Consumers with growing bankrolls are flocking to the new stores, leading to forecasts of rapid expansion, and giving some relief to western merchants from crowded home markets and the constant competitive headaches. Contributory factors were the doubling of oil prices and a booming economy that saw a flood of imports from Canada, Japan, China and Europe. The average face value of coupons distributed was 73 cents. Coupons printed at home via the Internet and coupons delivered via the mail or electronically activated as a result of an Internet site visit grew by more than one-third over 1998, although they remained less than half a share point of the total 256 billion CPG coupons distributed. According to the President of Canadian National, the Canadian transportation industries, and the governments that tax and regulate them, must come together to forge a comprehensive national transportation policy.
Transportation is crucial to Canadian competitiveness in world markets.
42 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product is exported, yet Canadian carriers must contend with complicated regulations, unfavourable tax treatment and differing policy frameworks. He said that the lack of a cohesive national transportation policy is harming Canadian competitiveness. E-MAIL A Pitney Bowes survey indicates that Canadian office workers send and receive an average of 169 messages a day. This is an eight per cent increase over last year but still short of the U.S. average of 201 messages. While North American workers are using e-mail and the Internet, workers in Britain are more likely to pick up a cellphone.