Canadians with a little stash of cash and property did pretty well last year. Around South Bayview, those resident burghers (not the beef kind) probably did even better. Data from Environics Analytics indicates that family net worth in Canada grew by nearly eight per cent on higher real estate and investment values. It estimated the average net worth per household last year grew by 7.7 per cent to $442,130. Consumer debt was flat and real estate performed more predictably compared with recent years — increasing six per cent over 2012. So although many Canadians still face higher-than-normal unemployment, the country as a whole is bouncing back strongly from the 2008 economic downturn. Stock portfolios are growing, savings are on the rise and mortgage debt has ticked up only modestly. The report includes 121 financial and investment statistics from a variety of sources, including the Bank of Canada and Statistics Canada.
