Canada Small Business AI Opportunity Data Centre
Explore how many businesses operate in every major Canadian city and province, which sectors dominate, and where the opportunity for AI and automation sits.
By 
National business and AI adoption statistics
business locations with employees
1,366,418 locations
Statistics Canada, June 2026
have fewer than 10 employees
1,019,547 of 1,366,418 locations
Statistics Canada, June 2026
of businesses with 1 to 4 employees do not yet use AI
19.9% used AI in the last 12 months
Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, Q2 2026
more businesses operate without employees
Annual revenue over $30,000
Statistics Canada, June 2026
Interactive Area Explorer
Business locations with employees and sector opportunities
Toronto
Ranked #1 of 16 metropolitan areas in Ontario, and #1 of 41 in Canada by business locations with employees
- 262,535
- Businesses with employees
- 207,247
- Micro businesses
- 78.9%
- Micro share
- 166,000
- Estimated micro businesses not yet using AI
1 to 9 employees
National 80.1% rate for 1 to 4 employees, rounded to nearest 10
The AI figure is an estimate applying the national rate for businesses with 1 to 4 employees to micro businesses with 1 to 9 employees. Local adoption may differ.
Sector mix
- Health practices: 22,322 businesses
- Construction & trades: 21,668 businesses
- Food & hospitality: 15,025 businesses
- Property & real estate: 12,161 businesses
- Legal & accounting: 10,915 businesses
- Personal services: 5,868 businesses
- Motor trade: 5,534 businesses
Business size
How this area compares
| Sector | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | vs Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction & trades | 8.3% | 10.5% | 11.7% | -3.4 pp percentage points below Canada average |
| Food & hospitality | 5.7% | 5.9% | 5.6% | +0.1 pp percentage points above Canada average |
| Motor trade | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.8% | -0.7 pp percentage points below Canada average |
| Property & real estate | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.9% | +0.8 pp percentage points above Canada average |
| Health practices | 8.5% | 8.5% | 7.9% | +0.6 pp percentage points above Canada average |
| Personal services | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.2% | +0.1 pp percentage points above Canada average |
| Legal & accounting | 4.2% | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.8 pp percentage points above Canada average |
Opportunity profile
Toronto's largest sectors in this selection are health practices (22,322 business locations) and construction & trades (21,668 business locations). For health practices, practical applications include appointment booking and reminders, enquiry handling, review requests. For construction & trades, consider missed-call text back, instant quote follow-up, automated review requests. These counts describe the local market, not demand for a specific service.
The Canadian picture
1,366,418 business locations with employees across Canada. Explore 41 metropolitan areas and all 13 provinces and territories. Province figures include their metropolitan areas and must not be added to them.
- Ontario: 511,212 businesses
- Quebec: 279,405 businesses
- British Columbia: 218,192 businesses
- Alberta: 180,659 businesses
- Manitoba: 44,135 businesses
- Saskatchewan: 43,184 businesses
- Nova Scotia: 33,100 businesses
- New Brunswick: 26,601 businesses
- Newfoundland and Labrador: 18,736 businesses
- Prince Edward Island: 6,865 businesses
- Yukon: 1,979 businesses
- Northwest Territories: 1,599 businesses
- Nunavut: 751 businesses
All Canadian metropolitan areas, provinces and territories
54 areas
| Ontario | Province | 511,212 | 76.0% | 53,606 | 30,213 | 21,325 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Province | 279,405 | 72.0% | 35,974 | 16,278 | 10,363 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 262,535 | 78.9% | 21,668 | 15,025 | 12,161 | Health practices | |
| British Columbia | Province | 218,192 | 75.5% | 28,020 | 11,727 | 9,869 | Construction & trades | |
| Alberta | Province | 180,659 | 75.9% | 22,000 | 9,265 | 5,695 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Metropolitan area | 139,898 | 72.6% | 15,784 | 9,399 | 6,033 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 121,423 | 76.6% | 13,911 | 6,851 | 6,143 | Construction & trades | |
| Alberta | Metropolitan area | 65,650 | 76.6% | 7,820 | 3,563 | 2,184 | Construction & trades | |
