Canadian manufacturers’ shipments fell 4.5% to $40.9 billion, in August, says Statistics Canada. That’s the lowest level since December 2001.

The aftermath of the electrical blackout in mid-August, which cloaked much of Ontario in darkness, was one of several factors contributing to the decline. Shipments in Ontario plunged 7.8% to $21.2 billion in August.

Ontario led the six provinces reporting lower shipments in August. Excluding the significant influence of Ontario from the Canada total, manufacturing shipments decreased 0.8%. Quebec manufacturers posted a 2.6% drop in August, the first since May.

The transportation equipment and primary metals industries contributed to the decrease. Retail sales fell for the first time in five months in September, driven down by a drop-off in the auto sector.

Beata Ceranci at TD Economics says that although TD is reluctant to place too much emphasis on today’s report given the high degree of distortion from the power outage,” sifting through the murky data, it is clear that manufacturing is suffering on a broader basis.”

She notes that unfilled orders have declined for 12 consecutive months. “This is not only the longest string of declines in over a decade, but unfilled orders now stand a considerable 19.2% below year-ago levels.”