Business Research - Business - General - Library Guides at Mohawk College Library

Demographics & Statistics

2021 Census Data for Hamilton
Current and historical census data on the City of Hamilton.
Hamilton's “Our City” Portal
Includes various data points about Hamilton such as population, housing, culture, etc.
Hamilton’s City Dashboard
Snapshot of key demographic and performance indicators as well as trends in the city.
Hamilton’s Open Data
Data and maps relating to various aspects of the city such as business and economy, health, culture, transportation, etc.
Profile Table for Hamilton (Census Metropolitan Area)
Source: Statistics Canada
Review aspects of Hamilton population such as income, employment, family size, etc.

CultureGrams Provinces Edition
Easy-to-read reports that describe the diversity and history of all 13 provinces of Canada. Content includes maps and flags, as well as sections on geography, population, and indigenous peoples.

Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada produces statistics that help Canadians better understand their country—its population, resources, economy, society and culture.
2021 Census Data
Explore Census information in table format or interactively with Data Visualizations.
Census of Population
Searchable portal to all 2021 Census data for any region of Canada and across multiple topics (e.g., population, income, education, etc.)
Community Information Database
Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Socio-economic and demographic data.
Open Government
Portal to various data sets across multiple subject areas.
PRIZM5
Enter a postal code to see a classification of that neighbourhood according to demographics, preferences and social values.
Statistics Canada - Data Tables
Search across census Profiles and StatsCan data tables. Drill down for specific information on the left side of the page and filter information further by selecting a specific table and choosing to "Add/Remove Data".

World Bank
Click on countries and retrieve background information and up to date reports on all countries.
BBC News Country Profiles
Profiles provide info about history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions. Some audio and video clips also included.
Country Reports
Source: The Economist
Reports include recent news articles, country profiles, forecasts, fact sheets, and economic data.
CultureGrams World Edition
Easy-to-read reports that describe the diversity and history of various nations. Content includes maps, flags, and symbols, as well as sections on geography, population, and indigenous peoples.
Eurostat
Data about the European population.
Global Affairs Canada Travel Advisories
Travel advisories that also provide background information on various countries (e.g., geography, politics, health, etc.)
Population Reference Bureau
Global stats on timely topics from a not-for-profit research organization focused on health and well-being.
Statista Country Outlooks (into 2026)
Financial and economic forecasts on various regions in the world.
Statista Country Reports
Background information on various countries in addition to financial and economic data and tables.
U.S. Census Bureau
Portal to data about the US population.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Global data on education, literacy, culture, etc.
United Nations Demographic and Social Statistics
A range of global data on topics such as population, housing, gender, etc.
The World Factbook
Source: The CIA
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities. Good data on major trading partners and products.

Markets, Industry & Trade

Directory of Businesses in Hamilton
Source: Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
A list of active businesses in Hamilton organized by category.
Export and Trade in Hamilton
Source: Invest in Hamilton
An overview of how to export to Hamilton.
Hamilton Industries
Source: Invest in Hamilton
An overview of the various active sectors in Hamilton.
Hamilton Red Book
Directory of public sector/community and government services in the region.
Open Data Hamilton: Business and Economy
A variety of data points about business and economic indicators in Hamilton.
Women-Led Businesses Directory (Hamilton)
Source: YWCA
A directory of women-led businesses in Hamilton.

Statista
Choose an industry from the list for more information.
Business Source Premier
From search homepage, choose “Industry Profiles” or “Market Research Reports” from right sidebar.

Business Dynamics
Source: Statistics Canada
Data on Canadian business counts, revenues, and employees.
Canada’s Business Registries
Source: Government of Canada
A directory of Canadian businesses.
Canadian Importers Database
Source: Government of Canada
Use this database to find names of importers and dollar value of their imported products and services.
Canadian Industry Statistics
Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Data from Statistics Canada organized by industry.
Canadian Trade Commissioner Service – Country and Sector Information
Source: Statistics Canada
Scroll to bottom of page to see a list of key sectors.
Industry Canada - Trade Data Online
Source: Statistics Canada
Choose an industry or product and country to see the current trade environment.
Industry Sector Intelligence
Source: Government of Canada
Data on various industrial sectors.
International Trade Centre – Trade Map
Enter a product to see current export performance, demand, markets.
NAICS 2022 (Statistics Canada)
Access the NAICS classification system.

