Retail sales took a hit in Canada generally, in August, and in Saskatchewan specifically. Statistics Canada says sales declined 0.1 per cent on average across the country and 2.7 per cent in Saskatchewan. That was the biggest decline, in percentage terms, of the provinces. Even in terms of actual dollars, only Quebec saw a bigger drop than Saskatchewan. Lower sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers were the primary contributors here. Year-to-year, sales were up in Saskatchewan by 0.4 per cent while nationally they were up on average by 3.6 per cent. Only Newfoundland and Labrador had a worse showing than us with sales down 0.1 per cent. Total retail sales in Saskatchewan in August stood at about $1.6 billion.