Data Stewardship: An introduction to data standards and metadata

Catalogue number: 892000062021006

Release date: May 3, 2021 Updated: November 5, 2021

Whether you're gathering new data or using existing data, applying data standards will make your life easier. And documenting your data in metadata will ensure that others will be able to find it, understand it, and use it.

In this video, you'll learn what we can do to data itself, to make it easier to work with. That's the role of data standards. And you'll learn what extra information we can provide to make data easier to use. That's the role of metadata.

Data journey step
Foundation
Data competency
  • Data analysis
  • Data interpretation
  • Data management and organization
  • Data stewardship
  • Metadata creation and use
Audience
Basic
Suggested prerequisites
N/A
Length
13:14
Cost
Free

Watch the video

Data Stewardship: An introduction to data standards and metadata - Transcript

Data Stewardship: An introduction to data standards and metadata - Transcript

(The Statistics Canada symbol and Canada wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Data Stewardship: An introduction to data standards and metadata")

Data Stewardship: An introduction to data standards and metadata

Whether you're gathering new data or using existing data, applying data standards will make your life easier, and documenting your data in metadata will ensure that others will be able to find it, understand it, and use it.

Learning goals

In this video, you'll learn what we can do to data itself to make it easier to work with. That's the role of data standards. And you'll learn what extra information we can provide to make data easier to use. That's the role of metadata.

Steps of a data journey

(Text on screen: Supported by a foundation of stewardship, metadata, standards and quality)

(Diagram of the Steps of the data journey: Step 1 - define, find, gather; Step 2 - explore, clean, describe; Step 3 - analyze, model; Step 4 - tell the story. The data journey is supported by a foundation of stewardship, metadata, standards and quality.)

This diagram is a visual representation of the data journey from collecting the data to exploring, cleaning, describing and understanding the data to analyzing the data, and lastly to communicating with others the story the data tell. Data standards and metadata support the entire data journey.

Data standards

Data standards can be applied to data to make it easier to work with. One example of a data standard is using common terminology to describe data. Such as saying that the data is in a data set or that the data has categorical variables or numeric variables. Another example is using familiar ways to represent common things, such as for dates, addresses, and temperature. Making data recognizable by keeping it in a database or using a common file format is another example of following a data standard. In a nutshell, data standards are the rules used to standardize the way data are described, represented and structured.

Metadata

Metadata is information provided with data to make it easier to use. An example of metadata is information about the source of the data. Where did it come from? Who made it? What's it for? When was it created? That sort of thing. Another example of metadata is information about what has already been done to the data, how was it cleaned, how was it processed? How were things calculated? Metadata can also include a description of the quality of the data. For example, what's missing? How is it validated? If data standards were followed in the creation and processing of the data, a description of them can be included in the metadata as well. In a nutshell, metadata is data that provides information about other data, making it easier to find, interpret, trust, and use.

Data standards and metadata

(Diagram of the life cycle of data symbolised as a road starting at the data producer where it is for further analysis at each juction, as long as rule behind data standards and metadata are followed. If data standards and metadata are used, the data life cycle is endless.)

We gather and manipulate data because we want it to reveal something. Usually we don't gather, manipulate and interpret data all in one step. Rather, data moves along like the analogy of the data journey. But the data journey can be even longer than that. The endpoint for one data journey could be the starting point for another. Your job might be to create a data table for your boss. And, your boss might put that together with other tables to create a dashboard. And, their boss might look at the dashboard and recommended decision and so on. The data just keeps moving like a bicycle. But what keeps it moving? Somebody has to pedal. And in the case of data, somebody has to be able to find it, understand it and do their own manipulations on it to keep it rolling forward. That's where data standards come in. Just like the standard way of pedaling a bike is 2 feet on the pedals and rotate in a clockwise direction, there are standards for using data. And just like there's product information sheet describing the features of a bicycle, there's metadata to explain what's in the data and how it works. As long as data standards are followed and metadata is kept up-to-date, the data can keep rolling along. But as soon as the data standards are not followed and there's no metadata, it's the end of the road for the data journey. Nobody understands it or can use it anymore.

Why data standards and metadata are important

But why do we need to use data standards and metadata? The importance of these two things can be remembered using the acronym FAIR. Data standards and metadata make data findable or easily searchable. They make data accessible or easy to use. They make data interoperable, which simply means easy to combine with other data. And they make it easy to use, share and reuse the data.

Types of data standards

There are different types of data standards. We'll just mention a few of them here. Data format standards are a standardized way to represent things such as dates, negative numbers, currency, and in Canada, we have two letter codes for province names. Data file format standards ensure that files are easy to share and open. Comma separated variable or CSV format is a good one because files can be opened by a variety of different software packages. Variable standards are a way to standardize the categories and structures for variables that can only take on certain values, such as employment status, age groups, industry and occupation, and products. We'll see more about these on the next slide.

