Evaluation of Statistics Canada's COVID-19 Data Response: Crowdsourcing and Probability Panel Products and Specific COVID-19 Related Health Statistics

Evaluation of Statistics Canada's COVID-19 Data Response

Crowdsourcing and Probability Panel Products and Specific COVID-19 Related Health Statistics

Evaluation Report

October 2021

How the report is structured

The report in short

Throughout the pandemic, Statistics Canada has responded rapidly and with agility to the data needs of various users by developing many new products relevant to COVID-19 and its impacts on Canadians. While this response was agency-wide, this report focuses on two types of products that were developed in the context of the pandemic: 1) products derived from crowdsourcing and probability panels, and 2) specific COVID-19 related health statistics.

This evaluation was conducted by Statistics Canada in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Results and Statistics Canada's Risk-based Audit and Evaluation Plan (2020/2021 to 2024/2025). The objective of the evaluation was to provide a neutral, evidence-based assessment of Statistics Canada's data response to COVID-19. The evaluation aimed at providing valuable information about the timeliness, the relevance and the impact of these products. It also looked at some of the related challenges and opportunities faced by the divisions responsible for these products to inform future direction.

The evaluation methodology consisted of a document review, administrative reviews and key interviews with Statistics Canada professionals working in different divisions responsible for social statistics. Additionally, interviews were conducted with key users and partners external to Statistics Canada. The findings outlined in this report are based on the triangulation of these data collection methods.

Key findings and recommendations

Design and delivery

The evaluation reviewed organizational changes that were implemented to develop COVID-19 health and social statistical products. The evaluation found that Statistics Canada took rapid action by assessing and delivering products that shed light on issues of importance during the pandemic. Delivery of COVID-19 statistical products was facilitated by an organizational shift towards business agility, which included innovative approaches to manage resources and analyze data. The dedication of staff was instrumental in the successful release of those products. However, the sheer volume and push for expediency impacted staff well-being.

Responsiveness to users' needs

To inform Statistics Canada on the effectiveness of its response related to social statistical data needs during COVID-19, the evaluation assessed the extent to which the products released addressed the needs of key users. The majority of users considered the products released to be relevant, useful, timely, accessible and unique for providing a national perspective. Although some challenges were noted, users were also satisfied with the agency's level of engagement and the methodological information provided. Finally, users wanted more granular data, particularly regarding at-risk and marginalized populations.

Moving forward

The evaluation assessed the extent to which there is an ongoing need for COVID-19 social and health statistical products and the factors that must be taken into account going forward to deliver both those products and regular programs. Users indicated an ongoing need for health statistics related to the pandemic as well as for crowdsourcing and probability panel products. As the pandemic evolves, more disaggregated data on the differential impacts of COVID-19 on different populations will be needed. Forward approach needs to balance demands arising from emerging data needs, such as disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements and ongoing program delivery. Opportunities remain to fully explore the lessons learned from the pandemic.

Recommendation 1:

The Assistant Chief Statistician (ACS), Social, Health and Labour Statistics (Field 8), should ensure that a comprehensive strategy is developed to identify, prioritize and respond to emerging data needs (i.e., disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements and ongoing program delivery).

The strategy should consider the key enablers identified (i.e., prioritization of demands, human resources, ongoing innovation and data sources, user engagement, and internal collaboration), and include approaches and plans that set out how:

  • emerging data needs will be identified (e.g., stakeholder engagement approaches);
  • data gaps will be addressed;
  • data needs will be prioritized based on intended outcomes and resource capacity; and
  • ongoing monitoring of data needs will be carried out.
Recommendation 2:

The ACS, Social, Health and Labour Statistics (Field 8), should ensure that a lessons learned exercise from the COVID-19 pandemic is conducted to identify approaches that could be applied to respond to COVID-19 data needs and improve core activities going forward.

  • The lessons learned should be presented to a Tier 1 committee that will provide direction on their potential implementation across the agency, as applicable.
  • They should also be shared across the agency to foster innovation and continuous improvement in support of the agency-wide response to COVID-19.

Acronyms and abbreviations

ACS
Assistant Chief Statistician
CCAHS
Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey
CCHS
Canadian Community Health Survey
CHMS
Canadian Health Measures Survey
CITF
COVID-19 Immunity Task Force
HR
Human resources
IT
Information technology
LFS
Labour Force Survey
NSO
National statistical office
PHAC
Public Health Agency of Canada
SCMH
Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health

What is covered

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Results and Statistics Canada's Integrated Risk-based Audit and Evaluation Plan (2020/2021 to 2024/2025). In support of decision making, accountability and improvement, the objective of the evaluation was to provide a neutral, evidence-based assessment of Statistics Canada's data response to COVID-19.

Throughout the pandemic, Statistics Canada has responded rapidly and with agility to the data needs of various users by developing many new products relevant to COVID-19 and its impacts on Canadians. The evaluation focused on two types of products that were developed in the context of the pandemic: 1) products derived from crowdsourcing and probability panels, and 2) specific COVID-19 related health statistics. The evaluation aims to provide valuable information about the timeliness, the relevance and the impact of these products. It also looked at some of the related challenges and opportunities faced by the divisions responsible for these products to inform future decisions.

Crowdsourcing and probability panel products

To provide Canadians with the timely data and insight they need to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada leveraged two non-traditional methods of collecting information efficiently: crowdsourcing and probability panels.

Crowdsourcing involves collecting information from a large community of users. It relies on the principle that individual citizens are experts within their local environments. All Canadians were eligible to participate; there was no sample selection and participation was voluntary. Data collection was conducted exclusively online by participant self-completion of surveys in a crowdsourcing application. Demographic projections of the number of people by province and territory, sex and age group were used to calculate a benchmarking factor for every participant to compensate for over- and underrepresentation. Because crowdsourcing is non-probabilistic, it has potential selection bias. It is not statistically representative of the general population because it reflects only the views of those who responded.

Probability panels (probabilistic web panels) are a pooling tool that uses a sample of former respondents to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) who volunteer to take supplementary Internet surveys over a set period of time. Since the sample is derived from the LFS, results can be presented with statistical validity. While the panel offers the ability to collect data quickly, there is a greater risk of bias because of some aspects of the design and a lower response rate compared with traditional surveys. It excludes a small portion of the population (e.g., those without Internet access) and it cannot reflect all population groups and geographies.

Crowdsourcing and probability panels enabled Statistics Canada to rapidly gather data and produce analysis on how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting the lives and well-being of different groups of Canadians. Products derived from both methods explored various dimensions of the COVID-19 impacts on Canadians (e.g., education, employment, mental health, child care, discrimination and stigma, substance abuse, community crime, safety and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Specific COVID-19 related health statistics

In addition to its ongoing health statistics program, Statistics Canada worked closely with federal, provincial and territorial governments and organizations to provide specific COVID-19 related health statistics to Canadians. Those included in the scope of the evaluation encompass:

  • vital statistics
  • COVID-19 epidemiological reports
  • products from upcoming surveys.

To meet the need for more timely information on public health, Statistics Canada has been working collaboratively with its health partners since the beginning of the pandemic to release preliminary health statistics related to COVID-19. These include provisional figures on mortality for vital statistics and the preliminary number of confirmed cases via the COVID-19 epidemiological reports. To continue to provide relevant COVID-19 health data to Canadians, Statistics Canada was also working on two surveys at the time of the evaluation: the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS) and the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH).

The Evaluation

The scope of the evaluation encompassed two types of products that were developed in the context of the pandemic: 1) products derived from crowdsourcing and probability panels, and 2) specific COVID-19 related health statistics. The scope was established in consultation with the divisions involved in these areas.

Although products derived from crowdsourcing and probability panels were labelled in their own category for the purpose of the evaluation, a number of products derived from these approaches targeted health issues and heavily involved the groups responsible for the specific COVID-19-related health statistics as well.

The evaluation was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021 and covered products listed in Appendix A.

The following issues and questions were identified for review.

Table 1 Evaluation issues & Evaluation questions
Evaluation issues Evaluation questions
Design and delivery What actions were taken by Statistics Canada in response to COVID-19 in regard to products derived from crowdsourcing and probability panels, and specific COVID-19 related health statistics?
Responsiveness to users' needs To what extent did the products released address the needs of key users?
  • Engagement
  • Relevance and Utility
  • Clarity (of methodology)
  • Timeliness
  • Access
Moving forward What factors should be taken into consideration moving forward?

Guided by a utilization-focused evaluation approach, the following quantitative and qualitative collection methods were used.

Quantitative and qualitative collection methods used
Quantitative and qualitative collection methods used
Description - Quantitative and qualitative collection methods used

The figure depicts the four collection methods used for the evaluation: international scan, document review, key external interviews, and key internal interviews.

The international scan identified new products released and methods used by other countries in response to COVID-19 (e.g., France, United States, Australia and the United Kingdom).

The document review included a review of Statistics Canada's internal files and documents

The key external interviews included semi-structured interviews with: federal government departments, organizations, provincial and municipal governments, non-profit and academic sectors. There were 31 external interviews conducted.

The key internal interviews included semi-structured interviews with Statistics Canada employees. There were 14 internal interviews conducted.

Three main limitations were identified and mitigation strategies were employed:

Table 2 Limitations and mitigation strategies
Limitation Mitigation strategy
Because of the large number of users and partners using data, the perspectives gathered through external interviews may not be fully representative. External interviewees were selected using specific criteria to maximize a strategic reach for the interviews. Different types of organizations that use COVID-19-related data extensively from a wide range of locations across Canada were selected. Evaluators were able to find consistent overall patterns.
Interviews have the possibility of self-reported bias, which occurs when individuals who are reporting on their own activities portray themselves in a more positive light. By seeking information from a maximized circle of stakeholders, evaluators were able to find consistent overall patterns.
Limited documentation was available on the projects sampled for the evaluation. Key staff working on the relevant projects were interviewed and a strategy to gather additional documents during the interview sessions was put in place. Additional interviews were conducted as needed to fill the gaps.

What we learned

1. Design and delivery

Evaluation question

What actions were taken by Statistics Canada in response to COVID-19 in regard to crowdsourcing and probability panel products and specific COVID-19 related health statistics?

Summary

The evaluation reviewed organizational changes that were implemented to develop COVID-19 health and social statistical products. The evaluation found that Statistics Canada took rapid action by assessing and delivering products that shed light on issues of importance during the pandemic. Delivery of COVID-19 statistical products was facilitated by an organizational shift towards business agility, which included innovative approaches to manage resources and analyze data. The dedication of staff was instrumental in the successful release of these products; however, the sheer volume and push for expediency impacted staff well-being.

In response to COVID-19, Statistics Canada took rapid action to assess the impacts of the pandemic on Canadians by releasing various statistical products and using innovative approaches

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have significant impacts on Canadians. During this crisis, timely and credible data has been crucial to understanding and managing the health and social effects of the pandemic. In response to COVID-19 data needs, Statistics Canada developed new products and adapted some of their regular products. These aimed at providing more timely and relevant data for monitoring the impacts of the pandemic on Canadians. Products were developed by the Census Subject Matter, Social Insights, Integration and Innovation Branch (Centre for Social Data Insights and Innovation Division and Centre for Social Data Integration and Development Division) and the Health, Justice, Diversity and Populations Branch (Centre for Population Health Data Division and Diversity and Sociocultural Statistics Division) under the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field. Both branches worked in close collaboration, particularly on health data produced through crowdsourcing and probability panel approaches. Other divisions involved in various support functions (e.g., communications, information technology (IT), methodology, collection) also contributed significantly to the timely delivery of COVID-19 statistical products.

Crowdsourcing and probability panels

As part of Statistics Canada's modernization, crowdsourcing and probability panels have become innovative ways to collect information rapidly and efficiently for statistical purposes. During the early stages of the pandemic, Statistics Canada launched a series of online crowdsourcing and probability panel questionnaires to collect data on how Canadians were reacting. These alternative methods of collecting information enabled delivery of results within three weeks of collection.

Between the summer and fall of 2020, over 70 information products derived from crowdsourcing and probability panels were produced to inform Canadians. The products were disseminated through public use microdata files and communicated through releases in The Daily and other analytical products.

Specific COVID-19 related health statistics

Vital statistics

Vital statistics are gathered through an administrative survey that collects demographic and medical information (cause of death) annually and monthly from all provincial and territorial vital statistics registries on all deaths in Canada. In the context of the pandemic, the duration of data collection was shortened considerably. Since May 2020, Statistics Canada has been releasing provisional figures on excess mortality and causes of death, including deaths attributed to COVID-19. The data released were provisional as they were not based on all deaths that occurred during the reference period because of reporting delays and did not include the Yukon. These provisional death estimates were adjusted to account for incomplete data where possible and were revised monthly as new information became available.

COVID-19 epidemiological reports

As part of its continued commitment to provide Canadians with much-needed information during the pandemic, Statistics Canada partnered with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to make preliminary information on the number of COVID-19 cases available to the public. Beginning in March 2020, epidemiological reports on detailed confirmed cases (preliminary data) were released on a weekly basis until July 2020, at which time the frequency was changed to biweekly. Aggregated datasets with preliminary case information across six dimensions were also released on an occasional basis. Given the rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic and the multi-tiered approach to data collection on case reporting, epidemiological reports were considered preliminary. Confirmed case data (laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19) were collected by PHAC from various sources, including provincial and territorial health ministries. These data were not considered comprehensive, given a possible time lag between when cases occur and when they are reported. Cases in this database may be revised as new information is captured related to a person's hospitalization status, intensive care unit admittance or death. Data were collected for all units of the target population (entire Canadian population); therefore, no sampling was done.

Upcoming surveys

The CCAHS is a voluntary survey to learn about how the COVID-19 virus impacts overall health, how it spreads and whether Canadians are developing antibodies against it. The content of the survey was developed by Statistics Canada with input from the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and in consultation with Health Canada and PHAC. The CCAHS is a unique survey that will collect information in two parts. The first part is an electronic questionnaire about general health and exposure to COVID-19. The second part is an at-home finger-prick blood test, which is sent to a lab to determine the presence of COVID-19 antibodies. The target population for the survey is people 1 year of age and older (children under 14 will have the questionnaire completed by a parent or guardian) living in the 10 provinces or 3 territorial capitals. Respondents will be contacted via mail and provided with a code to access an online questionnaire and a dried blood spot kit to collect their blood sample.

The SCMH collects data to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of Canadians. The survey includes topics on behaviours and symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide risk, pressure on parents, substance use, household violence, as well as general mental health. Participation is voluntary and the target population is non-institutionalized people aged 18 years or older, living in Canada's 10 provinces and 3 territorial capitals, who are not members of collectives or living on reserves.

Common approaches were used by other national statistical offices to develop products addressing COVID‑19 statistical data needs

In the early months of the pandemic, Statistics Canada faced similar challenges and constraints to those experienced by other national statistical offices (NSOs): lockdowns, deferral of regular activities, surging demands for disaggregated data and rapid statistics on the impacts of COVID-19. Within this context, Statistics Canada's approach to measuring the social impacts of COVID-19 generally aligned with that of other jurisdictions in terms of major themes covered, methodologies utilized and data disaggregation. The evaluation did not find major content gaps with respect to social and health surveys conducted in other jurisdictions. Statistics Canada's crowdsourcing and probability panel products explored very similar topics to panel surveys conducted by NSOs in Australia and the United States, both of which were developed in response to the pandemic, and the United Kingdom's omnibus survey, which was modified to increase frequency from monthly to weekly in response to COVID-19. The level of methodological detail provided by Statistics Canada also aligned with the type of information provided by other NSOs.

The main difference between Statistics Canada's approach and that of other NSOs was the agency's use of crowdsource questionnaires to explore the social impacts of COVID-19 (although France's public health agency employed a similar approach). Relative to other NSOs, Statistics Canada was one of the first to publish data in response to the pandemic.

Delivery of COVID-19 statistical products was facilitated by an organizational shift towards business agility and through the agency's modernization initiatives

Much of the agency's response to the pandemic was rolled up into a special project to ensure expediency and efficiency. As part of this special project, several initiatives that were already under development, such as crowdsourcing and probability panels, were accelerated, adapted and operationalized. To ensure the timely delivery of products related to COVID-19, changes were also made to organizational approaches and internal processes to increase agility.

Processes for crowdsourcing and probability panels were focused on expediency; an iterative approach led to shortened timelines. The processes were not fundamentally modified, but implemented at an accelerated pace with the objective of making improvements after each iteration. Because of the speed of response, there were some instances of data quality issues early on, as well as a need to educate some employees about the limits of these approaches in the beginning. However, these issues were addressed over time.

For COVID-19 related health statistics, process changes accelerated their development, analysis and release. For example, content development and analysis timelines were shortened by implementing quicker turnaround times. Some steps and subprocesses were accelerated and adapted even if the same overall process was followed. For example, editing or approval time was reduced for the SCMH and the CCAHS. For vital statistics, methodological changes were developed in collaboration with the Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science Branch and the Centre for Demography to produce provisional figures.

