Statistics Canada reported on October 23 that Canadian retail sales rose 1.2% month over month to C$74.6 billion in August 2026. Sales increased in all nine subsectors. Motor vehicle and parts dealers posted the largest subsector gain, up 1.2%. Within that group, new-car dealer sales rose 1.5%, while used-car dealer sales fell 0.5%.

Sales at gasoline stations and fuel vendors increased 1.7%, the group’s first gain in three months. In volume terms, however, sales at those outlets fell 0.5%. The difference shows that the change in current-dollar sales value did not move in the same direction as the quantity sold. Statistics Canada said overall retail sales volume also increased 1.2% in August.

Core retail sales, which exclude motor vehicle and parts dealers as well as gasoline stations and fuel vendors, rose 1.1%. Food and beverage retailer sales increased 1.1%, their first gain in three months, while general merchandise retailers were up 1.0%. Health and personal care retailers recorded a tenth consecutive monthly increase.

Sales increased in six provinces. Ontario had the largest dollar increase, at 2.2%; sales in the Toronto census metropolitan area rose 4.0%. British Columbia was up 2.1%, while Alberta declined 0.1%. Retail e-commerce sales rose 1.1% to C$5.6 billion, equal to 7.6% of total retail trade. Statistics Canada separately said an early September indicator suggested a 0.7% increase. It labelled that unofficial estimate as preliminary and revisable; it was based on responses from 58.5% of surveyed companies.

The immediately preceding report showed a decline before August’s rebound: July retail trade fell 0.7% to C$73.7 billion, and sales volume fell 1.1%. July’s current-dollar decline was broad across eight of nine subsectors; the August release then reported growth in all nine. These month-to-month changes are seasonally adjusted, so they compare estimated levels after removing recurring calendar and seasonal patterns. They do not mean each household spent 1.2% more, and the monthly total can move with vehicle purchases, fuel prices and the composition of sales. The July comparison helps show a reversal in the aggregate series, but two months alone do not establish a durable trend.

The geographic table further separates the national result. Ontario’s 2.2% monthly rise and Toronto’s 4.0% rise were the largest reported provincial and metropolitan increases; Quebec rose only 0.2%, while Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Alberta posted declines. These local movements explain why a national increase should not be read as uniform across the country. Statistics Canada marks August values preliminary and July revised, and notes that rounded provincial figures may not sum exactly to the total. Comparisons by province can also reflect differences in the mix of retail industries, so the table does not identify a single cause for each jurisdiction’s change.