• Canada–U.S. trade supported 7.1 million U.S. jobs
• Total Canada–U.S. merchandise trade: $535 billion
• 37,000 West Virginia jobs are supported by Canada–U.S. trade
• Canada is West Virginia’s largest foreign export market
• Canadians made more than 248,100 visits to West Virginia, spending $20 million
• West Virginia residents made 21,300 visits to Canada, spending $8 million

A Close Relationship

West Virginia and Canada enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship in 2007, trading over $2.6 billion in merchandise goods, an increase of 2% from the previous year. For the eleventh consecutive year, Canada was the state’s most important international destination, purchasing 29% of the West Virginia’s worldwide sales. The state sold more to Canada than to its next four export markets — Japan, Belgium, China, and Brazil — combined.

Coal is king

West Virginia is an energy–producing state with significant reserves of coal. Valued at $225 million, coal sales to Canada accounted for 73% of the state’s energy shipments and topped the list as the West Virginia’s leading export commodity. In total, the Mountain State supplied its neighbor with $310 million in energy goods.

Driving the exchange

In 2007, the partners traded more than half a billion dollars in transportation goods. The state supplied assembly plants in Canada with $319 million in autoparts. In return, the state’s northern partner sent $221 million in transportation goods southbound — $188 million in aircraft engines and parts, $18 million in autoparts, and $7 million in trucks. This integrated marketplace in transportation goods contributed to just-in-time inventories — benefitting consumers and providing jobs on both sides of the border.

A chemical bone

Canada–West Virginia Success Stories

The Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in West Virginia supplies automotive engines for the Lexus R330, which is assembled at Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario plant. The West Virginia facility supplies power trains to Toyota’s four North American vehicle plants. Plans to expand production of automatic transmissions in West Virginia and to build a RAV4 manufacturing facility in Woodstock, ON, point to renewed confidence in the integrated North American auto sector and the Canada–West Virginia production and manufacturing relationship. This investment will increase production of Lexus engines destined for Canada and an additional 200,000 Corrola transmissions at the Woodstock assembly facility — a wonderful example of a mutually beneficial global value chain.

Since purchasing Snowshoe Mountain Resort (Pocahontas County, WV), Canada’s Intrawest, a world leader in destination resorts and adventure travel, has invested over $125 million in resort capital improvements. The Village at Snowshoe offers year-round vacation opportunities — world-class skiing and mountain bike trails, the Gary Player — Signature Championship Raven Golf Course, and outdoor summer and winter programming. Snowshoe’s mountain top village will have 600 homes and 100,000 square feet of restaurants, shops and specialty stores. 

Since its launch in 1983, West Virginia Public Broadcasting has featured over fifty Canadian musicians on its live radio program, Mountain Stage, which is aired on over 100 public radio stations, XM Satellite Radio and the Voice of America. Special productions of Mountain Stage have been broadcast from the Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Mountain Stage spotlights Canadian performers emerging on the U.S. scene and legendary artists as Bruce Cockburn, k.d. lang and Gordon Lightfoot.

June 2008

Tourism

• 248,100 West Virginia visits by Canadians, $20 million spent
• 21,300West Virginia visits to Canada, $8 million spent

Jobs

• West Virginia jobs supported by Canada–U.S. trade: 37,000

Merchandise Trade

• Exports to Canada: $1.2 billion
• Imports from Canada: $1.4 billion
• Bilateral trade: $2.6 billion
• Largest export market: Canada

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Merchandise trade and tourism figures are from Statistics Canada, converted at the rate of US$1.00=C$1.0749. Merchandise trade is based on total exports and imports for the year 2007. Job numbers are based on 2005 data from a 2006 study commissioned by the Canadian Embassy. Canada’s export ranking is from the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER). All figures are in U.S. dollars. Figures may not add up due to rounding.