International Trade Statistics
Reports and key indicators across a range of subjects relating to international trade.
Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application
Portal to export and import trade data from Statistics Canada.
Canadian Trade Commissioner Service – Country and Sector Information
Choose a country from the list under “Latin American and the Caribbean” to find information about considerations when exporting to that country.
Export Development Canada - Country Info
Overviews of various markets around the world. Note: some information is restricted.
Global Insights
Source: Michigan State University
International business and trade data by country, industry and economic classification.
International Trade Key Indicators
Data and reports on exports and imports to Canada from Statistics Canada.
Library of Parliament Trade Data
Select "Canada with selected countries", choose "All" for trading year and enter the country of interest to see trade data.
North American Industry Classification System (US Census)
The US version of the NAICS.
Trade Data Online
Source: Government of Canada

Consumer Behaviour

Consumer Behaviour in Canada
Report on consumer behaviour in Canada, including shopping behaviour and habits.
Consumer Behaviour in Canada: Statistics & Facts
Charts and reports across various topics relating to consumer behaviour.
Decision Points: Sharpening the Pre-Purchase Consumer Experience (PWC)
Source: PriceWaterhouseCoopers
The results of their June 2023 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey regarding consumer preferences.
Information for Consumer Interest Groups
Source: Government of Canada
Various reports and resources about consumers.
Lifestyle and Social Conditions
Reports on various topics relating to lifestyle based on Census data.
PRIZM5
Enter a postal code to see a classification of that neighbourhood according to demographics, preferences and social values.
Profile Table for Hamilton (Census Metropolitan Area)
Source: Statistics Canada
Review aspects of Hamilton population such as income, employment, family size, etc.
Total Income Groups by Age and Gender: Canada
See income levels across age, gender and geography. Filter results to see only Hamilton, certain age groups or genders.

Company Research

Business Source Premier
Business research database. Contains company profiles, industry and market research reports, SWOT analyses and full text articles.
Canadian Business and Current Affairs
Multidisciplinary Canadian research database. Content includes full text journals, magazines, reports, news and dissertations.
Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLii)
Provides access to court judgments from all Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada as well as consolidated statutes and regulations of every Canadian jurisdiction.
General OneFile
General interest periodical database covering up-to-date content on virtually any topic. Includes newspaper, magazine and journal articles, reference books and multimedia content.
Quicklaw (Lexis Advance)
Most comprehensive legal database in Canada, including case law, legislation, with noting up capabilities, legal commentary, journals and textbooks including Halsbury’s Laws of Canada.
Statista
Contains more than 1,000,000 statistics covering 170 different industries and includes market and consumer data, forecasts and outlooks.

Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada produces statistics that help Canadians better understand their country—its population, resources, economy, society and culture.

Public companies sell shares on the stock market and are legally obligated to disclose their financial information to shareholders and legislative bodies. In an effort to fulfill this obligation, public companies create annual reports that provide important financial information.

If a company is not publicly traded information can be difficult to find.

Below are some helpful links for beginning company research.

Annual Reports
International source. Provides access to over 2,000 reports for companies that trade on the AIM, MEX, ASIX, LSE, NASDAQ, NYSE, OTC, TSX TSX-V stock exchanges. This is a free service.
Bloomberg
Use the 'search' function to find companies.
Company Database
Source: Statista
Directories of Canadian Companies
Find companies that can supply your organization with the goods, search for competitors or check a company's incorporation status.
EDGAR
EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, collects, validates and indexes submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Google Finance Canada
Good source of financial information and news about public companies (those which trade on the stock exchange).
Government of Canada - Charities
Look up a registered charity and explore reporting periods.
SEDAR
SEDAR's makes publicly-traded company's filed information available to enhance investor awareness of the business and affairs of issuers and to promote confidence in the transparent operation of capital markets in Canada.
Globe Investor
Investment news and analysis from the Globe & Mail.
Toronto Stock Exchange
Find company profiles that show financials, comparisons, news, etc.

How to Search for Company Profiles in the Library's Research Databases

Looking for a company profile? Try the Business Source Premier Library database.
- Once in the database, look at the right-hand side of the page under the "Browse" menu. Click "Company Profiles" to search for a profile of a company.
- You may also choose "SWOT Analyses" if you are looking for SWOT analyses on a company. Then, enter the company name.

Business Source Premier Browse menu

The Library database Statista also includes company information. Simply type the name of the company into the search box in Statista. Or, from the top navigation menu, choose Reports/Companies & Products reports and then enter the name of the company.

Statista navigation menu

Not finding any results? Double check to make sure you have spelled the company name correctly and that you have the correct name.
- A search in Google can sometimes help you to identify the correct name of the company. Scan the results list for the company's website and check the website to ensure you have the correct company name and spelling.
- Not all companies are included in the library's databases. You may need to also try searching the websites listed in the tab "Websites".

Navigation Videos

NAICS stands for North American Industrial Classification. It is a system to classify industries. It can be used to search for your industry in government and library sources. It is divided into:

2-digit code: industry sector
3-digit codes: subsectors
4-digit codes: industry groups
5-digit codes: industries
6-digit codes: Canadian industries

There are 2 versions:

Example:

31-33 is the 2-digit code for Manufacturing

3242 is the 4-digit code for Petroleum and coal product manufacturing

32411 is the 5-digit code for Petroleum refineries

324110 is the 6-digit code for Petroleum refineries

Here are just a few examples of where you might enter NAICS codes to retrieve industry information.

Business Source Premier: Enter the NAICS code to see industry reports.

Canadian Industry Statistics: Enter NAICS code to see Government of Canada statistics.

Statistics Canada Business Counts: Enter the NAICS code to view number of businesses in that industry for a certain time period.

Statista: Enter the NAICS code to see reports on that industry.

Business - General

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