openings and closures chart)
| Canada, seasonally adjusted business-sector rate | Period | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | December 2024 | 5.2% |
| Opening | January 2025 | 4.7% |
| Opening | February 2025 | 4.7% |
| Opening | March 2025 | 4.8% |
| Opening | April 2025 | 4.8% |
| Opening | May 2025 | 4.8% |
| Opening | June 2025 | 4.7% |
| Opening | July 2025, January 2026 chart vintage | 5.1% |
| Opening | August 2025 | 4.7% |
| Opening | September 2025 | 4.8% |
| Opening | October 2025 | 4.5% |
| Opening | November 2025 | 4.9% |
| Opening | December 2025 | 4.9% |
| Closure | January 2026 | 5.0% |
(Statistics Canada, monthly openings and closures chart)
These observations show variation across the reported months, with opening rates ranging from 4.5% to 5.2% in the listed Canada-wide months. The figures are percentages of active businesses, seasonally adjusted, and cover Canada’s business sector. They do not describe the number of openings, nor can they be assigned to British Columbia. The July 2025 figure also comes with an explicit vintage note: it is the value shown in the January 2026 chart. (Statistics Canada, monthly openings and closures chart)
British Columbia business openings statistics: July 2024 industry changes
Statistics Canada’s July 2024 release describes changes in seasonally adjusted Canadian business openings between June and July. Construction had 186 fewer openings, accounting for 45.5% of the decrease in business-sector openings. Professional and technical services had 96 fewer openings, a 23.5% contribution to the decrease, while retail trade had 83 fewer, contributing 20.3%. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
One industry moved in the other direction: health care and social assistance had 80 more openings than in June. The release reports this as a negative 19.6% contribution in the context of the overall decrease. That sign indicates an offset to the decline, rather than another industry decrease. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
| Canadian industry, July 2024 versus June | Change in openings | Reported contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | -186 | 45.5% of decrease |
| Professional and technical services | -96 | 23.5% of decrease |
| Retail trade | -83 | 20.3% of decrease |
| Health care and social assistance | +80 | -19.6% contribution to decrease |
(Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
The closure changes in the same release are also Canadian industry figures. Construction closures fell by 440 from June to July, representing 21.5% of the decrease in business-sector closures. Health care and social assistance closures declined by 306, or 15.0% of the decrease. Professional, scientific and technical services closures declined by 200, representing 9.8%. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
These are monthly changes in counts, with contributions describing each industry’s part in the overall sector movement. The opening and closure figures concern separate events and should not be combined into a net change without the corresponding full totals and definitions. They establish which listed industries changed and by how much, but do not explain why those changes occurred. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
British Columbia business openings statistics: July 2024 active-business context
Despite changes in openings and closures, the seasonally adjusted number of active businesses in Canada was described as relatively unchanged in July 2024. It increased by 85 businesses, equivalent to a 0.0% growth rate compared with June. The release says this followed a 0.2% decline in June. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
The same release gives Canada’s July opening rate as 4.5%, 0.2 percentage points below its 2015-to-2019 monthly historical average. The closure rate was also 4.5%; it had dropped by 0.3 percentage points and stood 0.1 percentage points below its monthly historical average. The release’s stated comparisons are retained as published, without calculating a new average or extending the historical period. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
| Canadian business-sector indicator | July 2024 finding |
|---|---|
| Active businesses, change from June | +85 businesses; 0.0% growth rate |
| Active-business growth in June | -0.2% |
| Opening rate | 4.5%; 0.2 percentage points below the 2015-to-2019 monthly historical average |
| Closure rate | 4.5%; down 0.3 percentage points and 0.1 percentage points below its monthly historical average |
(Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
An active-business count is a stock measure at a point or period in the monthly series; openings and closures are flows during the month. A near-zero growth rate can therefore appear alongside substantial business dynamics. The July release’s national result offers context for reading its industry-level changes, but it does not supply a British Columbia active-business count or rate in the observations used here. (Statistics Canada, July 2024 release)