| Alberta | Metropolitan area | 55,747 | 74.5% | 6,867 | 3,167 | 1,797 | Construction & trades | |
| Manitoba | Province | 44,135 | 70.6% | 4,873 | 2,123 | 1,405 | Construction & trades | |
| Saskatchewan | Province | 43,184 | 73.8% | 4,375 | 2,292 | 1,121 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 42,163 | 71.6% | 4,970 | 2,873 | 1,690 | Construction & trades | |
| Nova Scotia | Province | 33,100 | 72.2% | 4,258 | 1,885 | 1,180 | Construction & trades | |
| Manitoba | Metropolitan area | 26,921 | 68.7% | 2,754 | 1,529 | 913 | Construction & trades | |
| New Brunswick | Province | 26,601 | 71.5% | 3,231 | 1,350 | 894 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Metropolitan area | 26,444 | 68.1% | 3,133 | 1,463 | 930 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 25,213 | 74.2% | 2,705 | 1,583 | 925 | Health practices | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Province | 18,736 | 75.7% | 1,945 | 838 | 586 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 18,531 | 73.0% | 1,939 | 1,155 | 676 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 16,507 | 73.0% | 1,783 | 1,027 | 629 | Health practices | |
| Nova Scotia | Metropolitan area | 15,804 | 69.1% | 2,053 | 1,008 | 704 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 15,193 | 73.3% | 1,897 | 880 | 709 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 13,037 | 72.0% | 1,600 | 989 | 504 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 12,432 | 71.0% | 1,417 | 917 | 445 | Construction & trades | |
| Saskatchewan | Metropolitan area | 11,602 | 70.2% | 1,403 | 740 | 347 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 10,315 | 77.1% | 1,073 | 751 | 379 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 9,901 | 73.6% | 1,528 | 506 | 417 | Construction & trades | |
| Saskatchewan | Metropolitan area | 8,875 | 69.7% | 970 | 645 | 305 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 8,538 | 76.7% | 1,350 | 376 | 256 | Construction & trades | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Metropolitan area | 7,919 | 71.4% | 918 | 390 | 301 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Metropolitan area | 7,113 | 69.7% | 1,040 | 429 | 273 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 6,967 | 73.8% | 1,009 | 413 | 235 | Construction & trades | |
| Prince Edward Island | Province | 6,865 | 73.4% | 889 | 351 | 258 | Construction & trades | |
| New Brunswick | Metropolitan area | 5,667 | 67.8% | 641 | 323 | 247 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 5,422 | 71.4% | 547 | 320 | 233 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 5,289 | 70.2% | 651 | 376 | 220 | Health practices | |
| Alberta | Metropolitan area | 4,961 | 71.6% | 549 | 254 | 192 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Metropolitan area | 4,867 | 65.5% | 606 | 283 | 178 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 4,728 | 72.8% | 611 | 287 | 176 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 4,693 | 64.3% | 580 | 292 | 191 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Metropolitan area | 4,678 | 64.8% | 549 | 206 | 175 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 4,399 | 73.4% | 583 | 265 | 154 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 4,377 | 68.8% | 589 | 225 | 190 | Construction & trades | |
| British Columbia | Metropolitan area | 4,226 | 75.4% | 719 | 204 | 167 | Construction & trades | |
| New Brunswick | Metropolitan area | 4,027 | 69.2% | 497 | 239 | 177 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 3,955 | 71.4% | 517 | 252 | 165 | Construction & trades | |
| Alberta | Metropolitan area | 3,865 | 71.7% | 390 | 228 | 126 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 3,730 | 64.2% | 433 | 214 | 127 | Construction & trades | |
| New Brunswick | Metropolitan area | 3,718 | 68.3% | 465 | 179 | 149 | Construction & trades | |
| Quebec | Metropolitan area | 3,518 | 69.8% | 561 | 147 | 119 | Construction & trades | |
| Ontario | Metropolitan area | 3,179 | 69.2% | 459 | 204 | 127 | Construction & trades | |
| Yukon | Territory | 1,979 | 69.3% | 281 | 81 | 70 | Construction & trades | |
| Northwest Territories | Territory | 1,599 | 57.8% | 178 | 66 | 56 | Construction & trades | |
| Nunavut | Territory | 751 | 53.1% | 42 | 21 | 41 | Construction & trades |
Where AI fits for small businesses
Construction & trades
Keep enquiries and jobs moving while teams are on site.