Changes in governance processes also accelerated decision-making and were generally seen as necessary and positive. Early in the pandemic, most existing oversight bodies halted operations, except the Strategic Management Committee, which continued to ensure alignment with strategic direction. The increased involvement of management in operational activities also presented opportunities to identify and approve process modifications to address challenges or bottlenecks.

In addition, existing and new bodies facilitated decision-making, action and implementation of response. For example, for crowdsourcing and probability panels, the new Social Impacts and New Data Development Working Group facilitated the agency's ability to collaborate and work horizontally, serving as the key body for planning and decision-making. For specific COVID-19 related health statistics, new and existing bodies (e.g., Centre for Social Data Insights and Innovation, CCAHS interdepartmental working group, CITF) enabled prioritization, increased awareness across participating divisions, and provided opportunities to solicit and share feedback from partners.

Statistics Canada's response was also facilitated by innovation projects and organizational culture shifts linked to its modernization agenda, which focused on the pillars of user-centric service delivery, leading edge methods and data integration, statistical capacity building and leadership, sharing and collaboration, and a modern and flexible workplace. For example, prior development of crowdsourcing and probability panel methods as part of the modernization initiative were integral in mounting a timely response. Electronic tools and processes (e.g., previously developed electronic questionnaires, system to collect vital statistics from provinces and territories) also facilitated increased speed of data collection and response. The modernization agenda also provided traction to further shift the organization towards innovation and collaboration which facilitated the agency's COVID-19 data response.

A flexible and dedicated workforce with a shared sense of purpose was instrumental in the successful release of products, though pace of work impacted staff well-being

At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Statistics Canada's primary focus was on maintaining its mission-critical programs and addressing data needs related to COVID-19. Within the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field, virtually all other activities and initiatives (e.g., development of the Canadian Health Measures Survey [CHMS], mental health data strategy, opioid epidemic data acquisition) were put on hold, which provided flexibility in the reorganization of work and reassignment of employees. For instance, resources and expertise were shared across teams and reallocated to areas of priority. For example, staff working in areas that were temporarily put on hold, such as the CHMS, were redirected to work on the CCAHS.

The collective sense of urgency to meet the informational needs of Canadians drove decisions regarding content and timelines. Communication, coordination and collaboration between divisions within the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field and across the agency were critical success factors that contributed to the timely release of COVID-19 products. Support provided by corporate partners (i.e., Communications Branch, Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science Branch, Collection and Regional Services Branch, Processing and Operations Branch) was also crucial in the production and dissemination of statistical information. Though program areas noted some opportunities to further increase efficiency (e.g., prioritizing demands, adopting leaner processes, improving IT infrastructure and tools), corporate partners were viewed as responsive and helpful in the face of tight timelines. Overall, the evaluation found that the successes and timeliness of the COVID-19 data response were greatly attributable to the dedication, expertise and flexibility of the workforce.

While employees' drive and adaptability were integral to the delivery of data, the increased workloads and tight timelines contributed to lower employee morale in some areas, as well as the delay of projects not related to the pandemic. Employees worked considerable overtime, frequently for a sustained period, to deliver on the COVID-19 products, often with limited available resources. Almost all internal key interviewees reported that the high volume of work and tight timelines increased stress and anxiety or otherwise negatively impacted the mental health and well-being of employees. They also discussed a reduction in work-life balance associated with workloads, coupled with external challenges such as increased family stress during the pandemic (e.g., because of senior or child care responsibilities). Additionally, some pointed out that certain employees with critical areas of expertise were especially overburdened with work and faced detrimental effects to their well-being. Challenges were largely mitigated by employees' hard work, enthusiasm and a shared sense of purpose in meeting the data needs of Canadians during a period of uncertainty. Further, internal interviewees noted that the adverse effects on employee well-being as a result of increased workloads and tight timelines were somewhat mitigated by recognition and appreciation of their hard work, as well as the support provided by their managers.

Finally, the evaluation found that heightened expectations of staff did not significantly lessen over time. Resource allocation to COVID-19 products delayed regular program activities or initiatives outside of mission-critical programs. Many internal interviewees found the impacts on staff well-being to be somewhat manageable early on in the pandemic response, when other work was largely on hold. As other work began to resume by fall 2020, however, continued resource allocation to COVID-19-specific products meant delays to numerous regular programs activities or initiatives, such as work on meeting users' needs for disaggregated data, development of the CHMS, and work on the Mental Health Data Strategy and Northern Data Strategy. There is some indication that these challenges will continue to hinder the response of program areas to emerging data demands going forward.

2. Responsiveness to users' needs

Evaluation question

To what extent did the products released address the needs of key users?

  • Engagement
  • Relevance and Utility
  • Clarity (methodology)
  • Timeliness
  • Access

Summary

To inform Statistics Canada on the effectiveness of its response related to social statistical data needs during the pandemic, the evaluation assessed the extent to which the released products addressed the needs of key users. The majority of users considered the products released to be relevant, useful, timely, accessible and unique for providing a national perspective. Although some challenges were noted, users were satisfied with the agency's level of engagement and the methodological information provided. Finally, users wanted more granular data, particularly related to at-risk and marginalized populations.

Statistics Canada received an influx of data demands primarily through informal channels; new bodies and mechanisms were used to manage these demands

In the spring of 2020, Statistics Canada faced significant challenges including adapting to telework and new internal processes, while at the same time contending with major shifts and increases in user demands for relevant COVID-19 data. Facing the influx of data demands, time constraints and decentralized mechanisms for gathering users' needs presented challenges at times. Internal interviewees emphasized that, during the early stages of the pandemic, the pressure to produce information fairly quickly left little or no time to proactively reach out to users about their data needs. It was also noted that, had time constraints been less urgent, it would have been advantageous to actively consult a broader base of users.

Nonetheless, the evaluation found that most users had opportunities to communicate their needs to Statistics Canada, particularly through their existing contacts within the agency and ad hoc correspondence (e.g., meetings, emails, phone calls) at all levels and areas of the organization. Well-established networks with health partners (e.g., partnerships in the production of vital statistics) and formal structures (e.g., at the same table, council) were also leveraged to share information on data needs.

Early in the pandemic, the emphasis on informal mechanisms to understand users' needs before and after product releases presented some challenges for information management and prioritization (e.g., survey content had to be revised after users reached out with demands to senior management, at times slowing work). Many of these challenges were mitigated through new bodies and mechanisms to manage users' demands, such as the Social Impacts and New Data Development Working Group. This working group was noted as a key factor in the successful delivery of COVID-19 products. It brought together assistant directors, directors and subject matter experts from across the organization to better identify and prioritize critical data needs about the social impacts of the pandemic, including health statistics that would be filled through crowdsourcing and probability panel methods. It served as a funnel to screen and prioritize users' demands, and communicate needs and decisions to users. This working group enabled processes to prioritize demands, raise awareness across participating divisions, and exploit opportunities to solicit and share feedback from partners.

As Statistics Canada's pandemic response evolved, more structured and proactive mechanisms were used to engage users (e.g., COVID-19 Social Impacts Network, CITF, presentations to users, interdepartmental working groups and committees). In regard to COVID-19 related health statistics, these mechanisms were used alongside ad hoc communication to engage more frequently with partners from provincial and territorial governments, partners at federal departments and experts within academia.

While most users were satisfied with the level of responsiveness and communication from Statistics Canada, some opportunities for improvement were noted

Based on external interviews, the majority of users and partners had the opportunity to share their needs with Statistics Canada and were satisfied with the agency's level of engagement. They were satisfied with the effectiveness of the well-established relationships with Statistics Canada and noted how fast and responsive the agency was to respond to their inquiries. Health partners, specifically, commonly discussed their strong and mutually beneficial relationship with Statistics Canada, the value of its expertise and an increase in the overall level of collaboration during the pandemic; they hoped the high level of responsiveness would continue in the future.

However, some challenges were identified by key users. For example, it was difficult at times to find the right contact or identify the right mechanism to communicate their needs to the agency, especially among those who did not have well-entrenched relationships with Statistics Canada. Additionally, though they acknowledged the time pressures, some users stated that they would have desired a more proactive, formalized and strategic approach to engagement. These users also pointed out that, rather than a one-time conversation, engagement and communication should be actively sought throughout product life-cycle, from content development, to proactive communications around product releases, to seeking feedback from users after product releases. A few of these users suggested that, going forward, an engagement strategy or a dedicated engagement group would be beneficial. Overall, there was a general sense from users that their expectations have been raised for the future.

Both internal and external interviewees highlighted that health information in Canada relies on a complex governance structure involving a number of players and stakeholders, of which Statistics Canada is one. Collaboration at the federal level plays a crucial role in Statistics Canada's production of health data via subject-matter knowledge sharing and funding of some data and surveys. The agency works in partnership with provincial and territorial vital statistics registrars and cancer registries, as well as data providers and users at the federal level (Health Canada and PHAC), provincial level (provincial ministries of health), regional level (health regions) and with many other partners (e.g., Canadian Institute for Health Information). Jurisdictional complexities and a fragmented data environment contribute to challenges in collaboration among Canadian health data partners.

Many interviewees noted that the production of COVID-19 data as a whole highlighted the need for a more coordinated approach in presenting public health data to Canadians. For instance, several federal health partners discussed how they would have benefited from clearer communication about products that were planned or being released by Statistics Canada. Partners suggested that this could prevent a duplication of efforts and give them an opportunity to provide the agency with more of their data needs as well as their subject-matter expertise. Moreover, several partners discussed challenges in clarifying roles and responsibilities between federal health partners in the production of pandemic-related health statistics. Additionally, most partners interviewed perceived missed opportunities for data sharing that would have enabled them to provide insights and receive more advanced notice prior to releases. Some expressed a continued need to improve governance processes around collaboration. For example, the need to address jurisdiction and data-sharing challenges, including those between Statistics Canada and other governmental departments. For instance, many internal and external interviewees discussed challenges pertaining to vital statistics data collected by provinces and territories and shared with federal partners, and the importance of strengthening these partnerships and improving IT infrastructure.

Statistics Canada played a key role in meeting evolving needs—products released were used for policy analysis, modelling, decision-making and the creation of knowledge products

The evaluation found that most users felt that the new products were useful, they filled information gaps, or otherwise strengthened the evidence base from which users could inform their work and make decisions. These products also provided an overall national picture of the impacts of the pandemic and allowed for comparisons across jurisdictions at a high level. Crowdsourcing and probability products were used for briefing purposes, policy research and analysis, program and service planning and decision-making, and to a lesser extent, for creating knowledge products and modelling. Key users of COVID-19 related health statistics also used the information for briefing purposes and for creating knowledge products for other audiences, modelling, and to a lesser extent, program and service planning, decision making and public health surveillance and health system monitoring.

Because the impacts of COVID-19 go beyond the effects of the virus, users wanted data on both the direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic, especially in relation to identity factors (e.g., ethnicity, gender) and intersectionality. Based on interviews, users were interested in products related to various health and social impacts of COVID-19, including vital statistics and mortality, mental health and well-being, impacts on families, impacts on health services and other unintended consequences of COVID-19 response measures (e.g., employment, school closures).

As depicted in Appendix B, webtrends data from the Statistics Canada website indicate that many of the topics that users' needed information on were well aligned with the most popular probability panel and crowdsourcing products. Additionally, these webtrends data also showed a significant increase in demand for vital statistics and mortality data, compared with historical use (these products made up 6 of the top 10 products from April 2020 to March 2021); COVID-19 epidemiological data were also highly viewed relative to other Statistics Canada data products.

Statistics Canada's products were largely considered unique by users; however, they wanted more granular data, particularly regarding at-risk and marginalized populations

The evaluation found that external users readily used Statistics Canada products and noted that they represented the best source of information available, particularly in the early days of the pandemic. While some complementary products were available from other organizations, Statistics Canada's new products served a unique purpose for most users. In some cases, users said new Statistics Canada information was used as a supplement to other sources (e.g., cross-referencing with member feedback, other studies) or incorporated into an index, suggesting relevance and usefulness even when alternatives existed.

Further, the evaluation found that users felt there was minimal duplication between information produced by Statistics Canada and that produced by other organizations. Many used the agency's products because they were the highest quality or the only information available, especially early on. Although health data are produced by a variety of jurisdictions, users noted the uniqueness and value of the national level COVID-19 related health statistics provided by Statistics Canada. Many external users from different types of organizations noted that they use new Statistics Canada information despite any limitations because it was the best source available or there were no alternatives.

However, the evaluation found that there were a number of areas in which external users sought additional data related to COVID-19. Even within the topics covered by Statistics Canada's products, many users identified areas in which they saw data gaps. For example, almost half of key users of COVID-19 related health statistics discussed gaps pertaining to impacts of the pandemic on subgroups (e.g., individuals with chronic conditions, seniors, caregivers). Users of probability panel and crowdsourcing products also highlighted gaps pertaining to the impacts on children and families in regard to learning, parenting, child care and violence at home.

Users frequently identified a desire for greater disaggregation to address their specific information needs, especially to conduct equity analyses as well as to support more local or population-specific program and service planning. Many users discussed the need to have more granular information for areas such as at-risk and marginalized populations (e.g., Indigenous groups), and in particular how COVID-19 was impacting these populations. Some also noted their understanding of the limited coverage on marginalized populations, partly because of the challenges in reaching some populations, particularly for crowdsourcing, which is open to the public but requires Internet access.

Additionally, some users were interested in more data that would track the impacts of the pandemic over time; several users mentioned a need for probability panel and crowdsourcing products to track trends over time and follow up on previous surveys. More generally, some users discussed a need for more data that track changes in social measures and well-being.

Methodologies used by Statistics Canada, as well as their related strengths and limitations, were understood by users; some opportunities for improvement were noted

The evaluation found that a majority of users consulted were aware of the strengths and limitations of crowdsourcing, probability panel and health statistics. Methodological information, including limitations, was documented and published in The Daily with the releases of the products. Users were also kept informed through their engagement with Statistics Canada's employees. Methodological information released by the agency was also included in briefings for decision-makers.

Some opportunities for improvement were noted regarding the communication of methodological information. Users desired more information about limitations in simple language, particularly about the lack of demographic disaggregation. It was also noted that methodological information for COVID-19 related health statistics was less apparent than usual and that labelling crowdsourcing as a "survey" created some confusion at the beginning.

A few users chose not to use crowdsourcing data because of a lack of representation, comparability and disaggregated data (e.g., limited coverage of marginalized populations, caused partly by challenges in reaching some populations with limited Internet access). Despite these limitations, the majority of users were satisfied overall with the crowdsourcing and probability panel methodologies used, given the lack of alternatives to produce similar data in a timely manner.

Based on the experience of using crowdsourcing data during the pandemic, users foresee value for the continued use of this approach. Although they would prefer an increased use of probabilistic samples where possible, many would consider continuing to use crowdsourcing for "pulse checks" and urgent informational needs. To increase the participation of marginalized populations in crowdsourcing, some users suggested a combined approach with a telephone option, as well as partnering with the organizations that serve marginalized populations to extend reach. In addition, users indicated that crowdsourcing could grow with more guidance and controls (e.g., when its use is most appropriate given the limitations). As a majority of users consulted were not able to comment extensively on probability panels, there may be an opportunity to raise awareness about this tool.

Generally, users were aware of Statistics Canada releases and satisfied overall with both the timeliness and the accessibility of data

Timeliness was of particular importance to users, given the need to rapidly adapt and respond to the uncertainty of the evolving landscape during the pandemic. The evaluation found that COVID-19 products were considered timely or at least somewhat timely, though health users wanted even timelier data. Almost all users acknowledged the fast turnaround of results and general timeliness of the agency's response. For health statistics, there was a high need and expectation for timely and frequent (even "real-time") health information. This was partially driven by users benchmarking against other data providers and statistical agencies. However, it is important to note that a key contributing factor beyond Statistics Canada's control was the delay in receiving data from provinces, territories and PHAC for vital statistics and epidemiological reports. Overall, users expressed gratitude for the fast turnaround of products.

Accessibility and product awareness were also important for users and most felt they had a good overall awareness of the data and found it accessible. Most users accessed the new products through the website and encountered no barriers, although several expressed a need for the improvement of website navigability.

Some health partners expressed a need for earlier and enhanced access to unpublished data through data-sharing agreements, especially those involved in the production of the data. These partners wanted improved and earlier communication about what products would be released and when.

3. Moving forward

Evaluation question

What factors should be taken into consideration moving forward?

Summary

The evaluation assessed the extent to which there is an ongoing need for COVID-19 social and health statistical products and the factors that must be taken into account going forward to deliver both those products and regular programs. Users indicated an ongoing need for health statistics related to COVID-19 as well as for crowdsourcing and probability panel products. As the pandemic evolves, more disaggregated data about the differential impacts of COVID-19 on different populations will be needed. The forward approach needs to balance demands arising from emerging data needs, such as disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements and ongoing program delivery. Opportunities remain to fully explore the lessons learned from COVID-19.