British Columbia business openings statistics: July 2020 opening and closure counts
In July 2020, Canada recorded 52,258 business openings in the seasonally adjusted experimental series. The count was down 3.3% compared with June. In the same month, 36,513 business closures were observed, 33.9% fewer than in June. July’s closure count was also 6.7% below the pre-COVID level observed in February 2020. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release)
These counts describe the Canadian business sector, not British Columbia. They also distinguish the number of observed monthly events from the cohort reopening percentages described earlier. The 52,258 openings are not the number of February-cohort businesses that reopened; similarly, the closure count does not measure only businesses that had been active in February. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release)
At the metropolitan level, Vancouver recorded 855 fewer business closures from June to July, a decline of 18.7%. This is a change in closures for the Vancouver census metropolitan area, not a count of all British Columbia closures. The same release notes that July closures in Canadian accommodation and food services were 3.9% below February 2020. That comparison is specific to that industry and uses February as the reference month. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release)
| July 2020 observation | Geography or population | Reported finding |
|---|---|---|
| Business openings | Canada | 52,258; down 3.3% from June |
| Business closures | Canada | 36,513; down 33.9% from June and 6.7% below February |
| Change in closures | Vancouver census metropolitan area | -855, or -18.7% from June |
| Closures compared with February | Canadian accommodation and food services | 3.9% fewer in July |
(Statistics Canada, July 2020 release)
British Columbia business openings statistics: pandemic reopening cohort and measurement
For Canada as a whole, 49.5% of the February 2020 active-business cohort that closed in March and April had reopened by July 2020. The British Columbia cohort share at that checkpoint was 53.6%, as reported above. The Canadian percentage is a national cohort measure; the provincial percentage refers only to the British Columbia group. Neither is a July opening rate for all businesses. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release, reopening section and Table 2)
Reopening shares also varied by industry in the national cohort. Among businesses active in February 2020 that closed in March and April, 60.0% of businesses in other services (except public administration) had reopened by July. The corresponding reported shares were 57.7% in accommodation and food services and 44.1% in transportation and warehousing. These percentages use the closed businesses within each industry cohort as their denominator. (Statistics Canada, July 2020 release, Table 1)
| Canadian February 2020 cohort, closed in March and April | Reopened by July 2020 |
|---|---|
| All businesses in the cohort | 49.5% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 60.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 57.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 44.1% |
(Statistics Canada, July 2020 release, Table 1 and reopening section)
The series has important scope limits. Monthly Business Openings and Closures estimates are employment-based business dynamics, with a target population of businesses that have at least 1 employee. Listed exclusions include agriculture, fishing and trapping, private household services, religious organizations and public administration. The estimates are experimental and may be revised as new data become available; seasonal adjustment also affects monthly comparisons. The 2020 cohort percentages cited here are explicitly non-seasonally adjusted. (Statistics Canada, MBOC detailed information; July 2020 release)
Taken together, these measures answer different questions: monthly opening and closure rates describe flows relative to active businesses; industry changes report monthly count differences; active-business growth describes change in the active count; and reopening shares follow a defined group that closed during a particular period. The British Columbia-specific observations in this article are limited to the pandemic reopening cohort. The later monthly rates and industry changes are Canada-wide context and should be read with their geography and period attached. (Statistics Canada, Table 33-10-0270-01; MBOC detailed information)
Sources
- Experimental estimates for business openings and closures for Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, seasonally adjusted (Table 33-10-0270-01)
- Monthly business openings and closures as a percentage of active businesses, business sector, January 2024 to January 2026, seasonally adjusted data
- Monthly estimates of business openings and closures, January 2026
- Monthly estimates of business openings and closures, July 2024
- Monthly estimates of business openings and closures, July 2020
- Monthly Business Openings and Closures (MBOC), detailed information for July 2026