Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell 0.6% to $57.9 billion in May. That was the second consecutive monthly decline. The machinery, chemical and fabricated metal industries were mainly responsible for the decline.

In Saskatchewan, sales were off 3.2 per cent. We were one of six provinces in negative territory. Three had greater declines than ours. Compared to the same month a year ago, sales in Saskatchewan were up about 49 per cent. Nationally, the average was 42.6 per cent, year-to-year. Total sales in Saskatchewan in May rang in at $1.586 billion.

In the Saskatoon census metropolitan area, sales fell about 15 per cent in May but were up about 33 per cent compared to a year ago. Total sales came to $394 million.