The Industry

The Industry

The Industry

A hand-drawn image of forestry workers from a by-gone age.

The lumber and building materials industry is crucial to Canada and has been growing, innovating and expanding since the 1850s. There are building supplies wholesale establishments in more than 800 different communities across the country.

A hand-drawn image of forestry workers from a by-gone age.

The lumber and building materials industry is crucial to Canada and has been growing, innovating and expanding since the 1850s. There are building supplies wholesale establishments in more than 800 different communities across the country.

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The building supply sector is a $146.4 billion industry…
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and directly employs over 461,000 Canadians.
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The market size of lumber and building material stores industry in Canada is $108+ billion in 2022.

Supporting & building Canadian communities

The importance of the lumber and building materials (LBM) sector goes well beyond what happens in the stores. More than most other retail trade sectors, the LBM sector distributes Canadian-made products supporting employment and economic activity in local economies across the country.

For those looking for a career path, the building supplies sector offers many options. For example, one out of every seven workers in the retail sector is employed in management occupations. In the wholesale building supplies sector workforce, nearly one in five workers are employed in sales occupations and 19% are employed in management occupations.

The wholesale and retail building supplies sectors offer relatively good wages. The average weekly wage for the building supplies dealers sector across Canada is 19% higher than the overall retail trade sector. The average weekly earnings in the building material and supplies merchant wholesalers sector is 15% higher than the average weekly earnings in all sectors combined.

Three people wearing hard hats and high visiblity vests are working in the construction industry.

Supporting & building Canadian communities

The importance of the lumber and building materials (LBM) sector goes well beyond what happens in the stores. More than most other retail trade sectors, the LBM sector distributes Canadian-made products supporting employment and economic activity in local economies across the country.

For those looking for a career path, the building supplies sector offers many options. For example, one out of every seven workers in the retail sector is employed in management occupations. In the wholesale building supplies sector workforce, nearly one in five workers are employed in sales occupations and 19% are employed in management occupations.

The wholesale and retail building supplies sectors offer relatively good wages. The average weekly wage for the building supplies dealers sector across Canada is 19% higher than the overall retail trade sector. The average weekly earnings in the building material and supplies merchant wholesalers sector is 15% higher than the average weekly earnings in all sectors combined.

Three people wearing hard hats and high visiblity vests are working in the construction industry.
A man wears a touque and heavy vest, glasses and a beard. He works in a Western Canada lumber supplier.

Canadian Made.
Canadian Jobs.

For every $1 million worth of Canadian-made wood products sold in building supplies stores across the country, an incremental 11.4 jobs are supported across Canada compared to international imports.

A man wears a touque and heavy vest, glasses and a beard. He works in a Western Canada lumber supplier.

Canadian Made.
Canadian Jobs.

For every $1 million worth of Canadian-made wood products sold in building supplies stores across the country, an incremental 11.4 jobs are supported across Canada compared to international imports.