- missed-call text back
- instant quote follow-up
- automated review requests
- job booking
Food & hospitality
Connect bookings, customer feedback and local campaigns.
- table booking automation
- review responses
- social content
- offer campaigns
Motor trade
Stay in touch throughout the vehicle service cycle.
- service and inspection reminders
- enquiry response
- review requests
Property & real estate
Follow up property enquiries and coordinate appointments.
- instant lead response
- valuation follow-up
- viewing booking
- landlord nurture
Health practices
Support routine appointment and enquiry administration.
- appointment booking and reminders
- enquiry handling
- review requests
Personal services
Manage repeat bookings and everyday customer communication.
- online booking and rebooking reminders
- no-show reduction
- social content
Legal & accounting
Organize client intake and routine follow-up tasks.
- client intake
- appointment booking
- document chase reminders
Professional Services Firms
Streamline enquiries, consultations and routine client communication.
- instant enquiry response
- consultation booking
- client onboarding
- follow-up reminders
Clinics & Aesthetic Practices
Support appointment administration and non-clinical enquiries with human oversight.
- appointment booking and reminders
- non-clinical enquiry handling
- rebooking follow-up
- review requests
AI supports routine tasks, with human oversight and appropriate data protection. Explore our AI automation and AI Digital Agency services.
What this means if you are exploring an AI Digital Agency franchise
Under the Ready Made Digital franchise model, a partner runs their own branded AI Digital Business, while the RMD delivery team carries out the client work. The data above helps a prospective partner see the size and shape of their local market - however you are free to sell locally, nationally or internationally.
Metropolitan area and provincial boundaries are not franchise territory boundaries. Business counts do not measure willingness to buy or guarantee client demand.
Explore the Ready Made Digital franchise modelMethodology and sources
Counts are from Statistics Canada Canadian Business Counts, June 2026, released 14 August 2026: Tables 33-10-1176-01 (metropolitan areas), 33-10-1174-01 (Canada and provinces with employees) and 33-10-1175-01 (Canada and provinces without employees). They count business locations with employees, so a business with several sites is counted once per site. These figures are not directly comparable with the UK page.
Micro means 1 to 9 employees. Businesses without employees are reported separately for Canada and provinces or territories, with annual revenue over $30,000. They are not included in employee-location totals or local AI estimates. Their counts are not published here for metropolitan areas.
Sectors use NAICS 2022: Construction & trades = 23; Motor trade = 441 and 8111; Food & hospitality = 722; Property & real estate = 531; Legal & accounting = 5411 and 5412; Health practices = 621; Personal services = 812. These are selected sectors and do not sum to the total. Sector figures cover all employee sizes, not only micro businesses.
Ottawa - Gatineau spans Ontario and Quebec and is shown under Ontario. Areas outside the 41 metropolitan areas are covered by the province-wide figures. Metropolitan areas and province-wide figures overlap, so they must not be summed together. Canada comparisons use the published Canada row, and province comparisons use the published province row, rather than adding city counts.
AI figures come from the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, Q2 2026: 19.2% of all businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services in the last 12 months, up from 6.1% in Q2 2024, roughly tripling adoption. Among businesses with 1 to 4 employees, 19.9% used AI, while 41.4% said AI was not relevant to them.
The estimated number of micro businesses not yet using AI applies the national non-adoption rate of 80.1% for businesses with 1 to 4 employees to local counts of businesses with 1 to 9 employees, rounded to the nearest 10. This is a national-rate estimate across different size bands, not a measured local adoption rate. Local adoption may differ. Rankings use business locations with employees, with equal counts receiving the same rank.