While users foresee a continued need for current COVID-19 products, their focus has started to shift towards data needs to monitor pandemic recovery

Key users indicated an ongoing need for health statistics related to COVID-19, such as vital statistics, and data on topics such as mental health, vaccines, immunity and impacts on health services (e.g., health workforce, wait times). They also foresaw a need for products deriving from crowdsourcing and probability panels as the pandemic evolves. Crowdsourcing in particular could be leveraged to fill urgent social data needs in the absence of probabilistic alternatives.

Key users identified the following emerging topics mainly focusing on some of the longer-term impacts of the pandemic and its recovery:

  • greater understanding of health impacts related to COVID-19, including long-haulers
  • information on COVID-19 vaccination including uptake, readiness and hesitancy
  • longer-term mental health outcomes and impacts
  • impacts on health services, including wait times, diagnoses and the health workforce
  • information on labour market changes, such as skills in demand and changes in location of work.

In addition, more disaggregated data on differential impacts of COVID-19 on different populations will be needed as the pandemic evolves; other methods, such as longitudinal studies and data linkage, could be leveraged to generate new insights.

Statistics Canada is aware of the current data needs and intends to fill some of these gaps with a number of initiatives (e.g., creation of the SCMH, adapting the Canadian Community Health Survey [CCHS] to the COVID-19 context, planning an omnibus survey, leveraging the Disaggregated Data Action Plan, ongoing discussions with different stakeholders).

Forward approach needs to balance demands arising from emerging data needs, such as disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements, and ongoing program delivery; several key enablers for success were identified

Statistics Canada's rapid response to COVID-19 underscored its ability to meet new data needs during an unprecedented period. The COVID-19 statistical products released were largely considered relevant, timely and useful. Releases of related health statistics were accelerated and experimental approaches (i.e., crowdsourcing and probability panels) were leveraged to deliver quick results. Overall, users were satisfied with these products given that they provided rapid information during a period of crisis.

To release the COVID-19 products in a timely manner, a significant increase in workload was necessary, which resulted in a sense of fatigue further exacerbated when work resumed for activities and initiatives previously put on hold. This sense of fatigue was also felt by corporate partners, given their essential supporting role in the rollout of the COVID-19 products. In addition to these and regular activities, a number of new initiatives (e.g., creation of the SCMH, adapting the CCHS to the COVID-19 context, planning an omnibus survey, leveraging the Disaggregated Data Action Plan) are at their initial stages which will further add to the workload of divisions, including supporting divisions of corporate partners.

In light of this context, the forward approach must balance demands arising from emerging data needs, such as disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements, and ongoing program delivery. It should also take into consideration the increased level of effort required by divisions and corporate partners supporting divisions. Prioritization of demands, human resources (HR), ongoing innovation and data sources, user engagement, and internal collaboration were identified as key enablers during internal interviews.

Chart 1: Key enablers to balance demands arising from emerging data needs

Prioritization of demands

As the pandemic evolves, user's data needs will also evolve (e.g., data to monitor recovery) and a robust approach to prioritization that effectively balances arising demands will be needed. The approach to prioritization will also need to consider the capacity of corporate partners (e.g., IT, methodology, collection and communications).

Human resources

HR management will be crucial to maintaining and enhancing staff expertise and skills. Timely delivery of relevant COVID-19 products was, in large part, attributable to the expertise of staff. A robust approach to HR management will be needed to build on new opportunities and approaches, such as access to a Canada-wide talent pool and the use of agency-wide resources for specific COVID-19 data projects. It will also be necessary to continue efforts targeting the well-being of staff and good mental health (e.g., recognition, work-life balance).

Ongoing innovation and data sources

Ongoing innovation and acquisition of new data sources to continue to meet the evolving needs of users will require that business processes and methods are revisited and streamlined to create efficiencies.

Modernization, machine learning and artificial intelligence should be considered to provide data to meet unpredictable and changing needs. The pandemic demonstrated the value of administrative and non-traditional data to increase timeliness and coverage.

User engagement

Key partners will need to be continuously engaged to ensure that they are given the opportunity to be informed during the data production process. It is necessary to ensure that users have opportunities through a variety of mechanisms to share their needs on an ongoing basis, including consultation after a product is released.

Internal collaboration

To build on the agency-wide successes in response to COVID-19, it is necessary to continue to collaborate, work horizontally and share knowledge across the agency to increase efficiencies and reduce duplication of work.

Opportunities remain to fully explore the lessons learned from the pandemic to date

Management has taken steps to leverage some lessons learned from the pandemic to drive their strategic objectives and priorities for the next year—for example, through annual planning exercises at branch levels. However, given that Statistics Canada is continuing to operate in an evolving pandemic, divisions involved in with products related to COVID-19 have not had the opportunity to conduct a full-fledged assessment of lessons learned, aimed at finding approaches to improve core activities and benefit the whole agency. Staff recognized the need to identify such lessons and find approaches to improve core activities to ensure that the organization as a whole builds on its pandemic-related experience to create synergies for the future. The identification of lessons learned related to HR management, supporting tools and resources as well as well-being of employees was identified as critical. Some preliminary key lessons learned in the areas of collaboration, engagement, innovation, process changes, resource allocation and future of work were identified during internal interviews, as follows:

  • Continued collaboration and coordination within the agency are important to ensure clear communication, direction, roles and responsibilities.
  • More active and ongoing engagement with external partners will be crucial to identifying outstanding and emerging information gaps and needs, and maintaining or establishing new collaborative relationships.
  • Innovation supports increased timeliness and responsiveness to needs, but better tools could further increase timeliness while reducing HR needs.
  • Process changes that removed lower value steps or allowed for reasonable risks are necessary to help increase timeliness and address resource constraints.
  • Teleworking has many benefits, such as increasing employee productivity and facilitating employee attraction and retention.
  • Flexible reallocation of resources to areas of priority allows the agency to be nimble in responding to pressing needs; however, considerations must be made for some of the limitations and challenges of this strategy (e.g., finding qualified candidates, competing for same candidates across the agency, time needed to train resources, overtime requirements).

Leveraging these lessons learned would help the organization further improve its COVID-19 data response and core activities. Lessons learned could also be shared across the agency to foster innovation and continuous improvement in support of the agency-wide response to the pandemic.

How to improve the program

Responsiveness to users' needs

Recommendation 1:

The Assistant Chief Statistician (ACS), Social, Health and Labour Statistics (Field 8), should ensure that a comprehensive strategy is developed to identify, prioritize and respond to emerging data needs (i.e., disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements and ongoing program delivery).

The strategy should consider the key enablers identified (i.e., prioritization of demands, human resources, ongoing innovation and data sources, user engagement, and internal collaboration) and include approaches and plans that set out how:

  • emerging data needs will be identified (e.g., stakeholder engagement approaches);
  • data gaps will be addressed;
  • data needs will be prioritized based on intended outcomes and resource capacity; and
  • ongoing monitoring of data needs will be carried out.

Moving forward

Recommendation 2:

The ACS, Social, Health and Labour Statistics (Field 8), should ensure that a lessons learned exercise from the COVID-19 pandemic is conducted to identify approaches that could be applied to respond to COVID-19 data needs and improve core activities going forward.

  • The lessons learned should be presented to a Tier 1 committee that will provide direction on their potential implementation across the agency, as applicable.
  • They should also be shared across the agency to foster innovation and continuous improvement in support of the agency-wide response to COVID-19.

Management response and action plan

Recommendation 1:

The Assistant Chief Statistician (ACS), Social, Health and Labour Statistics (Field 8), should ensure that a comprehensive strategy is developed to identify, prioritize and respond to emerging data needs (i.e., disaggregated data, ongoing pandemic information requirements and ongoing program delivery).

The strategy should consider the key enablers identified (i.e., prioritization of demands, human resources, ongoing innovation and data sources, user engagement, and internal collaboration), and include approaches or plans that set out how:

  • emerging data needs will be identified (e.g., stakeholder engagement approaches);
  • data gaps will be addressed;
  • data needs will be prioritized based on intended outcomes and resource capacity; and
  • ongoing monitoring of data needs will be carried out.

Management response

Management agrees with the recommendation.

Management will respond by strengthening its existing Field strategic plan and will also address the recommendation through the development of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan, Quality of Life Indicators Framework and the Health Care Access, Experiences and Resulting Outcomes Initiative.

The Field, and each centre of expertise within the Field, has a comprehensive, evergreen strategic plan updated annually for ongoing monitoring of data needs. These plans focus on the Field's four pillars to ensure emerging data needs are identified, addressed and prioritized based on outcomes and resource capacity. These strategies include:

  1. A strategic engagement plan to ensure meaningful and purposeful outreach and engagement with stakeholders, experts and Canadians to better understand data needs;
  2. Development of centres of expertise with an HR plan that ensures the centres have a vibrant and engaged subject matter workforce with the ability to prioritize needs and resources and can monitor the evolution of data needs;
  3. A modernization strategy focused on the development of the new social data integration platform, including integration and onboarding of existing programs to the new platform, and the acquisition of new and alternative sources of data;
  4. Expansion of "horizontal work" in order to address data gaps with the integration of data from multiple domains and the development of intersectional analyses to arrive at more comprehensive insights.

Deliverables and timelines

Updated Field 8 Strategic Plan (April 30, 2022).

Recommendation 2:

The ACS, Social, Health and Labour Statistics (Field 8), should ensure that a lessons learned exercise from the COVID-19 pandemic is conducted to identify approaches that could be applied to respond to COVID-19 data needs and improve core activities going forward.

  • The lessons learned should be presented to a Tier 1 committee that will provide direction on their potential implementation across the agency, as applicable.
  • They should also be shared across the agency to foster innovation and continuous improvement in support of the agency-wide response to COVID-19.

Management response

Management agrees with the recommendation.

Management will undertake discussions of lessons learned and documentation of follow-up actions, the results of which will be tabled at the Tier 1 committee and shared at field presentations across the agency.

The results of this exercise will be presented to the Modernization Management Committee to foster a fulsome discussion on these lessons learned and their potential implementation agency-wide.

Field 8 to tour the Field debriefs to present the new social data integration platform, which will include sharing of a use case on the development and implementation of web panels.

Deliverables and timelines

Results of lessons learned exercise presented to the Modernization Management Committee (April 30, 2022).

Field 8 presentations of the new social data integration platform, which will include sharing of a use case on the development and implementation of web panels, through field debriefs (July 31, 2022).

Appendix A – List products (and surveys) released

Crowdsourcing products
Date of release Survey Product and The Daily release(s)
October 8, 2020 Survey on how COVID-19 has impacted Canadians' experiences of discrimination, sense of belonging, trust in institutions and access to health care services (survey spans August 4, 2020, to August 24, 2020) Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Experiences of Discrimination
September 3, 2020 Survey on how COVID-19 has impacted the employment, household expenses and access to health services of Canadians living with a long-term condition or disability (survey spans June 23, 2020, to July 6, 2020) Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Living with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities
August 13, 2020 Survey on COVID-19 and information on children's activities, child care and school, employment status and the concerns of Canadian parents for the overall well-being of their families during the COVID-19 pandemic Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Parenting During the Pandemic
July 9, 2020 Survey on Canadians' trust in governments, public health authorities, businesses and others during the COVID-19 pandemic (survey spans May 26, 2020, to June 8, 2020) Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Trust in Others
June 25, 2020 Survey on Canadians' perceptions of crime, safety and violence in their community during the COVID-19 pandemic (survey spans May 12, 2020, to May 25, 2020) Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Perceptions of safety
June 11, 2020 Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Your mental health (survey spans April 24, 2020, to May 11, 2020) Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians' Mental Health
June 3, 2020 Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians (survey spans April 3, 2020, to April 24, 2020) Data: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians
May 12, 2020 Survey questions on education, employment and the financial situation of postsecondary students (survey spans April 19, 2020, to May 1, 2020)
Probability panel products
Date of release Survey Product and The Daily release(s)
May 6, 2020 The first survey of the series focused on the impacts of COVID-19 Data: Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1: Impacts of COVID-19
June 18, 2020 The second survey of the series focused on monitoring the effects of COVID-19 Data: Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 2: Monitoring the Effects of COVID-19
July 30, 2020 The third survey of the series focused on the gradual resumption of economic and social activities during COVID-19 Data: Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 3: Resuming Economic and Social Activities During COVID-19
August 17, 2020 The fourth survey of the series focused on monitoring the effects of COVID-19 and on the sources of information consulted during the pandemic Data: Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 4: Information Sources Consulted During the Pandemic
August 17, 2020 (date of first article release) The fifth survey of the series focused on technology use and cyber security during the pandemic The Daily: Canadians spend more money and time online during pandemic and over two-fifths report a cyber incident
Specific COVID-19 related health statistics
Date of release Source Products
Vital statistics
May 13, 2020 (first release) Canadian Vital Statistics – Death Database Data: Adjusted number of deaths, expected number of deaths and estimates of excess mortality, by week
Data: Weekly death counts, by age group and sex
COVID-19 epidemiological reports
March 30, 2020 PHAC
November 12, 2020 PHAC
Upcoming Surveys
To be determined (2021) Collection period: From November 2, 2020, to March 26, 2021 Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS)
This survey asks questions about
  • COVID-19 background information
    • symptoms
    • health status
    • risk of contraction
    • risk factors
  • health information
    • health behaviour
    • health assessment
  • COVID-19 antibodies
  • To be determined
To be determined (2021) Collection period: September 11, 2020, to December 4, 2020 Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH)
The survey asks questions about
  • general mental health
  • symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • suicide risk
  • pressure on parents
  • substance use
  • household violence
  • To be determined

Appendix B: Webtrends

Figure 1: Crowdsourcing and probability panel products webtrends between April and December 2020
The title of figure 1 is ‘Crowdsourcing and probability panel products webtrends between April and December 2020'.
Description - Figure 1: Crowdsourcing and probability panel products webtrends between April and December 2020

The figure depicts the total page views of crowdsourcing and probability panel analytical products from April to December 2020.

  • Economic impact of COVID-19 among visible minority groups: 6,737
  • Indigenous people and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: 5,179
  • Gender differences in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: 4,678
  • Food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: 10,224
  • Mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic:,7,263
  • Canadians report lower self-perceived mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: 5,761

Based on total page views, crowdsourcing and probability panel analytical products that were the most viewed reflect the topics that were mentioned by users.

Figure 2: Vital statistics webtrends in 2020/2021
Rank in 2020/2021 Title Page views in 2020/2021 Page views in 2019/2020 % increase in popularity
1 Population estimates, quarterly 489,857 115,815 423%
2 Leading causes of death, total population, by age group 451,415 115,890 390%
3 Population estimates on July 1, by age and sex 403,248 284,442 142%
5 Deaths, by month 319,175 39,173 815%
6 Deaths and mortality rates, by age group 254,569 50,605 503%

Vital statistics made up 6 of the top 10 most viewed data tables from Statistics Canada's website in 2020/2021.

Figure 3: COVID-19 epidemiological data webtrends in 2020/2021
Rank in 2020/2021 Title Page views in 2020/2021
10 Detailed confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (preliminary data), PHAC 143,148
(data only available for two months: April and May 2020)
20 Detailed preliminary information on confirmed cases of COVID-19 (revised), PHAC 87,010
23 Detailed confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (preliminary data), Canada 72,728
(data only available for two months: April and May 2020)

COVID-19 epidemiological data were within the top 25 most viewed data tables from Statistics Canada's website in 2020/2021.

Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 - Information on reference maps

About the maps

Volume II of the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 provides a series of reference maps that show the boundaries, names and SGC codes of all census divisions (CDs) and census subdivisions (CSDs) in Canada, in effect on January 1, 2021. It also provides the names, codes and areal extent of census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs), census metropolitan influenced zones (MIZs) and economic regions (ERs). Definitions for these terms are found in Volume I of the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021, Catalogue no. 12-571-X. Concordances between the 2021 classification and the 2016 classification as well as annual changes in the census subdivision names, types and codes are also available.

The maps in this volume are introduced by a set of four national maps, at a scale which permits Canada to fit on a single sheet (i.e., 1:7 500 000). Map A, illustrating the country's 293 census divisions, presents a numerical list of the census divisions by province and territory. Maps B shows the location (using dots) of the census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations of Canada and presents a numerical and alphabetical list of CMAs and CAs by province and territory. This map is designed to give a general idea of where CMAs and CAs are situated within a province or territory, with large dots designating CMAs and small dots designating CAs. Map C shows the Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Statistical area classification. This map illustrates the spatial distribution of CSDs among CMAs, CAs and MIZs. Map D shows the census division and economic region boundaries and codes within each province and territory. This is accompanied by a legend which lists the ER names in ER code order within which are listed (numerically) their component census division codes and names.

