TORONTO — Canadian adults will spend an estimated average of $991 this holiday season on gifts, clothing, travel, beauty services, food, drink and entertainment, an Ipsos-Reid survey suggests.

The survey, done for the Retail Council of Canada, estimates Canadians plan to spend an average of $547 on gifts and $444 on other holiday-oriented goods and services.

Ipsos-Reid didn't compare its survey results with prior years. However, a survey done by Leger Marketing last year estimated 2003 holiday spending would be $575 on gifts. The survey didn't itemize spending on other goods or services.

According to the Ipsos-Reid poll, conducted last month, Canada's biggest spenders are in Ontario, where respondents expect to spend $650 on gifts and $518 on other goods or services, for a total average of $1,168.

In other parts of the country:

Atlantic Canada: $589 gifts, $416 in other costs.

Quebec: $404 gifts, $355 other.

Manitoba-Saskatchewan: $492 gifts, $331 other.

Alberta: $483 gifts, $468 other.

British Columbia: $552 gifts, $456 other.

Ipsos-Reid poll was conducted from Nov. 5 to 7, with a sample of 1,002 adult Canadians. A sample of this size is accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 95 per cent of the time.