Manufacturing sales dip slightly in August: StatsCan

Led by a decline in Ontario, manufacturing sales in Canada edged down 0.2 per cent in August to $49.5 billion, following three months of gains, according to Statistics Canada.

The agency says sales were down in the miscellaneous, food and motor vehicle assembly industries, although the declines were largely offset by gains in the aerospace product and parts and primary metal industries.

Sales were down in 11 of 21 industries, StatsCan said, which represents just over 40 per cent of manufacturing sales.

Non-durable goods sales declined 0.7 per cent to $24.6 billion, while durable goods sales rose 0.4 per cent to $24.9 billion.

Sales were down in five provinces in August, with the largest decline in Ontario, where sales fell 2.1 per cent to $22.5 billion.

At the other end of the scale, Quebec manufacturers reported a 3.2 per cent gain to $11.6 billion, a third consecutive monthly increase.