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Shining a spotlight on local businesses this holiday season
December is a great month to support businesses in St. John's with all your holiday shopping needs, and Business and Arts NL have made it that much easier by creating a Local Holiday Gift Guide that links shoppers to more than 170 items from 60 local artists and entrepreneurs.
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Shopping local is good for reducing your environmental impact, and good for business owners and their employees who live and work in our communities.
With holiday shopping accounting for annual revenue between 22 and 34% during the run-up to the holidays, each of us can make a meaningful difference to our local businesses this season.
Even those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can find plenty of local establishments that provide a strong selection of unique online items to be had, without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Guide to the Good, another big supporter of our local businesses, has created a popular website that brings local companies together in one searchable location, with plenty of social and green ideas on offer.
A recent campaign from St. John's Board of Trade takes aim at online ordering woes to encourage people to shop locally. The "Stallmark" Holiday Collection offers more than a dozen holiday cards, bearing work by local artists, that lament the delay of a loved one's online order in the New Brunswick city of Dieppe. It’s the final scanning point for Canada Post packages before they make their way into Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Visiting neighbourhood eating and drinking establishments and attending performances and special events in the city, is another great way to support local. For the first time, the City of St. John’s is hosting a Downtown Holiday Fair that will take place December 10 and 11, from 2 to 5 p.m. each day, with pop-up performances, festive events and so much more.
The holidays are a wonderful time to experience our beautiful city. Enjoy, be entertained, and thank you for your support.
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Black Business Initiative expands to St. John's
The Black Business Initiative (BBI) was founded in 1996 to address the unique needs confronting Nova Scotia’s Black business community. Since then, the organization has grown into a catalyst for job creation, equitable participation, and the advancement of economic prosperity across Canada.
With a recent expansion to St. John’s, the BBI is continuing their support of Black entrepreneurs every step of the way—from start-up and development to growth and expansion. Their goal is to help clients compete both nationally and internationally within the broader business landscape. For more information, please contact Precious Familusi, Black Business Initiative, Entrepreneurship Engagement Manager.
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Connecting NL's top post-secondary talent with local businesses
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has announced a two-year continued collaboration with Mitacs to help local businesses attract the top talent they need, and and to further equip students and recent graduates with the skills required to secure good jobs after graduation.
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The $2 million partnership will produce up to 500 internships at both Memorial University of Newfoundland and College of the North Atlantic, which will help the next generation workforce prepare for high-impact careers, help organizations meet the unprecedented demand for talent, and help attract and retain highly educated young researchers in the province.
“Through support of this program, we are developing, attracting and retaining the talent needed to fuel Newfoundland and Labrador’s knowledge-based economy.”
– Tash Ismail, Chief Business Development Officer, Mitacs
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GOOD NEWS from the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. NL's economy is forecast to expand 2% in 2023, outpacing the Canadian average of just 0.5%, due to oil production, an acceleration of work on the West White Rose project, and stronger than anticipated population growth in 2022. Read the full story. | |
DID YOU KNOW? More than 70% of the City of St. John's metro area population (aged 25 to 64 years) holds a post-secondary degree, apprenticeship, or diploma or certificate. That's almost 6% greater than the national average according to Statistics Canada. #EducatedTalentPool | |
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has announced five successful bids worth $238,075,321 in oil exploration spending across 10 parcels in the Eastern Newfoundland zone. Read the full story. | |
This cruise ship season, the City of St. John's welcomed 26 vessels that generated an estimated $8.1 million boost to our local economy. So far, 32 ships are scheduled to arrive in 2023. | |
DID YOU KNOW? In 2022, the City of St. John's ranked #2 on Statistics Canada's list of the greenest large urban population centres (+100K) from across Canada. | |
Many small businesses in the City of St. John's have got their start at our year-round St. John's Farmers’ Market. The market provides an inexpensive space for businesses to grow and connect with customers. Show your support and check it out this Saturday. | |
Congratulations to offshore platform Hibernia as it celebrates 25 years of oil production. Built at a cost of $6 billion, Hibernia has produced more than $65 billion worth of oil, and the City of St. John's would like to recognize the widespread benefits to our local economy as well as the community investments from this industry. | |
Upcoming Courses and Events | |
Questions About Starting a Business? | |
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Our knowledgeable staff are here to help
Opening a new business is a busy and exciting time, and requires careful planning. Here at the City of St. John's Business Information Centre, we know our way around town and we'd be happy to connect you to the programs, resources and contacts you need to help make it happen. Get in touch. We're here to help.
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Our Business Startup Guide
The City of St. John's Business Startup Guide can help simplify the process of starting your new business. Visit our Publications page to download your complimentary copy.
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What is Advantage St. John's?
With the mandate to market the many advantages of living, working, studying and investing in our city, Advantage St. John’s is tasked with amplifying economic growth and enhancing people and investment attraction opportunities for St. John’s. Targeting a predominantly national and international audience, Advantage St. John’s helps bring focus to the broad appeal and positive attributes of our beautiful and historic city. Click here to learn more.
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Latest Economic Indicators | |
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City building permits
as of December 5, 2022
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Commercial permits
Up 7% from $119,552,371 in 2021 to $127,715,936 in 2022
Industrial permits
Valued at $4,164,500 for 2021 and $351,000 for 2022
Government/institutional permits
Down from $33,219,907 in 2021 to $1,980,468 in 2022*
Residential permits
Up 24% to $74,191,242 for 2022 over $59,760,579 for 2021
Repair permits
Down -64% from $4,766,338 in 2021 to $1,704,409 in 2022
Total value of all permits for 2022
Down -7% to $205,943,055 for 2022 over $221,463,694 for 2021
*This data does not include the full range of permit activity undertaken by the provincial government and Memorial University.
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Business approvals
Again & Again, 25 Hebron Way
Dental clinic, 23 Beaumont Hamel Way
EC Fit, 320 Torbay Road
Garda World, 9 Pearl Place
Convenience store, 279 Portugal Cove Road
Rio Tinto, 100 New Gower Street
Eastern Machine and Welding office, 6 Brennan Street
Connolly Farm, 105 Pearltown Road
The Christmas House, 314-316 Lemarchant Road
Home-based businesses
Home office, 2B Barry Place
Home office for an electrician, 30 Soper Crescent
Home office, 13 Carondale Drive
Total business approvals for 2022 = 132 (regular = 104 and home-based = 28)
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Labour force characteristics as of November 2022 | |
Labour force – 122,300 (up 2.9%)
Unemployment rate – 6.9% (down -0.2 ppts)
Employment – 113,900 (up 3.0%)
Participation rate – 65.8% (up 0.8 ppts)
St. John's CMA, seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average. Percentage change reflects the same month previous year. Source: Statistics Canada.
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Economic indicators
The New Housing Price Index for St. John’s Metro was 105.6 in October 2022 (up 3.2%*)
The Consumer Price Index for St. John’s Metro was 154.8 in October 2022 (up 6.4%*)
Retail trade for Newfoundland and Labrador was $915 million in September 2022 (up 7.0%*)
*St. John's CMA, same month in the previous year. Source: Statistics Canada
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City of St. John's
709-576-8107 | business@stjohns.ca
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