The next set of maps, the Census divisions - Census subdivisions (CD-CSD) maps, shows the location of census divisions and census subdivisions and their SGC codes as well as the CSD names. This set begins with an index map, which shows the areas covered by each map. The index map covers all of Canada and is presented on a single sheet. It may be used as a quick reference to determine the correct map number(s) for the area(s) of interest. There are 23 CD-CSD maps for the 10 provinces and 3 territories. These maps include, where applicable, the boundaries and codes for CMAs and CAs, and a list of the appropriate CD and CMA/CA names and codes (numerical and alphabetical order).

The maps were designed with the objective of permitting users to identify the general location, boundaries, names and codes of the geographic areas presented in Volume I of the SGC 2021. The maps are not intended to serve as detailed legal or cadastral representations of the geographic areas shown.

Technical information and data sources

The following are key technical points relating to the production of the maps:

  • The vector base map information (e.g., shorelines, rivers, and lakes) were taken from the CanVec Series – Hydrographic Features from Natural Resources Canada. The map series is represented in Lambert conformal conic projection. The standard parallels, central meridians and latitudes of origin are specific to each province and territory.
  • Geographic boundaries, names, types and codes were obtained from the Statistics Canada Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) June 2021 Geographic Frame. The reference date for all geographic areas is January 1, 2021. The naming of CSDs is a provincial/territorial responsibility. River and lake names were taken from the CanVec Series – Hydrographic Features from Natural Resources Canada. Names of geographic entities having 'pan-Canadian' significance, established by the Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) for names of provinces, territories, major islands and major bodies of water are shown in both official languages.

Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 - Volume II, Reference Maps

Status

This standard was approved as a departmental standard on September 7, 2021.

2021 version of the SGC

The Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) provides a systematic classification structure that categorizes all of the geographic area of Canada.

The SGC was developed to enable the production of integrated statistics by geographic area. It provides a range of geographic units that are convenient for data collection and compilation, and useful for spatial analysis of economic and social statistics. It is intended primarily for the classification of statistical units, such as establishments or households, whose activities are normally associated with a specific location.

The classification is organized in two volumes: volume I and volume II. Volume I describes the classification and related standard geographic areas and place names. It provides names and codes for the geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions (counties, regional municipalities) and census subdivisions (municipalities). The names and codes for census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations, census metropolitan influenced zones, economic regions, census agricultural regions and census consolidated subdivisions are shown in the classification variants of the SGC. Volume I explains the changes between the 2021 version of the SGC and the 2016 version that impact upon the classification, such as changes in name, type or code, and indicates how the new and old codes relate to one another. Volume II contains reference maps showing boundaries, names, codes and locations of the geographic areas in the classification.

Reference maps

Volume II consists of four maps of Canada that illustrate locations of individual census divisions, census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations, census metropolitan influenced zones and economic regions. These are referred to as the National maps. Also included are 23 maps that show the boundaries of census divisions and census subdivisions. These are referred to as the Census divisions - Census subdivisions (CD-CSD) maps.

2021 Census Webinar Series: Population and Dwelling Counts (17220001)

On February 9, 2022, Statistics Canada will be publishing its first 2021 Census of Population release on Population and dwelling counts. This release will provide information on population and dwelling counts for Canada, the provinces and territories, for municipalities and for many other levels of geography down to the dissemination block level.

You are invited to an introductory webinar which provides an overview of:

  • population and dwelling concepts
  • geography concepts
  • data products and resources available from the first 2021 Census of Population release.

Learn more about population and dwelling concepts to help you better understand the story of Canada, as seen through our 2021 Census. After the presentation, this webinar will feature a question and answer period.

Webinar video:

What is the 2021 Census of Population Webinar Series?

The 2021 Census of Population Webinar Series is based on our most recent census, held on May 11, 2021. The census provides a detailed and comprehensive statistical portrait of Canada that is vital to our country. The webinars will be presented after the major data releases scheduled between February 9 and November 30, 2022 and will share information on concepts, data products, and resources available from the 2021 Census.

Stay tuned for webinars on demography, families, Canadian military experience, income, linguistic diversity, indigenous peoples, housing, ethnocultural and religious diversity, immigration and mobility, education, labour and more.

Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales November 2021

Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales October 2021
Table summary
This table displays the results of Retail Commodity Survey: CVs for Total Sales (October 2021). The information is grouped by NAPCS-CANADA (appearing as row headers), and Month (appearing as column headers).
NAPCS-CANADA Month
202108 202109 202110 202111
Total commodities, retail trade commissions and miscellaneous services 0.59 0.72 0.73 0.65
Retail Services (except commissions) [561] 0.58 0.71 0.72 0.64
Food at retail [56111] 0.58 1.33 1.20 1.25
Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, at retail [56112] 0.64 0.69 0.69 0.71
Cannabis products, at retail [56113] 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Clothing at retail [56121] 1.06 1.16 1.50 1.21
Footwear at retail [56122] 1.62 1.50 1.57 1.67
Jewellery and watches, luggage and briefcases, at retail [56123] 6.56 6.56 7.19 5.25
Home furniture, furnishings, housewares, appliances and electronics, at retail [56131] 0.60 0.58 0.63 0.72
Sporting and leisure products (except publications, audio and video recordings, and game software), at retail [56141] 2.03 2.45 2.41 1.83
Publications at retail [56142] 8.46 7.11 7.50 6.63
Audio and video recordings, and game software, at retail [56143] 2.97 7.68 6.15 5.87
Motor vehicles at retail [56151] 2.15 2.54 2.68 2.34
Recreational vehicles at retail [56152] 3.35 3.44 3.91 3.90
Motor vehicle parts, accessories and supplies, at retail [56153] 1.67 1.69 2.23 1.69
Automotive and household fuels, at retail [56161] 1.55 1.66 1.58 1.73
Home health products at retail [56171] 2.60 2.68 2.38 2.68
Infant care, personal and beauty products, at retail [56172] 1.79 1.81 2.73 2.26
Hardware, tools, renovation and lawn and garden products, at retail [56181] 1.89 1.62 1.84 2.16
Miscellaneous products at retail [56191] 3.23 3.40 3.40 3.39
Total retail trade commissions and miscellaneous services Footnote 1 1.76 1.72 1.84 1.83

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Comprises the following North American Product Classification System (NAPCS): 51411, 51412, 53112, 56211, 57111, 58111, 58121, 58122, 58131, 58141, 72332, 833111, 841, 85131 and 851511.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Why do we conduct this survey?

The purpose of this survey is to produce monthly statistics on production and stocks of various dairy products and sales of fluid milk and cream from dairy processors in Canada.

The information is grouped with other dairy statistics to provide valuable information for milk marketing agencies, farmers and processor associations, and government departments.

Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Your participation in this survey is required under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Other important information

Authorization to collect this information

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Confidentiality

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent, or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes only.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Data-sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Enterprise Statistics Division
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email at statcan.esd-helpdesk-dse-bureaudedepannage.statcan@canada.ca or by fax at 613-951-6583.

For this survey, there is a Section 12 agreement with the Prince Edward Island statistical agency.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Business or organization and contact information

1. Please verify or provide the business or organization's legal and operating name and correct where needed.

Note: Legal name modifications should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

Legal Name

The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting 'Not currently operational' and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating Name

The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

  • Legal name
  • Operating name (if applicable)

2. Please verify or provide the contact information of the designated business or organization contact person for this questionnaire and correct where needed.

Note: The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire.

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Preferred language of communication
    • English
    • French
  • Mailing address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province, territory or state
  • Postal code or ZIP code
  • Country
    • Canada
    • United States
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
    The maximum number of characters is 5.
  • Fax number (including area code)

3. Please verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

  • Operational
  • Not currently operational (e.g., temporarily or permanently closed, change of ownership)
    Why is this business or organization not currently operational?
    • Seasonal operations
      • When did this business or organization close for the season?
        • Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        • Date
    • Ceased operations
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Bankruptcy
        • Liquidation
        • Dissolution
        • Other - Specify the other reasons why the operations ceased
    • Sold operations
      • When was this business or organization sold?
        • Date
      • What is the legal name of the buyer?
    • Amalgamated with other businesses or organizations
      • When did this business or organization amalgamate?
        • Date
      • What is the legal name of the resulting or continuing business or organization?
      • What are the legal names of the other amalgamated businesses or organizations?
    • Temporarily inactive but will re-open
      • When did this business or organization become temporarily inactive?
        • Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        • Date
      • Why is this business or organization temporarily inactive?
    • No longer operating due to other reasons
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?

4. Please verify or provide the current main activity of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

Note: The described activity was assigned using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

This question verifies the business or organization's current main activity as classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS , are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational units targeted by this questionnaire only, as identified in the 'Answering this questionnaire' section and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

The following is the detailed description including any applicable examples or exclusions for the classification currently associated with this business or organization.

Description and examples

  • This is the current main activity.
  • This is not the current main activity.

Please provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's main activity.

e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development

Main activity

5. You indicated that is not the current main activity.

Was this business or organization's main activity ever classified as: ?

  • Yes
    When did the main activity change?
    • Date
  • No

6. Please search and select the industry classification code that best corresponds to this business or organization's main activity.

Select this business or organization's activity sector (optional)

  • Farming or logging operation
  • Construction company or general contractor
  • Manufacturer
  • Wholesaler
  • Retailer
  • Provider of passenger or freight transportation
  • Provider of investment, savings or insurance products
  • Real estate agency, real estate brokerage or leasing company
  • Provider of professional, scientific or technical services
  • Provider of health care or social services
  • Restaurant, bar, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment
  • Other sector

Method of collection

1. Indicate whether you will be answering the remaining questions or attaching files with the required information.

  • Answering the remaining questions
  • Attaching files

Attachments

1. Please attach the files that will provide the information required for the Monthly Dairy Factory Production and Stocks Survey.

To attach files

  • Press the Attach files button
  • Choose the file to attach. Multiple files can be attached

Note:

  • Each file attached must not exceed 5 MB
  • All attachments combined must not exceed 50 MB .
  • The name and size of each file attached will be displayed on the page.

Dairy products and by-products

1. Which of the following products did this location manufacture or stock in [month] ?

Select all that apply.

  • Dairy products and by-products
    • Include all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.
    • Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.
  • Other varieties of cheese
    • Exclude cheddar and mozzarella.
  • Cottage cheese, yogurt or sour cream
    • Include both spoonable and drinkable yogurt, and kefir.
  • Butter and butter oil (creamery butter, whey butter, butter oil or ghee)
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Other varieties of cheeses
    e.g., Brick, Colby, Gouda
  • Processed cheese products
  • Cottage cheese, yogurt or sour cream
  • Concentrated products
    e.g., concentrated milks, milk powders
  • Frozen products
    e.g., ice cream, frozen yogurt, milkshake mix
  • None of the above

2. In [month], did this location process and sell any fluid milk or cream in [Province/Territory] ?

Milk and Cream Sales

This question covers all fluid milk and cream processed and packaged in your plant and sold in your province.

Exclude bulk cream sent to other processing plants for packaging into fluid creams.

  • Yes
  • No

Butter and butter oil

3. What were the total production and stocks in kilograms (kg) for the following butter and butter oil products?

Butter and butter oil

Include:

  • production for the entire month
  • stocks on the last day of the month
  • all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.

Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.

Butter oil and ghee

Butter oil and ghee is the pure butterfat left after milk solids and water are removed from the butter.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total production for [month] (kg) Total stocks on the last day of [month] (kg)
a. Creamery butter
Include salted, unsalted, whipped, light, cultured, sweet, calorie-reduced butter and dairy spread.
Exclude reworked butter and manufacturing cream.
   
b. Whey butter    
c. Butter oil and ghee    

Cheddar cheese

4. What were the total production and stocks in kilograms (kg) for cheddar cheese?

Include all sizes: block, stirred curd, curd and cheddar cheese used to make processed cheese.

Cheddar cheese

Include:

  • 'light' or 'lite' varieties of cheddar cheeses
  • production for the entire month
  • stocks on the last day of the month
  • all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.

Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.

Total production for [month]:

Total stocks on the last day of [month]:

5. Of the total cheddar cheese stocks reported above, what was the total stocks in kilograms (kg) for the following types of cheddar cheese?

Cheddar cheese

Include:

  • 'light' or 'lite' varieties of cheddar cheeses
  • stocks on the last day of the month
  • all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.

Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total stocks on the last day of [month] (kg)
a. Mild cheddar
Include stocks of cheddar cheese matured for less than 3 months or processed,
sold and labeled as 'mild' cheddar cheese.
 
b. Medium cheddar
Include stocks of cheddar cheese matured for 3 to 9 months or processed,
sold and labeled as 'medium' cheddar cheese.
 
c. Old, strong, extra-old cheddar
Include stocks of cheddar cheese matured for more than 9 months or processed,
sold and labeled as 'old', 'strong', 'extra-old' cheddar cheese.
 
Total stocks for [month] for cheddar cheese  

Mozzarella cheese

6. What were the total production and stocks in kilograms (kg) for the following types of mozzarella cheese?

Mozzarella cheese

Include:

  • production for the entire month
  • stocks on the last day of the month
  • all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.

Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total production for [month] (kg) Total stocks on the last day of [month] (kg)
a. Mozzarella American full fat
27% to 28% Butter fat
   
b. Mozzarella American low fat
17% to 20% Butter fat
   
c. Mozzarella Italian full fat
22% to 24% Butter fat
   
d. Mozzarella Italian low fat
15% Butter fat
   
e. All other mozzarella cheese    
Total production and stocks for [month] for mozzarella cheese    

Other varieties of cheeses other than cheddar and mozzarella

7. What was the total production in kilograms (kg) for the following other varieties of cheeses?

Other varieties of cheeses other than cheddar and mozzarella

Report varieties of 'light' or 'lite' cheeses with the respective category of cheese, for example: report 'light' feta cheese at question m. Feta.

Include production for the entire month.

Exclude:

  • cheddar and mozzarella
  • stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total production for [month] (kg)
a. Bakers  
b. Bocconcini  
c. Brie  
d. Brick  
e. Caciocavallo  
f. Camembert  
g. Casata  
h. Colby  
i. Cream cheese  
j. Edam  
k. Emmental  
l. Farmer's  
m. Feta  
n. Friulano  
o. Gouda  
p. Havarti  
q. Marble  
r. Monterey Jack  
s. Parmesan  
t. Pizza
Include cheeses other than mozzarella cheese that are used as topping for pizza.
 
u. Provolone  
v. Ricotta  
w. Romano  
x. Skim milk  
y. Swiss  
z. Curd cheese
Include cheese curd other than cheddar curd.
 
aa. Other - specify other variety of cheese 1:  
ab. Other - specify other variety of cheese 2:  
ac. Other - specify other variety of cheese 3:  
ad. Other - specify other variety of cheese 4:  
ae. Other - specify other variety of cheese 5:  
af. Other - specify other variety of cheese 6:  
ag. Other - specify other variety of cheese 7:  
ah. Other - specify other variety of cheese 8:  
ai. Other - specify other variety of cheese 9:  
aj. Other - specify other variety of cheese 10:  
Total production for [month] for other varieties of cheeses  

8. What was the total stocks in kilograms (kg) for other varieties of cheeses?

Exclude cheddar and mozzarella.

Total stocks on the last day of [month]:

Processed cheese products

9. What were the total production and stocks in kilograms (kg) for processed cheese products?

Include processed cheese, processed cheese food, processed cheese spread made from cheddar cheese or other cheeses.

Processed cheese products

Include:

  • production for the entire month
  • stocks on the last day of the month
  • all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.

Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.

Total production for [month]:

Total stocks on the last day of [month]:

Cottage cheese, yogurt and sour cream

10. What was the total production in kilograms (kg) for the following products?

Cottage cheese, yogurt and sour cream

Include production for the entire month.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total production for [month] (kg)
a. Cottage cheese
Include curds and creamed cottage cheeses.
 
b. Yogurt
Include both spoonable and drinkable yogurt, and kefir.
Exclude volumes of fruits and additives.
 
c. Sour cream
Include regular and light sour cream.
 

Concentrated products

11. What were the total production and stocks in kilograms (kg) for the following concentrated products?

Concentrated products

Include:

  • production for the entire month
  • stocks on the last day of the month
  • all manufacturer's stocks owned whether they are stored in your storage room, a public warehouse, a cheese grading station or ready for shipment.

