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The paper office

Computers may have revolutionized the way we do business, but they haven’t necessarily cut down on our paper usage.

According to a recent report published in the Montreal Gazette, the amount of paper used for printing and writing has more than doubled in the years between 1983 and 2003, Statistics Canada confirmed. Although use of traditional mailboxes may be on the decline, Canadians are making increasing use of courier services, and, despite technological advances in areas such as videoconferences, Canadians are traveling for business more frequently.

However, the report did address the fact that the environment has changed since 2003. “There’s been much more of a paperless office since 2003,” the Gazette reported Brian Sharwood of the SeaBoard Group as saying. “I think it had to do with people’s comfort level with the computer and data storage IT departments are more comfortable with the concept of digital document storage.”