Atlantic Canada not buying into sharing economy

People from Atlantic Canada are more likely than most Canadians to book into a traditional bed and breakfast or hotel than find a holiday bed through a sharing economy service.

Statistics Canada released a report this week on Canadians' participation in the sharing economy.

It found 4.2 per cent of Canadians used private accommodation services between November 2015 and October 2016. The biggest users in Atlantic Canada were Prince Edward Islanders.

• P.E.I.: 2.9 per cent.
• Nova Scotia: 2.8 per cent.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: 2.3 per cent.
• New Brunswick: 1.9 per cent.

Not surprisingly, Statistics Canada found younger people were more likely to use services such as Airbnb or Flipkey, with people aged 25 to 34 most likely (8.6 per cent nationally. People aged 55 or older were least likely (2.1 per cent)

Western provinces were the most likely to use sharing accommodation services.

• British Columbia: 5.6 per cent.
• Alberta: 5.4 per cent.
• Saskatchewan: 3.2 per cent.
• Manitoba: 2.7 per cent.
• Ontario: 4.3 per cent.
• Quebec: 3.5 per cent.

Statistics Canada also looked at peer-to-peer ride services and found very low usage in Atlantic Canada, but that can be explained by there being no major operators in the region.

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