Exclude stocks held on Canadian Dairy Commission accounts.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total production for [month] (kg) Total stocks on the last day of [month] (kg)
a. Concentrated milk (evaporated whole milk)    
b. Sweetened concentrated milk (condensed whole milk)    
c. Concentrated skim milk (evaporated skim milk)    
d. Sweetened concentrated skim milk (condensed skim milk)    
e. Concentrated partly skimmed milk - 2% (evaporated partly skimmed milk - 2%)    
f. Skim milk powder
Include instantized.
   
g. Whole milk powder    
h. Buttermilk powder    
i. Whey powder    
j. Other - specify other concentrated product 1:    
k. Other - specify other concentrated product 2:    
l. Other - specify other concentrated product 3:    
m. Other - specify other concentrated product 4:    
n. Other - specify other concentrated product 5:    

Frozen products

12. What was the total production in litres (L) for the following frozen products?

Frozen products

Include production for the entire month.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Production mix for [month] (L) Production frozen for [month] (L)
a. Soft ice cream
Over 5% Butter fat
   
b. Hard ice cream
Over 5% Butter fat
   
Total ice cream mix    
c. Soft frozen yogurt mix    
d. Hard frozen yogurt mix
Less than 5% Butter fat.
   
e. Ice milk mix    
f. Milkshake mix    
g. Sherbet    
h. Water ices    
i. Other - specify all other frozen products:    

Milk and cream sales

13. What was the total volume in litres (L) sold for the following milk and cream products?

Include all fluid milk and cream processed and packaged in your plant and sold in [Province/Territory] .

Exclude bulk cream sent to other processing plants for packaging into fluid creams.

Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total volume of sales for [month] (L)
a. Standard milk
3.25% Butter fat and over
 
b. 2% partly skimmed milk
1.9% to 2.1% Butter fat
 
c. 1% partly skimmed milk
0.9% to 1.1% Butter fat
 
d. Skim milk
Under 0.3% Butter fat
 
e. Buttermilk  
f. Chocolate milk and other flavoured milk  
g. Light cream
5.0% to 9.9% Butter fat
 
h. Cereal cream
10.0% to 15.9% Butter fat
 
i. Table cream
16.0% to 31.9% Butter fat
 
j. Whipping cream
32.0% Butter fat and over
 
k. Eggnog  
l. Other - specify other milk or cream product 1:  
m. Other - specify other milk or cream product 2:  
n. Other - specify other milk or cream product 3:  
o. Other - specify other milk or cream product 4:  
p. Other - specify other milk or cream product 5:  

Specify other milk or cream product 5

Changes or events

14. Indicate any changes or events that affected the reported values for this business or organization, compared with the last reporting period.

Select all that apply.

  • Strike or lock-out
  • Exchange rate impact
  • Price changes in goods or services sold
  • Contracting out
  • Organizational change
  • Price changes in labour or raw materials
  • Natural disaster
  • Recession
  • Change in product line
  • Sold business or business units
  • Expansion
  • New or lost contract
  • Plant closures
  • Acquisition of business or business units
  • Equipment failure
  • Seasonal operations
  • Increased market demand
  • Decreased market demand
  • Other - specify the other changes or events:
  • No changes or events

Contact person

15. Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information.

Is Provided Given Names, Provided Family Name the best person to contact?

  • Yes
  • No

Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
    The maximum number of characters is 5.
  • Fax number (including area code)

Feedback

16. How long did it take to complete this questionnaire?

Include the time spent gathering the necessary information.

  • Hours
  • Minutes

17. Do you have any comments about this questionnaire?

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey collects the main financial and operational data from the Canadian Level I air carriers needed to measure the growth and the performance of the airline industry. The information is also used by Statistics Canada as input to the Canadian System of National Accounts.

Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Your participation in this survey is required under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Other important information

Authorization to collect this information

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Confidentiality

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent, or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes only.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the acquired data with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Data-sharing agreements

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations.

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data. However, respondents do not have the right of refusal with respect to sharing the data with Transport Canada. Transport Canada has the legislative authority to collect and use this information pursuant to the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) and the Transportation Information Regulations.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes.

Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with the Canadian Transportation Agency by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Enterprise Statistics Division   
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email at statcan.esd-helpdesk-dse-bureaudedepannage.statcan@canada.ca or by fax at 613-951-6583.

Business or organization and contact information

1. Verify or provide the business or organization's legal and operating name, and correct information if needed.

Note: Legal name should only be modified to correct a spelling error or typo.

Legal name

The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting "Not currently operational" and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating name

The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

  • Legal name
  • Operating name (if applicable)

2. Verify or provide the contact information for the designated contact person for the business or organization, and correct information if needed.

Note: The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire.

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Preferred language of communication
    • English
    • French
  • Mailing address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province, territory or state
  • Postal code or ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) code:
  • Country
    • Canada
    • United States
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
  • Fax number (including area code)

3. Verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

  • Operational
  • Not currently operational - e.g., temporarily or permanently closed, change of ownership
    Why is this business or organization not currently operational?
    • Seasonal operations
      • When did this business or organization close for the season?
        • Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        • Date
    • Ceased operations
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Bankruptcy
        • Liquidation
        • Dissolution
        • Other - Specify the other reasons why operations ceased
    • Sold operations
      • When was this business or organization sold?
        • Date
      • What is the legal name of the buyer?
    • Amalgamated with other businesses or organizations
      • When did this business or organization amalgamate?
        • Date
      • What is the legal name of the resulting or continuing business or organization?
      • What are the legal names of the other amalgamated businesses or organizations?
    • Temporarily inactive but will reopen
      • When did this business or organization become temporarily inactive?
        • Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        • Date
      • Why is this business or organization temporarily inactive?
    • No longer operating because of other reasons
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?

4. Verify or provide the current main activity of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

Note: The described activity was assigned using the North American Industry Classification System.

This question verifies the business or organization's current main activity as classified by the North American Industry Classification System ( NAICS ). The North American Industry Classification System ( NAICS ) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS , are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational units targeted by this questionnaire only, as identified in the "Answering this questionnaire" section and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

The following is the detailed description including any applicable examples or exclusions for the classification currently associated with this business or organization.

Description and examples

  • This is the current main activity
  • This is not the current main activity

Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's main activity.
e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development

Main activity

5. You indicated that _ is not the current main activity. Was this business or organization's main activity ever classified as _ ?

  • Yes
  • No

When did the main activity change?

  • Date

6. Search and select the industry classification code that best corresponds to this business or organization's main activity.

How to search:

  • if desired, you can filter the search results by first selecting the business or organization's activity sector
  • enter keywords or a brief description that best describe the business or organization's main activity
  • press the Search button to search the database for an activity that best matches the keywords or description you provided
  • select an activity from the list.

Select this business or organization's activity sector (optional)

  • Farming or logging operation
  • Construction company or general contractor
  • Manufacturer
  • Wholesaler
  • Retailer
  • Provider of passenger or freight transportation
  • Provider of investment, savings or insurance products
  • Real estate agency, real estate brokerage or leasing company
  • Provider of professional, scientific or technical services
  • Provider of health care or social services
  • Restaurant, bar, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment
  • Other sector

Enter keywords or a brief description, then press the Search button

Major air carriers key financial and operating statistics monthly survey

1. Please provide the details of this business's scheduled services by sector of operation during this reporting period.

Sector of operation
Refers to the regions where carriers provide transportation services. There are three breakdowns - domestic, transborder (Canada-US) and other international.

Domestic
Includes operations between points in Canada.

Transborder (Canada- US )
Includes operations between points in Canada and points in the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico).

Other international
Includes all other operations (including between points outside of Canada).

Scheduled services
Transportation of passengers or goods, or both, by an aircraft provided by an air carrier that operates the air service and that, directly or indirectly, sells some or all of its seats or part or all of its cargo space to the public on a price per seat, price per unit of mass or price per volume of cargo basis.

Enplaned passengers
Refers to revenue passengers Footnote 1 who board aircraft and surrender one or more flight coupons or other documents good for transportation over the itinerary specified in these coupons or documents.

Passenger-kilometres
Represents the carriage of one revenue passenger on each flight stage multiplied by the number of kilometres flown on that stage. Passenger-kilometres are obtained by totalling the number of kilometres flown by all passengers.

Let's take an example with two flight stages, where:

Flight stage A to B
Number of passengers = 5
Distance between points (km) = 161
Passenger-kilometres = 805

Flight stage B to C
Number of passengers = 4
Distance between points (km) = 322
Passenger-kilometres = 1,288

The total number of passenger-kilometres for the flights covering A to B and B to C is 2,093.

Conversion factor
To convert nautical miles (6 080 feet) into kilometres (km), multiply by 1.852.
To convert statute miles (5 280 feet) into kilometres (km), multiply by 1.609344.

Available seat-kilometres
Represents the aircraft kilometres flown on each flight stage multiplied by the number of seats available for use on that stage. This represents the total passenger carrying capacity offered. Seats not actually available for the carriage of passengers should be excluded.

Enplaned goods
Refers to all types of non-passenger traffic. It includes priority freight, freight, mail and excess baggage for which revenue is obtained. Enplaned goods should be reported to the nearest kilogram.

Conversion factor
To convert pounds (lbs.) into kilograms (kg), multiply by 0.453592.

Goods tonne-kilometres
Represents the carriage of one tonne of goods on each flight stage multiplied by the number of kilometres flown on that stage. Goods tonne-kilometres are obtained by totalling the number of kilometres flown with all tonnes of goods.

Let's take an example with two flight stages, where:

Flight stage A to B
Tonnes of goods = 5
Distance between points (km) = 161
Goods tonne-kilometres = 805

Flight stage B to C
Tonnes of goods = 4
Distance between points (km) = 322
Goods tonne-kilometres = 1,288

The total number of goods tonne-kilometres for the flights covering A to B and B to C is 2,093.

Conversion factor
To convert nautical miles (6 080 feet) into kilometres (km), multiply by 1.852.
To convert statute miles (5 280 feet) into kilometres (km), multiply by 1.609344.

Available tonne-kilometres
Represents the aircraft kilometres flown on each flight stage multiplied by the usable weight capacity of the aircraft. This represents the load carrying capacity offered for passengers and/or goods.

Please provide the details of this business's scheduled services by sector of operation during this reporting period.
  Domestic Transborder
(Canada- US )
Other
international
Total
Scheduled services        
a. Number of enplaned passengers        
b. Number of passenger-kilometres        
c. Number of available seat-kilometres        
d. Enplaned goods
(kilograms)
       
e. Goods tonne-kilometres
(tonne-kilometres)
       
f. Available tonne-kilometres
(tonne-kilometres)
       

2. Please provide the details of this business's charter services during this reporting period.

Charter services
Transportation of passengers or goods, or both, by aircraft pursuant to a contract under which a person, other than the air carrier that operates the air service, or its agent, reserves a block of seats or part of the cargo space of an aircraft for the person's use or for resale to the public.
Include air ambulance service and the movement of people and goods to logging or heli-logging sites.

Exclude firefighting and heli-logging activities and the movement of people and goods to a firefighting site. (A complete list of activities which are specialty and therefore not subject to filing requirements as charter can be found in the Transport Canada document entitled "Starting a Commercial Air Service", TP 8880. This document can be found at http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/publications/tp8880-menu-5178.htm or at http://www.tc.gc.ca/Publications/en/tp8880/pdf/hr/tp8880e.pdf.

Enplaned passengers
Refers to revenue passengers Footnote 1 who board aircraft and surrender one or more flight coupons or other documents good for transportation over the itinerary specified in these coupons or documents.

Passenger-kilometres
Represents the carriage of one revenue passenger on each flight stage multiplied by the number of kilometres flown on that stage. Passenger-kilometres are obtained by totalling the number of kilometres flown by all passengers.

Let's take an example with two flight stages, where:

Flight stage A to B
Number of passengers = 5
Distance between points (km) = 161
Passenger-kilometres = 805

Flight stage B to C
Number of passengers = 4
Distance between points (km) = 322
Passenger-kilometres = 1,288

The total number of passenger-kilometres for the flights covering A to B and B to C is 2,093.

Conversion factor
To convert nautical miles (6 080 feet) into kilometres (km), multiply by 1.852.
To convert statute miles (5 280 feet) into kilometres (km), multiply by 1.609344.

Available seat-kilometres
Represents the aircraft kilometres flown on each flight stage multiplied by the number of seats available for use on that stage. This represents the total passenger carrying capacity offered. Seats not actually available for the carriage of passengers should be excluded.

Please provide the details of this business's charter services during this reporting period.
  Total
Charter services  
a. Number of enplaned passengers  
b. Number of passenger-kilometres  
c. Number of available seat-kilometres  

3. What were the hours flown and the fuel consumed by this business during this reporting period?

Hours flown
Represents the block hours, in other words, the number of hours which elapsed between the time the aircraft started to move to commence a flight and the time the aircraft came to its final stop after the conclusion of a flight. Report the total number of block hours flown to the nearest hour.

Turbo fuel consumed
Include fuel used in both turboprop and jet aircraft.

Provide the quantity of turbo fuel consumed. Turbo fuel includes the turbine fuel uplifted for all aircraft in the carrier's fleet. Fuel uplift can be determined based on delivery notes or invoices, aircraft onboard measurement systems or, if the fuel was supplied by a customer, estimated based on hours flown. Include fuel consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. Report the quantity of turbo fuel consumed in litres.

Conversion factor
To convert gallons (imperial) into litres (l), multiply by 4.546092.

What were the hours flown and the fuel consumed by this business during this reporting period?
  Total
All services - scheduled and charter services  
a. Number of hours flown  
b. Quantity of turbo fuel consumed (litres)
Include fuel used in both turboprop and jet aircraft.
 

4. What was the total operating revenue earned by this business during this reporting period?

Include revenue from air transportation services and all other sources.

Report this amount in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Total operating revenue
Include revenue from air transportation services (for example, transportation of passengers, transportation of goods and other flight-related revenue) and all other sources.

Total operating revenue

Attach files

5. Any revisions to previous submissions can be added to this questionnaire. Please attach up to five files that provide the information required for this survey.

To attach files

  • Press the Attach files button.
  • Choose the file to attach. Multiple files can be attached.

Note:

  • Each file must not exceed 5 MB .
  • All attachments combined must not exceed 50 MB .
  • The name and size of each file attached will be displayed on the page.

Changes or events

6. Indicate any changes or events that affected the reported values for this business or organization, compared with the last reporting period.

Select all that apply.

  • Strike or lock-out
    • How many days in _ was this business or organization open?
  • Exchange rate impact
  • Price changes in goods or services sold
  • Contracting out
  • Organizational change
  • Price changes in labour or raw materials
  • Natural disaster
    • How many days in _ was this business or organization open?
  • Recession
  • Change in product line
  • Sold business or business units
  • Expansion
  • New or lost contract
  • Plant closures
    • How many days in _ was this business or organization open?
  • Acquisition of business or business units
  • Other
    • Specify the other change or event:
  • No changes or events

Contact person

1. Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information. Is the Provided Given Name, Provided Family Name the best person to contact?

  • Yes
  • No

Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
  • Fax number (including area code)

Feedback

1. How long did it take to complete this questionnaire?

Include the time spent gathering the necessary information.

  • Hours
  • Minutes

2. Do you have any comments about this questionnaire?

Enter your comments

Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 - Volume I, The Classification

Release date: February 9, 2022

Status

This standard was approved as a departmental standard on September 7, 2021.

2021 version of the SGC

The standard classification version of the SGC 2021 provides standard names and codes for the geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions (counties, regional county municipalities) and census subdivisions (municipalities).

The names and codes for census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations, economic regions, North and South, census agricultural regions and census consolidated subdivisions are shown in the variants of SGC 2021. The first use of the standard version of SGC 2021 and its variants was in the 2021 Census.

HTML format

PDF format

 SGC 2021 Version 1.0 (PDF, 7.25 MB) (catalogue no. 12-571-X)

CSV format

Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status and Names

Variants of the SGC 2021

Although the SGC is the basic system of geographic units used for collecting and disseminating statistics in Statistics Canada, it cannot serve all statistical purposes for which the presentation and analysis of economic and social data are required. Other geographic units that are based on aggregations of the SGC geographic units are included as classification variants of the SGC.

Each classification variant of the SGC is a set of customized groupings that use SGC’s census subdivisions as building blocks. In Statistics Canada, variants are created and adopted in cases where the version of the classification does not fully meet specific user needs for disseminating data or for sampling in surveys. A classification variant is based on a classification version such as SGC 2021. In a variant, the categories of the classification version are split, aggregated or regrouped to provide additions or alternatives (e.g., context-specific additions) to the standard structure of the base version.

Five classification variants have been recognized as part of the SGC 2021:

Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Statistical area classification

This classification variant provides standard names and codes for census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and census metropolitan influenced zones. It shows the hierarchical relationship between these geographic areas and census subdivisions (municipalities).

Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Statistical area classification by Province and Territory

This classification variant provides standard names and codes for census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs) and census metropolitan influenced zones (MIZs) by province and territory. It shows the hierarchical relationship between these geographic areas and census subdivisions (municipalities). This classification variant also shows the hierarchical relationship between the geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories, CMAs, CAs and MIZs.

Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Economic Regions

This classification variant provides standard names and codes for economic regions. It shows the hierarchical relationship with their component census divisions and census subdivisions by province and territory.

Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Agricultural Regions

This classification variant provides standard names and codes for census agricultural regions. It shows the hierarchical relationship with their component census divisions, census consolidated subdivisions and census subdivisions by province and territory.

Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for North and South

This classification variant provides a definition of the North and South of Canada. It shows the hierarchical relationship with their component census divisions and census subdivisions by province and territory. This variant was originally developed for the analysis of justice statistics.

Reference Maps

Volume II consists of four maps of Canada that illustrate locations of individual census divisions (CDs), census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations, census metropolitan influenced zones and economic regions. These are referred to as the National maps. Also included are twenty-three maps that show the boundaries of CDs and census subdivisions. These are referred to as the Census division - Census subdivision maps.

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey is conducted by Statistics Canada in order to collect the necessary information to support the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). This program combines various survey and administrative data to develop comprehensive measures of the Canadian economy.

The statistical information from the IBSP serves many purposes, including:

  • Calculating each province and territory's fair share of federal-provincial transfer payments for health, education and social programs
  • Establishing government programs to assist businesses
  • Assisting the business community in negotiating contracts and collective agreements
  • Supporting the government in making informed decisions about fiscal, monetary and foreign exchange policies
  • Indexing social benefit programs and determining tax brackets
  • Enabling academics and economists to analyze the economic performance of Canadian industries and to better understand rapidly evolving business environments.

Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Your participation in this survey is required under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Other important information

Authorization to collect this information

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Confidentiality

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent, or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes only.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Data-sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Enterprise Statistics Division
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email at statcan.esd-helpdesk-dse-bureaudedepannage.statcan@canada.ca or by fax at 613-951-6583.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Business or organization and contact information

1. Please verify or provide the business or organization's legal and operating name and correct where needed.

Note: Legal name modifications should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

Legal Name

The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting 'Not currently operational' and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating Name

The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

  • Legal name
  • Operating name (if applicable)

2. Please verify or provide the contact information of the designated business or organization contact person for this questionnaire and correct where needed.

Note: The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire.

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Preferred language of communication
    • English
    • French
  • Mailing address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province, territory or state
  • Postal code or ZIP code
  • Country
    • Canada
    • United States
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
    The maximum number of characters is 5.
  • Fax number (including area code)

3. Please verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

  • Operational
  • Not currently operational
    Why is this business or organization not currently operational?
    • Seasonal operations
      • When did this business or organization close for the season?
        • Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        • Date
    • Ceased operations
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Bankruptcy
        • Liquidation
        • Dissolution
        • Other - Specify the other reasons for ceased operations
    • Sold operations
      • When was this business or organization sold?
        • Date
      • What is the legal name of the buyer?
    • Amalgamated with other businesses or organizations
      • When did this business or organization amalgamate?
        • Date
      • What is the legal name of the resulting or continuing business or organization?
      • What are the legal names of the other amalgamated businesses or organizations?
    • Temporarily inactive but will re-open
      • When did this business or organization become temporarily inactive?
        • Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        • Date
      • Why is this business or organization temporarily inactive?
    • No longer operating due to other reasons
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?

4. Please verify or provide the current main activity of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

Note: The described activity was assigned using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

This question verifies the business or organization's current main activity as classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS, are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational units targeted by this questionnaire only, as identified in the 'Answering this questionnaire' section and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

The following is the detailed description including any applicable examples or exclusions for the classification currently associated with this business or organization.

Description and examples

  • This is the current main activity.
    Please provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's main activity.
    • e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development
  • This is not the current main activity.

Main activity

5. You indicated that is not the current main activity.

Was this business or organization's main activity ever classified as: ?

  • Yes
    When did the main activity change?
    • Date
  • No

6. Please search and select the industry classification code that best corresponds to this business or organization's main activity.

Select this business or organization's activity sector (optional)

  • Farming or logging operation
  • Construction company or general contractor
  • Manufacturer
  • Wholesaler
  • Retailer
  • Provider of passenger or freight transportation
  • Provider of investment, savings or insurance products
  • Real estate agency, real estate brokerage or leasing company
  • Provider of professional, scientific or technical services
  • Provider of health care or social services
  • Restaurant, bar, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment
  • Other sector

7. You have indicated that the current main activity of this business or organization is:

Main activity

Are there any other activities that contribute significantly (at least 10%) to this business or organization's revenue?

  • Yes, there are other activities.
    Please provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's secondary activity.
    • e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development
  • No, that is the only significant activity.

8. Approximately what percentage of this business or organization's revenue is generated by each of the following activities?

When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimates.

Approximately what percentage of this business or organization's revenue is generated by each of the following activities?
  Percentage of revenue
Main activity  
Secondary activity  
All other activities  
Total percentage  

Reporting period information

1. What are the start and end dates of this business's or organization's most recently completed fiscal year?

Note: For the survey, the end date should fall between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.

Here are twelve common fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:

  • May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021
  • June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021
  • July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021
  • August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021
  • September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
  • October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021
  • November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021
  • December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2021
  • January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
  • February 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022
  • March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022
  • April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the required dates:

  • September 18, 2020 to September 15, 2021 (e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 (e.g., a newly opened business)
  • Fiscal Year Start date
  • Fiscal Year-End date

2. What is the reason the reporting period does not cover a full year?

Select all that apply.

  • Seasonal operations
  • New business
  • Change of ownership
  • Temporarily inactive
  • Change of fiscal year
  • Ceased operations
  • Other
    Specify reason the reporting period does not cover a full year

Additional reporting instructions

1. Throughout this questionnaire, please report financial information in thousands of Canadian dollars.

For example, an amount of $763,880.25 should be reported as:

CAN$ '000: $764,000

I will report in the format above

Revenue

1. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what was this business's revenue from each of the following sources?

Notes:

  • a detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections
  • these questions are asked of many different industries. Some questions may not apply to this business

Please report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Revenue

  1. Sales of goods and services (e.g., fees, commissions, services revenue)
    • Report net of returns and allowances.
    • Sales of goods and services are defined as amounts derived from the sale of goods and services (cash or credit), falling within a business's ordinary activities. Sales should be reported net of trade discount, value added tax and other taxes based on sales.
    • Include:
      • sales from Canadian locations (domestic and export sales)
      • transfers to other business units or a head office of your firm.
    • Exclude:
      • transfers into inventory and consignment sales
      • federal, provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes
      • intercompany sales in consolidated financial statements.
  2. Rental and leasing
    • Include: rental or leasing of apartments, commercial buildings, land, office space, residential housing, investments in co-tenancies and co-ownerships, hotel or motel rooms, long and short term vehicle leasing, machinery or equipment, storage lockers, etc.
  3. Commissions
    • Include: commissions earned on the sale of products or services by businesses such as advertising agencies, brokers, insurance agents, lottery ticket sales, sales representatives and travel agencies - compensation could also be reported under this item (for example, compensation for collecting sales tax)
  4. Subsidies (including grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships)
    • Include:
      • non-repayable grants, contributions and subsidies from all levels of government
      • revenue from private sector (corporate and individual) sponsorships, donations and fundraising.
  5. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees
    • A royalty is defined as a payment received by the holder of a copyright, trademark or patent.
    • Include revenue received from the sale or use of all intellectual property rights of copyrighted materials such as musical, literary, artistic or dramatic works, sound recordings or the broadcasting of communication signals.
  6. Dividends
    • Include:
      • dividend income
      • dividends from Canadian sources
      • dividends from foreign sources
      • patronage dividends.
    • Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.
  7. Interest
    • Include:
      • investment revenue
      • interest from foreign sources
      • interest from Canadian bonds and debentures
      • interest from Canadian mortgage loans
      • interest from other Canadian sources.
    • Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.
  8. All other revenue (Include intracompany transfers)
    • Include amounts not included in questions a. to g.
    Total revenue
    • The sum of sub-questions a. to h.
  CAN$ '000
a. Sales of goods and services
Include sales, commissions, rental and leasing revenue if they are this business's primary revenue source.
 
b. Rental and leasing
Report only if this is a secondary revenue source. If rental and leasing are your primary revenue source, report at question a.
 
c. Commissions
Report only if this is a secondary revenue source. If commissions are your primary revenue source, report at question a.
 
d. Subsidies
Include grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships.
 
e. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
f. Dividends  
g. Interest  
h. Other
Include intracompany transfers.
Specify all other revenue:
 
Total revenue  

Expenses

1. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's expenses for the following items?

Notes:

  • a detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections
  • these questions are asked of many different industries. Some questions may not apply to this business

Please report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Expenses

  1. Cost of goods sold
    • Many business units distinguish their costs of materials from their other business expenses (selling, general and administrative). This item is included to allow you to easily record your costs/expenses according to your normal accounting practices.
    • Include:
      • cost of raw materials and/or goods purchased for resale - net of discounts earned on purchases
      • freight in and duty.
    • Exclude all costs associated with salaries, wages, benefits, commissions and subcontracts (report at Employment costs and expenses, and Subcontracts).
  2. Employment costs and expenses
    • b1. Salaries, wages and commissions
    • Please report all salaries and wages (including taxable allowances and employment commissions as defined on the T4 - Statement of Remuneration Paid) before deductions for this reporting period.
    • Include:
      • vacation pay
      • bonuses (including profit sharing)
      • employee commissions
      • taxable allowances (e.g., room and board, vehicle allowances, gifts such as airline tickets for holidays)
      • severance pay.
    • Exclude all payments and expenses associated with casual labour and outside contract workers (report at Subcontracts).
    • b2. Employee benefits
    • Include contributions to:
      • health plans
      • insurance plans
      • employment insurance
      • pension plans
      • workers' compensation
      • association dues
      • contributions to any other employee benefits such as child care and supplementary unemployment benefit (SUB) plans
      • contributions to provincial and territorial health and education payroll taxes.
  3. Subcontracts
    • Subcontract expense refers to the purchasing of services from outside of the company rather than providing them in-house.
    • Include:
      • hired casual labour and outside contract workers
      • custom work and contract work
      • subcontract and outside labour
      • hired labour.
  4. Research and development fees
    • Expenses from activities conducted with the intention of making a discovery that could either lead to the development of new products or procedures, or to the improvement of existing products or procedures.
  5. Professional and business fees
    • Include:
      • legal services
      • accounting and auditing fees
      • consulting fees
      • education and training fees
      • appraisal fees
      • management and administration fees
      • property management fees
      • information technology (IT) consulting and service fees (purchased)
      • architectural fees
      • engineering fees
      • scientific and technical service fees
      • other consulting fees (management, technical and scientific)
      • veterinary fees
      • fees for human health services
      • payroll preparation fees
      • all other professional and business service fees.
    • Exclude service fees paid to Head Office (report at All other costs and expenses).
  6. Utilities
    • Utility expenses related to operating your business unit such as water, electricity, gas, heating and hydro.
    • Include:
      • diesel, fuel wood, natural gas, oil and propane
      • sewage.
    • Exclude:
      • energy expenses covered in your rental and leasing contracts
      • telephone, Internet and other telecommunications
      • vehicle fuel (report at All other costs and expenses).
  7. Office and computer related expenses
    • Include:
      • office stationery and supplies, paper and other supplies for photocopiers, printers and fax machines
      • postage and courier (used in the day to day office business activity)
      • computer and peripherals upgrade expenses
      • data processing.
    • Exclude telephone, Internet and other telecommunication expenses (report at Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication).
  8. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication
    • Include:
      • internet
      • telephone and telecommunications
      • cellular telephone
      • fax machine
      • pager.
  9. Business taxes, licenses and permits
    • Include:
      • property taxes paid directly and property transfer taxes
      • vehicle license fees
      • beverage taxes and business taxes
      • trade license fees
      • membership fees and professional license fees
      • provincial capital tax.
  10. Royalties, franchise fees and memberships
    • Include:
      • amounts paid to holders of patents, copyrights, performing rights and trademarks
      • gross overriding royalty expenses and direct royalty costs
      • resident and non-resident royalty expenses
      • franchise fees.
    • Exclude Crown royalties
  11. Crown charges
    • Federal or Provincial royalty, tax, lease or rental payments made in relation to the acquisition, development or ownership of Canadian resource properties.
    • Include:
      • Crown royalties
      • Crown leases and rentals
      • oil sand leases
      • stumpage fees.
  12. Rental and leasing
    • Include:
      • lease rental expenses, real estate rental expenses, condominium fees and equipment rental expenses
      • motor vehicle rental and leasing expenses
      • studio lighting and scaffolding
      • machinery and equipment rental expenses
      • storage expenses
      • road and construction equipment rental
      • fuel and other utility costs covered in your rental and leasing contracts.
  13. Repair and maintenance
    • Include:
      • buildings and structures
      • machinery and equipment
      • security equipment
      • vehicles
      • costs related to materials, parts and external labour associated with these expenses
      • janitorial and cleaning services and garbage removal.
  14. Amortization and depreciation
    • Include:
      • direct cost depreciation of tangible assets and amortization of leasehold improvements
      • amortization of intangible assets (e.g., amortization of goodwill, patents, franchises, copyrights, trademarks, deferred charges, organizational costs).
  15. Insurance
    • Insurance recovery income should be deducted from insurance expenses.
    • Include:
      • professional and other liability insurance
      • motor vehicle and property insurance
      • executive life insurance
      • bonding, business interruption insurance and fire insurance.
  16. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment
    • Include:
      • newspaper advertising and media expenses
      • catalogues, presentations and displays
      • tickets for theatre, concerts and sporting events for business promotion
      • fundraising expenses
      • meals, entertainment and hospitality purchases for clients.
  17. Travel, meetings and conventions
    • Include:
      • travel expenses
      • meeting and convention expenses, seminars
      • passenger transportation (e.g., airfare, bus, train)
      • accommodations
      • travel allowance and meals while travelling
      • other travel expenses.
  18. Financial services
    • Include:
      • explicit service charges for financial services
      • credit and debit card commissions and charges
      • collection expenses and transfer fees
      • registrar and transfer agent fees
      • security and exchange commission fees
      • other financial service fees.
    • Exclude interest expenses (report at Interest expense).
  19. Interest expense
    • Report the cost of servicing your company's debt.
    • Include:
      • interest
      • bank charges
      • finance charges
      • interest payments on capital leases
      • amortization of bond discounts
      • interest on short-term and long-term debt, mortgages, bonds and debentures.
  20. Other non-production-related costs and expenses
    • Include:
      • charitable donations and political contributions
      • bad debt expense
      • loan losses
      • provisions for loan losses (minus bad debt recoveries)
      • inventory adjustments.
  21. All other costs and expenses (including intracompany expenses)
    • Include:
      • production costs
      • pipeline operations, drilling, site restoration
      • gross overriding royalty
      • other producing property rentals
      • well operating, fuel and equipment
      • other lease rentals
      • other direct costs
      • equipment hire and operation
      • log yard expense, forestry costs, logging road costs
      • freight in and duty
      • overhead expenses allocated to cost of sales
      • other expenses
      • cash over/short (negative expense)
      • reimbursement of parent company expense
      • warranty expense
      • recruiting expenses
      • general and administrative expenses
      • interdivisional expenses
      • interfund transfer (minus expense recoveries)
      • exploration and development (including prospect/geological, well abandonment & dry holes, exploration expenses, development expenses)
      • amounts not included in sub-questions a. to t. above.
    Total expenses
    • The sum of sub-questions a. to u.
For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's expenses for the following items?
  CAN$ '000
a. Cost of goods sold  
a1. Opening inventories  
a2. Purchases
Include raw materials, goods purchased for resale and non-returnable containers.
Exclude change in inventories.
 
a3. Closing inventories  
a4. Cost of goods sold
Opening inventories plus purchases minus closing inventories.
 
b. Employment costs and expenses
Include all employees who were issued a T4.
Exclude commissions to be paid to non-employees, report at sub-question c.
 
b1. Salaries, wages and commissions  
b2. Employee benefits  
c. Subcontracts
Include commissions to non-employees.
Exclude research and development.
 
d. Research and development fees.
Exclude in-house research and development.
 
e. Professional and business fees
e.g., legal, accounting, consulting, scientific and property management fees
 
f. Utilities
e.g., electricity, water, gas
 
g. Office and computer related expenses
e.g., office supplies, postage, computer upgrades
 
h. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication  
i. Business taxes, licenses and permits
e.g., beverage tax, business tax, license fees, property taxes
 
j. Royalties, franchise fees and memberships
Exclude Crown royalties.
 
k. Crown charges
(for logging, mining and energy industries only)
 
l. Rental and leasing
Include land buildings, equipment, vehicles.
 
m. Repair and maintenance
Include buildings, equipment, vehicles.
 
n. Amortization and depreciation  
o. Insurance  
p. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment  
q. Travel, meetings and conventions  
r. Financial services
e.g., bank charges, transaction fees
 
s. Interest expense  
t. Other non-production-related costs and expenses
Include bad debts, loan losses, donations, political contributions and inventory write-down.
 
