Online sales in Canada will grow at a rate of 20 percent or so per year over the next five years, eMarketer projects, but that's from a low starting point and a downward revision of its forecast a year ago. Good thing U.S. retailers and internet companies are exploring the northern regions in search of growth, else Canada's e-commerce market would as frozen as its arctic hinterlands.

Canadians will spend $4.6 billion on products and services (including travel) over the web in 2005, an increase of 23 percent over last year. The market will be worth a projected $8.3 billion by 2008. In 2004, online spending accounted for only 1.1 percent of total retail spending in Canada - or about half the U.S. rate.

Though Canada has the infrastructure for e-commerce - high rates of PC penetration, internet use and broadband adoption - with large numbers going online to research purchases and make bank transactions, for example - Canada's online purchasing remains tiny. Go figure.