Easter is an opportunity for many Canadians to gather with their families and share good times around a delicious meal. With the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020’s Easter celebration has been somewhat disrupted. In this context of sanitary crisis, the Hellosafe.ca team took a look at Canadians’ Easter spending this year and how it has changed since 2018.
Canadians’ Easter budget in 2021: a 36.7% increase expected in comparison with 2020
Since the pandemic struck, Canadians can’t gather in big numbers for celebrations like it was before. Indeed, family events such as Easter are gathering less people. This is reflected in the average Easter budget which is to be spent this year by Canadians.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
| Canadians’ Easter budget | 57.8$ | 58.4$ | 30.5$ | 41.7$ |
| Percentage of growth | / | 1.04% | -47.77% | 36.72% |
Evolution of Canadians’ Easter budget (Source: Hellosafe.ca’s estimates)
In the above table, we observe that:
- There has been a before and after Covid in terms of Easter spending among Canadians. There was a 47.77% drop in spending between 2019 and 2020 (30.5$ spent on average in 2020 versus 58.4$ in 2019).
- Despite a significant recovery in Easter spending in 2021 compared to 2020 (+36.72%), the persistence of Covid across the country continues to affect Canadians’ lives this year, preventing a return to pre-Covid levels. In fact, with an estimated average spending of 41.7$ per person this year, Canadians’ spending levels are still 28.6% below 2019 levels.
Chocolate is still the biggest Easter spending item for Canadians in 2021
Traditionally, in Canada, beyond its religious aspect, Easter takes the form of a family gathering around a good meal. In order to evaluate the average budget of Canadian households for Easter, our editorial team tried to make a list of the products most consumed during this holiday, as well as their cost, for a gathering of 10 people.
| Food | Price for 10 people |
| Chocolate | 130$ |
| Lamb or Easter ham (2kgs) | 59$ |
| Lenten buns | 22$ |
| Accompaniments | 50$ |
| Beverages | 80$ |
| Other desserts | 76$ |
| Total | 417$ i.e. 41.7$ per person |
Indicative budget of a Canadian for Easter 2021 (source: Hellosafe.ca estimates)
With this table, we can see that:
- Chocolate remains by far the most important expense for Easter with a budget of 13$ per person
- Beverages and meat (lamb or Easter ham according to families) have a very special place in the Easter meal in Canada, as well as the desert
- The Lenten bun, traditionally served at Easter, remains the cheapest item (22.40$ for 10 shares on average) of this list, due to the simplicity of its ingredients (which does not prevent it from tasting great!).
What are the items most consumed by Canadians at Easter?
Easter is (and will remain) above all a celebration of traditions. However, not all Canadians consume in the same way. For example, the debate between ham and lamb as Easter meat illustrates this diversity of practices, including culinary ones. Below is a graph showing the food items most consumed by Canadians during the Easter meal:
Percentage of consumption by Canadians on Easter
| Foods | Percentage of consumption by Canadians on Easter day |
| Chocolate | 85.00% |
| Easter ham | 53.00% |
| Cake | 51.00% |
| Lenten buns | 48.00% |
| Lamb | 21.00% |
Items most consumed by Canadians on Easter (Source: Hellosafe.ca’s estimates)
- Chocolate is still by far the most popular food at Easter as it’s consumed by 85% of Canadians during this holiday
- Lenten buns is also appreciated by Canadians and is consumed by 76% of people in this country
- The famous Easter ham, often drizzled with maple syrup, is still very popular with just over half of Canadians (53%) eating it on Easter.
- Lamb still remains a minor trend within Canadian households at Easter, with only 21% of Canadians eating it for this celebration.
48% fewer Canadians travelling this year at Easter compared to 2019
Traditionally, Easter marks a time when Canadians sometimes travel across the country to be with their loved ones. However, this year, we could estimate that one in two Canadians (48%) will not travel from home for Easter, compared to 2019 (which remains the last “normal” year of reference).
Why? Firstly, because of the fear of transmission of the virus within the family, especially to the elderly. Secondly, because there are still restrictions on social gatherings across the country, which vary from province to province.