u. All other costs and expenses
Include intracompany expenses.
Specify all other costs and expenses:
 
Total expenses  

Industry characteristics

1. What were this business's sales for each of the following goods and services?

Please report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Sales

  1. Commissions earned from the sale of real estate and lots
    • Include commissions and fees earned from:
      • assisting buyers and sellers with the sale or re-sale of homes, buildings, businesses, lands and properties (include in trust amounts), while acting in an agency capacity
      • assisting owners of real estate to rent buildings, units, land and other types of real estate, while acting in an agency capacity
      • providing real estate auction services.
    • Exclude:
      • advising clients on property matters, but not acting in an agency capacity (report at Revenue from real estate consulting services)
      • handling rentals for an owner as part of an ongoing property management service (report at Other).
  2. Revenue received from independent real estate associates
    • Include commissions, fees and other revenues that are paid by independent real estate salespersons to this surveyed business. Some examples of these are desk fees, deal fees, charges for office space/use, publicity and advertising.
  3. Revenue from real estate consulting services
    • Providing advice and guidance to clients regarding real estate. Includes advice on real estate-related accountancy, financing and similar matters that are provided to the client independently of the actual provision of accountancy, financial and similar services.
    • Include:
      • expert witness services related to real estate
      • commercial and industrial location finding services.
    • Exclude advising clients on property matters, while acting in an agency capacity (report at Commissions earned from real estate and lots).
  4. Revenue from real estate appraisal services
    • Providing assessments of the value of real estate, in order to assist clients in buying, selling or financing the purchase of real estate or in dealing with tax matters.
    • Include:
      • conducting general real estate appraisals
      • reviewing of others' appraisals
      • conducting appraisals for taxation purposes.
    • Exclude providing advice about real estate and property matters, not associated with providing an appraisal (report at Revenue from real estate consulting services).
  5. Revenue from real estate listing services
    • Providing a register of real estate offered for sale in an area, in a printed directory, electronic database or other format.
  6. Revenue from rental or leasing of property directly owned by this business
    • Include the revenue received from the rental or leasing of property owned by this business only if it is earned as part of the normal real estate broker operations of the business.
    • Exclude income generated from the rental or leasing of properties that are owned or partially owned by the business as investment properties or other types of operations that are not related to the real estate broker operations.
  7. Other sales of goods and services - specify
    • Include:
      • ongoing property management services
      • referral fees (i.e. from mortgage brokers, financial institutions, etc.)
      • bad debt recoveries
      • miscellaneous sales and service revenue.
    Total sales of goods and services
    • The sum of questions 1a. to 1g.
What were this business's sales for each of the following goods and services?
  CAN$ '000
a. Commissions earned from the sale of real estate and lots
Include in trust amount.
 
b. Revenue received from independent real estate associates
e.g., desk fees, publicity and advertising
 
c. Revenue from real estate consulting services
e.g., expert witness services, commercial location finding services
 
d. Revenue from real estate appraisal services  
e. Revenue from real estate listing services  
f. Revenue from rental or leasing of property directly owned by this business  
g. Other
Specify all other sales of goods and services:
 
Total sales of goods and services  

2. What was the percentage breakdown of this business's commissions earned from the sale of real estate and lots (amount) for the following items?

Commercial property refers to all types of non-residential (including industrial and agricultural) real estate.

Percentage breakdown of the total reported at question 1a.

What was the percentage breakdown of this business's commissions earned from the sale of real estate and lots (amount) for the following items?
  Percentage
a. Sales of residential real estate and lots  
b. Rental of residential real estate and lots  
c. Sales of commercial real estate and lots  
d. Rental of commercial real estate and lots  
Total percentage  

3. What was the percentage breakdown of this business's revenue from rental or leasing of property directly owned by this business (amount) for the following?

Commercial property refers to all types of non-residential (including industrial and agricultural) real estate.

Percentage breakdown of the total reported at question 1f.

What was the percentage breakdown of this business's revenue from rental or leasing of property directly owned by this business (amount) for the following?
  Percentage
a. Revenue from rental and leasing of residential properties  
b. Revenue from rental and leasing of commercial properties  
Total percentage  

4. What were this business's expenses for each of the following types of commissions?

Please report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

  1. Commissions and fees paid to independent real estate salespersons
    • Include all commissions and fees paid to independent real estate salespersons if they are by some means contracted to you.
    • Exclude commissions paid to your employees (reported in Expenses section at question 1b. - Salaries and wages).
  2. Commissions and fees paid to other real estate brokers / real estate agencies
    • Include all commissions and fees paid to other real estate brokers for their actions in assisting in real estate transactions.
    Total commissions paid to non-employees
    • The sum of questions 4(a) and 4(b).
What were this business's expenses for each of the following types of commissions?
  CAN$ '000
a. Commissions and fees paid to independent real estate salespersons  
b. Commissions and fees paid to other real estate brokers / real estate agencies  
Total commissions paid to non-employees  

5. During the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD how many independent real estate salespersons were there?

  • Number of independent real estate salespersons during this reference period

Include persons that are licensed to sell or trade in real estate and are contracted to work for your enterprise; these independents may themselves be licensed or registered as brokers but if they are contracted to work as an independent salesperson, they are treated as such.

  • Number

COVID-19

1. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, did this business experience additional expenses in 2021 to comply with public health and safety guidelines or corporate guidelines to be allowed to operate?

Additional expenses could include: purchases of cleaning supplies, sanitation measures, protective equipment for employees or customers and costs to retrofit business operations (e.g., Plexiglass barriers, new equipment that facilitates physical distancing, additional labour costs).

Public health and safety guidelines refer to guidelines from a federal, provincial or municipal health agency.

  • Yes
    • What were the total additional expenses in fiscal year 2021?
    • Report in thousands of dollars. For expenses less than $500, enter "0".
    • When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimate.
      • Additional labour costs, if applicable (CAN$ '000)
      • Other additional expenses (CAN$ '000)
    • As a result of the additional expenses or business conditions, did this business delay plans to expand operating capacity or undertake investments?
      • Yes
      • No
  • No

2. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 which of the following ways did this business change operating methods?

Include both temporary and ongoing changes.

Select all that apply.

  • Adopt or expand upon a contact-less business model
    e.g., e-commerce sales, drive-through, delivery, curbside pickup, offer virtual services
  • Retrofit the workspace
  • Invest in e-commerce platforms
  • Use business intelligence technologies
    e.g., cloud-based computing systems and big data analytic tools
  • Develop new supply chains
  • Ask some or all employees to work from home
  • Introduce or accelerate the introduction of new goods and services
  • Increase prices charged to customers of certain goods and services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Decrease prices charged to customers of certain goods and services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Change marketing strategy
  • Include re-allocating marketing budget.
  • Increase marketing budget
  • Decrease marketing budget
  • Expand to new markets
  • Substitute capital for labour
    e.g., automation, robots for use in producing goods and services
  • Provided extra staff training
    e.g., job specific training, managerial training, training in new technology, training in new business practices, digital skills training, data literacy skills, other training and development
  • Downsize business activities
    e.g., reduce goods and services offered
  • Reduce labour costs
    e.g., lay off employees, furlough employees, request employees take vacation, reduce hours of employees, offer early retirement package, outsource work
  • Reduce costs other than labour costs
  • Take other actions
  • Specify the additional actions taken
    OR
  • No changes to operating methods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

3. Due to COVID-19, did this business receive public financial relief to avoid layoffs through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy or Temporary 10% Wage Subsidy programs?

  • Yes
    • How much did your business obtain through these means?
    • Financial relief received (CAN$ '000)
  • No

Notification of intent to web scrape

1. Does this business have a website?

Statistics Canada is piloting a web data extraction initiative, also known as web scraping, which uses software to search and compile publicly available data from business websites. As a result, we may visit the website for this business to search for, and compile, additional information. This initiative should allow us to reduce the reporting burden on businesses, as well as produce additional statistical indicators to ensure that our data remain accurate and relevant.

We will do our utmost to ensure the data are collected in a manner that will not affect the functionality of the website. Any data collected will be used by Statistics Canada for statistical and research purposes only, in accordance with the agency's mandate.

Please visit Statistics Canada's web scraping initiative page- this link will open in a new window for more information.

Please visit Statistics Canada's transparency and accountability page- this link will open in a new window to learn more.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Statistics Canada Client Services, toll-free at 1-877-949-9492 (TTY: 1-800-363-7629) or by email at infostats@canada.ca- this link will open in a new window. Additional information about this survey can be found by selecting the following link:

Changes or events

1. Indicate any changes or events that affected the reported values for this business or organization, compared with the last reporting period.

Select all that apply.

  • Strike or lock-out
  • Exchange rate impact
  • Price changes in goods or services sold
  • Contracting out
  • Organisational change
  • Price changes in labour or raw materials
  • Natural disaster
  • Recession
  • Change in product line
  • Sold business units
  • Expansion
  • New or lost contract
  • Plant closures
  • Acquisition of business units
  • Other
    Specify the other changes or events
  • No changes or events

Contact person

2. Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information.

Is the best person to contact?

  • Yes
  • No

Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Title
  • Email address
  • Telephone number (including area code)
  • Extension number (if applicable)
    The maximum number of characters is 5.
  • Fax number (including area code)

Feedback

3. How long did it take to complete this questionnaire?

Include the time spent gathering the necessary information.

  • Hours
  • Minutes

4. We invite your comments about this questionnaire.

Why are we conducting this survey?

This survey is conducted by Statistics Canada in order to collect the necessary information to support the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). This program combines various survey and administrative data to develop comprehensive measures of the Canadian economy.

The statistical information from the IBSP serves many purposes, including:

  • calculating each province and territory's fair share of federal-provincial transfer payments for health, education and social programs
  • establishing government programs to assist businesses
  • assisting the business community in negotiating contracts and collective agreements
  • supporting the government in making informed decisions about fiscal, monetary and foreign exchange policies
  • indexing social benefit programs and determining tax brackets
  • enabling academics and economists to analyze the economic performance of Canadian industries and to better understand rapidly evolving business environments.

Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Your participation in this survey is required under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Other important information

Authorization to collect this information

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Confidentiality

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent, or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes only.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the reporting burden, Statistics Canada may combine the acquired data with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Data-sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations.

Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Enterprise Statistics Division
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email at statcan.esd-helpdesk-dse-bureaudedepannage.statcan@canada.ca or by fax at 613-951-6583.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Business or organization and contact information

1. Verify or provide the business or organization's legal and operating name and correct where needed.

Note: Legal name modifications should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

Legal Name
The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting 'Not currently operational' and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating Name
The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

Legal name

Operating name (if applicable)

2. Verify or provide the contact information of the designated business or organization contact person for this questionnaire and correct where needed.

Note: The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire.

First name

Last name

Title

Preferred language of communication

  • English
  • French

Mailing address (number and street)

City

Province, territory or state

Postal code or ZIP code

Country

  • Canada
  • United States

Email address

Telephone number (including area code)

Extension number (if applicable)
The maximum number of characters is 10.

Fax number (including area code)

3. Verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

  • Operational
  • Not currently operational
    Why is this business or organization not currently operational?
    • Seasonal operations
      • When did this business or organization close for the season?
        Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        Date
    • Ceased operations
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?
        • Bankruptcy
        • Liquidation
        • Dissolution
        • Other
          Specify the other reasons why the operations ceased
    • Sold operations
      • When was this business or organization sold?
        Date
      • What is the legal name of the buyer?
    • Amalgamated with other businesses or organizations
      • When did this business or organization amalgamate?
        Date
      • What is the legal name of the resulting or continuing business or organization?
      • What are the legal names of the other amalgamated businesses or organizations?
    • Temporarily inactive but will re-open
      • When did this business or organization become temporarily inactive?
        Date
      • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
        Date
      • Why is this business or organization temporarily inactive?
    • No longer operating due to other reasons
      • When did this business or organization cease operations?
        Date
      • Why did this business or organization cease operations?

4. Verify or provide the current main activity of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

Note: The described activity was assigned using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

This question verifies the business or organization's current main activity as classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS , are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational units targeted by this questionnaire only, as identified in the 'Answering this questionnaire' section and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

The following is the detailed description including any applicable examples or exclusions for the classification currently associated with this business or organization.

Description and examples

  • This is the current main activity
    Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's main activity
    e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development
  • This is not the current main activity

Main activity

5. You indicated that is not the current main activity.

Was this business or organization's main activity ever classified as: ?

  • Yes
    When did the main activity change?
    Date
  • No

6. Search and select the industry classification code that best corresponds to this business or organization's main activity.

Select this business or organization's activity sector (optional)

  • Farming or logging operation
  • Construction company or general contractor
  • Manufacturer
  • Wholesaler
  • Retailer
  • Provider of passenger or freight transportation
  • Provider of investment, savings or insurance products
  • Real estate agency, real estate brokerage or leasing company
  • Provider of professional, scientific or technical services
  • Provider of health care or social services
  • Restaurant, bar, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment
  • Other sector

7. You have indicated that the current main activity of this business or organization is:

Main activity

Are there any other activities that contribute significantly (at least 10%) to this business or organization's revenue?

  • Yes, there are other activities
    Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's secondary activity
    e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development
  • No, that is the only significant activity

8. Approximately what percentage of this business or organization's revenue is generated by each of the following activities?

When precise figures are not available, provide your best estimates.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage of revenue
Main activity  
Secondary activity  
All other activities  
Total percentage  

Reporting period information

1. What are the start and end dates of this business's or organization's most recently completed fiscal year?

For this survey, the end date should fall between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.

Here are twelve common fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:

  • May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021
  • June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021
  • July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021
  • August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021
  • September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
  • October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021
  • November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021
  • December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2021
  • January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
  • February 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022
  • March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022
  • April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the required dates:

  • September 18, 2020 to September 15, 2021 (e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 (e.g., a newly opened business).

Fiscal year start date

Fiscal year-end date

2. What is the reason the reporting period does not cover a full year?

Select all that apply.

  • Seasonal operations
  • New business
  • Change of ownership
  • Temporarily inactive
  • Change of fiscal year
  • Ceased operations
  • Other - Specify reason the reporting period does not cover a full year

Additional reporting instructions

1. Throughout this questionnaire, please report financial information in thousands of Canadian dollars.

For example, an amount of $763,880.25 should be reported as:

CAN$ '000 : $764,000

I will report in the format above

Revenue

1. For the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what was this business's revenue from each of the following sources?

Notes:

  • a detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections
  • these questions are asked of many different industries. Some questions may not apply to this business

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Revenue

a. Sales of goods and services ( e.g., fees, commissions, services revenue)

Report net of returns and allowances.

Sales of goods and services are defined as amounts derived from the sale of goods and services (cash or credit), falling within a business's ordinary activities. Sales should be reported net of trade discount, value added tax and other taxes based on sales.

Include:

  • sales from Canadian locations (domestic and export sales)
  • transfers to other business units or a head office of your firm.

Exclude:

  • transfers into inventory and consignment sales
  • federal, provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes
  • intercompany sales in consolidated financial statements.

b. Rental and leasing

Include rental or leasing of apartments, commercial buildings, land, office space, residential housing, investments in co-tenancies and co-ownerships, hotel or motel rooms, long and short term vehicle leasing, machinery or equipment, storage lockers, etc.

c. Commissions

Include commissions earned on the sale of products or services by businesses such as advertising agencies, brokers, insurance agents, lottery ticket sales, sales representatives and travel agencies - compensation could also be reported under this item (for example, compensation for collecting sales tax).

d. Subsidies (including grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships)

Include:

  • non-repayable grants, contributions and subsidies from all levels of government
  • revenue from private sector (corporate and individual) sponsorships, donations and fundraising.

e. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees

A royalty is defined as a payment received by the holder of a copyright, trademark or patent.

Include revenue received from the sale or use of all intellectual property rights of copyrighted materials such as musical, literary, artistic or dramatic works, sound recordings or the broadcasting of communication signals.

f. Dividends

Include:

  • dividend income
  • dividends from Canadian sources
  • dividends from foreign sources
  • patronage dividends.

Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.

g. Interest

Include:

  • investment revenue
  • interest from foreign sources
  • interest from Canadian bonds and debentures
  • interest from Canadian mortgage loans
  • interest from other Canadian sources.

Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.

h. All other revenue (Include intracompany transfers)

Include amounts not included in questions a. to g.

Total revenue

The sum of sub-questions a. to h.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  CAN$ '000
a. Sales of goods and services  
b. Rental and leasing  
c. Commissions  
d. Subsidies  
e. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
f. Dividends  
g. Interest  
h. Other  
Total revenue  

E-commerce

The following questions are about e-commerce activities.

E-commerce revenue: Sales of goods and services conducted over the Internet with or without online payment.

Include all revenue for which an order is received and commitment to purchase is made via the Internet, although payment can be made by other means, such as orders made on web pages, an extranet, mobile devices or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Exclude orders made by telephone, facsimile or email.

