July’s increase in manufacturing sales marked the second consecutive month of gains after a 0.3% rise in June. Meanwhile, Statistics Canada said sales for the petroleum and coal products subsector climbed 6.2% to $7.2 billion in July. On a constant dollar basis, manufacturing sales gained 1.6% month-over-month in July. In a separate report, Statistics Canada said wholesale sales — excluding petroleum, petroleum products, other hydrocarbons, oilseed and grain — rose 1.2% to $86 billion in July. Despite the monthly increase, Statistics Canada said total manufacturing sales were still down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis.