Prince George, B.C.- The Canadian  Federation of Independent Business says  BC   leads the nation  when it comes to small business optimism.

The Business Barometer  measures optimism on a scale of  0 to 100.  An index level above 50 means owners expecting their businesses’ performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance.

“British Columbia’s small business optimism turned upward again in May—highest in the country and equal to its post-recession record high of 74.1 last seen in May 2011,” says CFIB policy analyst Kimball Kastelen. “Hiring plans also surged upward, with 30 per cent of owners now planning to add full-timers—and only 3 per cent are expecting to shed staff in the next few months.”

Business owners in the natural resources, information and retail and business services were the most optimistic.

Here’s how  the  business barometer  registered in other provinces:

• Ontario (64.9)
• Newfoundland and Labrador (65.1)
• Saskatchewan (69.9)
• Prince Edward Island (59.4),
• New Brunswick (58.8),
• Quebec (60.6),
• Manitoba (66.3)
• Alberta (72.8)
• Nova Scotia’s (57.0.

The CFIB says  businesses feeling less optimistic were in  the  hospitality, wholesale, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.