Sales from automated kiosks located within the business's establishments are excluded from E-commerce sales.

1. For the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what was this business's total revenue?

Include:

  • sales of goods and services
  • rental, leasing and property management
  • commissions
  • subsidies, grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships
  • royalties
  • rights
  • licensing and franchise fees
  • dividends, interest and other revenue.

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Total revenue in CAN$ '000

2. For the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business have any e-commerce revenue?

E-commerce revenue: Sales of goods and services conducted over the Internet with or without online payment.

Include all revenue for which an order is received and commitment to purchase is made via the Internet, although payment can be made by other means, such as orders made on web pages, an extranet, mobile devices or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Exclude orders made by telephone, facsimile or email.

  • Yes
  • No

3. Of the [amount] reported in total revenue, what was the total e-commerce revenue?

When precise figures are not available, provide your best estimates.

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Total e-commerce revenue in CAN$ '000

4. For the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business make sales over the Internet through any of the following methods?

Select all that apply.

  • Mobile app
    Include sales through any app, or application, that is downloaded and designed to run on a handheld device such as a smartphone or tablet (for example, places where a user may download these apps, including Apple's App Store, Google Play or Blackberry App World).
  • Company website
    Include sales through a browser-based website where your organization maintains control of the content.
  • Third-party website
    Include sales through a browser-based website where a third-party maintains the structure of the website and control of the look and feel while your company only provides the product to be sold (for example, Amazon, Expedia or Etsy).
  • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
    A standard format for exchanging business data. EDI is based on the use of message standards, ensuring that all participants use a common language.
  • Via a mobile app
  • Via your company website
  • Via a third-party website
  • Via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
  • Other - Specify the other methods

5. Does this business have any full-time staff dedicated solely to activities related to e-commerce?

  • Yes
  • No

6. Why did this business not make sales over the Internet?

Select all that apply.

  • Goods and services do not lend themselves to online sales
  • Prefer to maintain current business model
  • Lack of skilled workers to implement and maintain e-commerce infrastructure
  • Cost of development is too high
  • Security concerns
  • Other - Specify the other reasons

Expenses

1. For the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's expenses for the following items?

Notes:

  • a detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections
  • these questions are asked of many different industries. Some questions may not apply to this business

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Expenses

a. Cost of goods sold

Many business units distinguish their costs of materials from their other business expenses (selling, general and administrative). This item is included to allow you to easily record your costs/expenses according to your normal accounting practices.

Include:

  • cost of raw materials and/or goods purchased for resale - net of discounts earned on purchases
  • freight in and duty.

Exclude all costs associated with salaries, wages, benefits, commissions and subcontracts (report at Employment costs and expenses, and Subcontracts).

b. Employment costs and expenses

b1. Salaries, wages and commissions

Please report all salaries and wages (including taxable allowances and employment commissions as defined on the T4 - Statement of Remuneration Paid) before deductions for this reporting period.

Include:

  • vacation pay
  • bonuses (including profit sharing)
  • employee commissions
  • taxable allowances ( e.g., room and board, vehicle allowances, gifts such as airline tickets for holidays)
  • severance pay.

Exclude all payments and expenses associated with casual labour and outside contract workers (report at Subcontracts).

b2. Employee benefits

Include contributions to:

  • health plans
  • insurance plans
  • employment insurance
  • pension plans
  • workers' compensation
  • association dues
  • contributions to any other employee benefits such as child care and supplementary unemployment benefit (SUB) plans
  • contributions to provincial and territorial health and education payroll taxes.

c. Subcontracts

Subcontract expense refers to the purchasing of services from outside of the company rather than providing them in-house.

Include:

  • hired casual labour and outside contract workers
  • custom work and contract work
  • subcontract and outside labour
  • hired labour.

d. Research and development fees

Expenses from activities conducted with the intention of making a discovery that could either lead to the development of new products or procedures, or to the improvement of existing products or procedures.

e. Professional and business fees

Include:

  • legal services
  • accounting and auditing fees
  • consulting fees
  • education and training fees
  • appraisal fees
  • management and administration fees
  • property management fees
  • information technology (IT) consulting and service fees (purchased)
  • architectural fees
  • engineering fees
  • scientific and technical service fees
  • other consulting fees (management, technical and scientific)
  • veterinary fees
  • fees for human health services
  • payroll preparation fees
  • all other professional and business service fees.

Exclude service fees paid to Head Office (report at All other costs and expenses).

f. Utilities

Utility expenses related to operating your business unit such as water, electricity, gas and heating.

Include:

  • diesel, fuel wood, natural gas, oil and propane
  • sewage.

Exclude:

  • energy expenses covered in your rental and leasing contracts
  • telephone, Internet and other telecommunications
  • vehicle fuel (report at All other costs and expenses).

g. Office and computer related expenses

Include:

  • office stationery and supplies, paper and other supplies for photocopiers, printers and fax machines
  • postage and courier (used in the day to day office business activity)
  • computer and peripherals upgrade expenses
  • data processing.

Exclude telephone, Internet and other telecommunication expenses (report at Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication).

h. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication

Include:

  • internet
  • telephone and telecommunications
  • cellular telephone
  • fax machine
  • pager.

i. Business taxes, licenses and permits

Include:

  • property taxes paid directly and property transfer taxes
  • vehicle license fees
  • beverage taxes and business taxes
  • trade license fees
  • membership fees and professional license fees
  • provincial capital tax.

j. Royalties, franchise fees and memberships

Include:

  • amounts paid to holders of patents, copyrights, performing rights and trademarks
  • gross overriding royalty expenses and direct royalty costs
  • resident and non-resident royalty expenses
  • franchise fees.

Exclude Crown royalties

k. Crown charges

Federal or Provincial royalty, tax, lease or rental payments made in relation to the acquisition, development or ownership of Canadian resource properties.

Include:

  • Crown royalties
  • Crown leases and rentals
  • oil sand leases
  • stumpage fees.

l. Rental and leasing

Include:

  • lease rental expenses, real estate rental expenses, condominium fees and equipment rental expenses
  • motor vehicle rental and leasing expenses
  • studio lighting and scaffolding
  • machinery and equipment rental expenses
  • storage expenses
  • road and construction equipment rental
  • fuel and other utility costs covered in your rental and leasing contracts.

m. Repair and maintenance

Include:

  • buildings and structures
  • machinery and equipment
  • security equipment
  • vehicles
  • costs related to materials, parts and external labour associated with these expenses
  • janitorial and cleaning services and garbage removal.

n. Amortization and depreciation

Include:

  • direct cost depreciation of tangible assets and amortization of leasehold improvements
  • amortization of intangible assets e.g., amortization of goodwill, patents, franchises, copyrights, trademarks, deferred charges, organizational costs).

o. Insurance

Insurance recovery income should be deducted from insurance expenses.

Include:

  • professional and other liability insurance
  • motor vehicle and property insurance
  • executive life insurance
  • bonding, business interruption insurance and fire insurance.

p. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment

Include:

  • newspaper advertising and media expenses
  • catalogues, presentations and displays
  • tickets for theatre, concerts and sporting events for business promotion
  • fundraising expenses
  • meals, entertainment and hospitality purchases for clients.

q. Travel, meetings and conventions

Include:

  • travel expenses
  • meeting and convention expenses, seminars
  • passenger transportation ( e.g., airfare, bus, train)
  • accommodations
  • travel allowance and meals while travelling
  • other travel expenses.

r. Financial services

Include:

  • explicit service charges for financial services
  • credit and debit card commissions and charges
  • collection expenses and transfer fees
  • registrar and transfer agent fees
  • security and exchange commission fees
  • other financial service fees.

Exclude interest expenses (report at Interest expense).

s. Interest expense

Report the cost of servicing your company's debt.

Include:

  • interest
  • bank charges
  • finance charges
  • interest payments on capital leases
  • amortization of bond discounts
  • interest on short-term and long-term debt, mortgages, bonds and debentures.

t. Other non-production-related costs and expenses

Include:

  • charitable donations and political contributions
  • bad debt expense
  • loan losses
  • provisions for loan losses (minus bad debt recoveries)
  • inventory adjustments.

u. All other costs and expenses (including intracompany expenses)

Include:

  • production costs
  • pipeline operations, drilling, site restoration
  • gross overriding royalty
  • other producing property rentals
  • well operating, fuel and equipment
  • other lease rentals
  • other direct costs
  • equipment hire and operation
  • log yard expense, forestry costs, logging road costs
  • freight in and duty
  • overhead expenses allocated to cost of sales
  • other expenses
  • cash over/short (negative expense)
  • reimbursement of parent company expense
  • warranty expense
  • recruiting expenses
  • general and administrative expenses
  • interdivisional expenses
  • interfund transfer (minus expense recoveries)
  • exploration and development (including prospect/geological, well abandonment and dry holes, exploration expenses, development expenses)
  • amounts not included in sub-questions a. to t. above.

Total expenses

The sum of sub-questions a. to u.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  CAN$ '000
a. Cost of goods sold  
Opening inventories  
Purchases  
Closing inventories  
Cost of goods sold  
b. Employment costs and expenses  
Salaries, wages and commissions  
Employee benefits  
c. Subcontracts  
d. Research and development fees  
e. Professional and business fees  
f. Utilities  
g. Office and computer related expenses  
h. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication  
i. Business taxes, licenses and permits  
j. Royalties, franchise fees and memberships  
k. Crown charges  
l. Rental and leasing  
m. Repair and maintenance  
n. Amortization and depreciation  
o. Insurance  
p. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment  
q. Travel, meetings and conventions  
r. Financial services  
s. Interest expense  
t. Other non-production-related costs and expenses  
u. All other costs and expenses  
Total expenses   

Industry characteristics

1. What were this business's sales for each of the following goods and services?

Please report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Exclude subsidies, royalties, dividend and interest revenue.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  CAN$ '000
Admission receipts  
Golf courses and country clubs  
Skiing facilities  
Fitness and recreational sports centres  
Amusement parks and arcades  
Bowling centres  
Other amusement and recreational facilities  
Marina services  
Spa services  
Corporate and party event services  
Sports and recreation occupation services  
Rental of facilities  
Rental of traveller accommodations  
Rental of recreational goods and equipment  
Repair and maintenance of sporting, fitness and recreational vehicles and equipment  
Registration fees for sports tournaments and matches  
Advertising revenue  
Sales of food and non-alcoholic beverages  
Sales of alcoholic beverages  
Sales of merchandise  
Other  
Total sales of goods and services  

Sales by type of client

1. What was this business's breakdown of sales by the following types of client?

Sales by type of client

This section is designed to measure which sector of the economy purchases your services.

Please provide a percentage breakdown of your sales by type of client.

Please ensure that the sum of percentages reported in this section equals 100%.

a. to c. Clients in Canada

a. Individuals and households

Please report the percentage of sales to individuals and households who do not represent the business or government sector.

b. Businesses

Percentage of sales sold to the business sector should be reported here.

Include sales to Crown corporations.

c. Governments, not-for-profit organizations and public institutions e.g., hospitals, schools)

Percentage of sales to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments should be reported here.

Include: sales to hospitals, schools, universities and public utilities.

d. Clients outside Canada

Please report the percentage of total sales to customers or clients located outside Canada including foreign businesses, foreign individuals, foreign institutions and/or governments.

Include sales to foreign subsidiaries and affiliates.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
Clients in Canada — individuals and households  
Clients in Canada — businesses  
Clients in Canada — governments, not-for-profit organizations and public institutions  
Clients outside Canada  
Total percentage  

International transactions - revenue received from exports

1. During the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business receive revenue from clients outside Canada for the sale of products, services, royalties, rights, licensing or franchise fees?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

  • Yes
  • No

International transactions - revenue received from exports

2. What was the revenue received from clients outside Canada?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

Revenue received ( CAN$ '000 )

3. What was the percentage breakdown of revenue received from clients outside Canada by goods, services and royalties?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
Goods  
Services  
Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
Total percentage  

4. What was the percentage breakdown of revenue received from clients outside Canada by country?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
United States  
Mexico  
Provide the percentage of revenue received from any other countries - top 4 clients only  
Other country 1  
Other country 2  
Other country 3  
Other country 4  
Total percentage  

International transactions - purchases from outside Canada (imports)

5. During the reporting period YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business make payments to suppliers outside Canada for the purchase of products, services, royalties, rights, licensing or franchise fees?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

  • Yes
  • No

6. What were the payments made to suppliers outside Canada?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

Payments made ( CAN$ '000 )

7. What was the percentage breakdown of payments made to suppliers outside Canada by goods, services and royalties?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
Goods  
Services  
Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
Total percentage  

8. What was the percentage breakdown of payments made to suppliers outside Canada by country?

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licensing fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
United States  
Mexico  
Provide the percentage of payments made to any other countries - top 4 suppliers only  
Other country 1  
Other country 2  
Other country 3  
Other country 4  
Total percentage  

COVID-19

1. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, did this business experience additional expenses in 2021 to comply with public health and safety guidelines or corporate guidelines to be allowed to operate?

Additional expenses could include: purchases of cleaning supplies, sanitation measures, protective equipment for employees or customers and costs to retrofit business operations (e.g., Plexiglass barriers, new equipment that facilitates physical distancing, additional labour costs).
Public health and safety guidelines refer to guidelines from a federal, provincial or municipal health agency.

Yes

What were the total additional expenses in fiscal year 2021?
Report in thousands of dollars. For expenses less than $500, enter "0".
When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimate.

Additional labour costs, if applicable (CAN$ '000)
$ ,000
Other additional expenses (CAN$ '000)
$ ,000

As a result of the additional expenses or business conditions, did this business delay plans to expand operating capacity or undertake investments?

No

2. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 which of the following ways did this business change operating methods? 

Include both temporary and ongoing changes.

Select all that apply.

  • Adopt or expand upon a contact-less business model (e.g., e-commerce sales, drive-through, delivery, curbside pickup, offer virtual services )
  • Retrofit the workspace
  • Invest in e-commerce platforms
  • Use business intelligence technologies (e.g., cloud-based computing systems and big data analytic tools)
  • Develop new supply chains
  • Ask some or all employees to work from home
  • Introduce or accelerate the introduction of new goods and services
  • Increase prices charged to customers of certain goods and services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Decrease prices charged to customers of certain goods and services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Change marketing strategy (Include re-allocating marketing budget)
  • Increase marketing budget
  • Decrease marketing budget
  • Expand to new markets
  • Substitute capital for labour (e.g., automation, robots for use in producing goods and services)
  • Provided extra staff training (e.g., job specific training, managerial training, training in new technology, training in new business practices, digital skills training, data literacy skills, other training and development)
  • Downsize business activities (e.g., reduce goods and services offered)
  • Reduce labour costs (e.g., lay off employees, furlough employees, request employees take vacation, reduce hours of employees, offer early retirement package, outsource work)
  • Reduce costs other than labour costs
  • Take other actions
  • Specify the additional actions taken

    OR

  • No changes to operating methods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

3. Due to COVID-19, did this business receive public financial relief to avoid layoffs through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy or Temporary 10% Wage Subsidy programs?

Yes
How much did your business obtain through these means?
Financial relief received (CAN$ '000)
$ ,000

No

Notification of intent to extract web data

1. Does this business have a website?

Statistics Canada is piloting a web data extraction initiative, also known as web scraping, which uses software to search and compile publicly available data from business websites. As a result, we may visit the website for this business to search for, and compile, additional information. This initiative should allow us to reduce the reporting burden on businesses, as well as produce additional statistical indicators to ensure that our data remain accurate and relevant.

We will do our utmost to ensure the data are collected in a manner that will not affect the functionality of the website. Any data collected will be used by Statistics Canada for statistical and research purposes only, in accordance with the agency's mandate.

Please visit Statistics Canada's web scraping initiative page for more information.

Please visit Statistics Canada's transparency and accountability page to learn more.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Statistics Canada Client Services, toll-free at 1-877-949-9492 (TTY: 1-800-363-7629) or by email at infostats@canada.ca.

Changes or events

1. Indicate any changes or events that affected the reported values for this business or organization, compared with the last reporting period.

Select all that apply.

  • Strike or lock-out
  • Exchange rate impact
  • Price changes in goods or services sold
  • Contracting out
  • Organizational change
  • Price changes in labour or raw materials
  • Natural disaster
  • Recession
  • Change in product line
  • Sold business or business units
  • Expansion
  • New or lost contract
  • Plant closures
  • Acquisition of business or business units
  • Other - Specify the other changes or events:
  • No changes or events

Contact person

2. Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information.

Is the provided given names and the provided family name the best person to contact?

  • Yes
  • No

Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?

First name:

Last name:

Title:

Email address:

Telephone number (including area code):

Extension number (if applicable):
The maximum number of characters is 5.

Fax number (including area code):

Feedback

3. How long did it take to complete this questionnaire?

Include the time spent gathering the necessary information.

Hours:

Minutes:

4. Do you have any comments about this questionnaire?