By Dr. Jim Simmons and Shizue Kamikihara

With this publication, Commercial Activity in Canada: 2010, the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity continues to monitor the performance of the commercial sectors within the Canadian economy. We hope that the volume will be used by our members as a handy reference; and that it will bring to the industry, educators, journalists, and governments an appreciation of the size, complexity and volatility of the service economy.

Professionals in the industry know that the data in the handbook also reveal the many gaps in our collective information about these sectors. We hope that we can continue to work together to improve these data bases with the help of government agencies and the cooperation of individual companies so that the next version of this publication will provide more detail about the operations of major service activities.

The Centre is grateful to Jim Simmons and Shizue Kamikihara who worked so hard on these materials in order to provide our members with a comprehensive survey of Canadian service activities. They, in turn, wish to thank the other members of the Centre staff for their assistance in so many ways. Each year more of the material comes directly from the databases and research of the Centre.