Consumers confidence soars in Western Canada, the rest not as much: survey(The Canadian Press) – 22 hours agoOTTAWA — The Conference Board says Canadians are feeling better about their economic prospects — especially westerners.The think-tank's consumer confidence index rose four points to 87.7 this month, largely due to improved job prospects and willingness to make large purchases.While an improvement over March, the reading is still well below pre-recession levels.Not in the West, however. In British Columbia, the consumer confidence index surged 17.7 points to 108.9, and in the Prairies it rose 7.1 points to 105.9 per cent.By comparison, the index stands at 76.2 per cent in Ontario, 81 in Quebec and 88.1 in Atlantic Canada.The reading of 100 is considered an indication of normal economic conditions.April's survey shows little difference in how Canadians view their financial situation, but more respondents were optimistic about future job prospects.The most significant improvement was on the question of whether now was a good time to make a major purchase such as a car or appliance.For the first time in almost a year, more respondents answered yes to the question than no.