Standard classifications

A classification is a way to group the categories of a standardized variable in a meaningful and consistent way. Let's take age groups for example. If one researcher uses age categories that span 4 years, and another researcher uses age categories that span 10 years, it would be hard to compare the results. However, if everyone agrees that age categories should span 5 years and we all abide by that, we call this a classification. The groupings in the classification should be, among other things, exhaustive and mutually exclusive. Before you make your own groupings, it's a good practice to check first if there's a standard classification for you to use. There are many on Statistics. Canada's website.

Types of metadata

There are different types of metadata, but we'll just talk about a few of them here. Reference metadata gives information about the source of the data, such as who collected it. When? And for what purpose? Reference metadata also includes a description of the methods used to process or analyze the data, and an assessment of the data quality. This could be in paragraph format. Descriptive metadata is things like titles, footnotes and labels. These could appear directly on the tables, graphs, and other data visualizations. Structural metadata is where one would find a list of what variables and classifications are in the data. What identifiers there are? What are the valid values? What is the range of values or the code list? Which is a list of possible values for categorical variables. If standard classifications were used, they would be described in the structural metadata.

Example: Climate normals, 1981-2010, Saskatoon

(Image of website research result of the "1981 - 2010 climate normals and averages" on the Government of Canada website with an emphasis on the Saskatoon Water TP hyperlink.)

Let's look at data standards and metadata through an example. You can go to this web page on the Government of Canada website by navigating to climate normals and averages and searching for a station name containing Saskatoon. We chose the weather station called Saskatoon Water TP.

(Image of website research result of the "1981 - 2010 climate normals and averages for the Saskatoon Water TP" on the Government of Canada website with an emphasis on the graph's title, axes and legend. Additional attention is put on the Station/Element Metadata tab.)

Clicking on the Saskatoon Water TP station brought us here. This graph has an informative title. A legend and the axes are labeled. These are examples of descriptive metadata. Above the graph for three tabs, we clicked on the one for "Station/Element Metadata."

(Image of website research result of the "1981 - 2010 climate normals and averages for the Saskatoon Water TP" on the Government of Canada website with an emphasis on the Latitude (dd mm) hyperlink.)

Clicking on this "Station/ Element Metadata" tab brought us here. The paragraph below the tabs is an example of reference metadata explaining how to assess the quality of the statistics in the table. The data producer provided this information to help the data user decide if the data is fit for their intended use. Next we clicked on the latitude hyperlink.

(Image of the metadata definition of latitude)

Clicking the latitude hyperlink brought us here. This is more reference metadata to help the user understand how latitude was measured and also to inform the user about the quality of the location data. Latitude and longitude are a standard classification for communicating locations.

(Image of website research result of the "1981 - 2010 climate normals and averages for the Saskatoon Water TP" on the Government of Canada website with an emphasis on the Normals Data tab.)

Next we return to this web page and clicked on the Normals Data tab.

(Image of website research result of the "1981 - 2010 climate normals and averages for the Saskatoon Water TP" on the Government of Canada website with an emphasis on the Normals Data tab subsection titled "Download Data" & "Related Data".)

Clicking the Normals Data tab brought us here. The paragraph below the tabs is more reference metadata describing how calculations were done and more insight about data quality. The data is available for free in CSV and XML format, both of which are common data file format standards. Also on this webpage are hyperlinks to other related metadata.

(Image of CSV file from the "1981 - 2010 climate normals and averages for the Saskatoon Water TP" website from the Government of Canada website withan emphasis on CSV table titles, standardized province abbreviations, numbering methodolgies and date nomenclature.)

We downloaded the data in CSV or comma separated values format. This is a small segment of it. The left hand column explicitly states that it includes metadata to help users understand and use this microdata. The province is SK, which is the standard abbreviation for Saskatchewan. Negative values are indicated with a minus sign, which is a common data standard. Dates are formatted Year Year Year Year Slash Day Day, which is a somewhat common data standard for dates.

Example: Recap

Now let's reveal what we saw in the example. The data producer gathered the climate microdata and did some processing applied data standards for dates and negative numbers, and used a standard classification for latitude and longitude. From the microdata they produced dated products. In this example, we saw a chart, a graph, and a downloadable data set. The data producer also created metadata describing everything they did and strategically chose where to display the metadata in the data products so that it would be intuitive and transparent to the data user where to find the information they need. The data user in this example navigates through the data products from the metadata. The data user learns about what data quality methods used and data standards were applied.

Knowledge check

(Image of Canada's new motor vehicle registrations from the Government of Canada. With an emphasis on column titles, superscripts, and references.)

The example walked us through how to spot metadata and data standards. Now it's your turn. What you see on the screen is a data table of new motor vehicle registrations. Pause the video here and see how many examples of metadata you can see on the screen. Press play to see our answers. The table has labels on the rows and columns. This is an example of descriptive metadata. The font is pretty small. But there's a superscript on the words "other fuel types". That is a hyperlink. If you could press it, you'd see that it makes a pop-up message appear listing other fuel types. This is another example of descriptive metadata. Below the table is a goldmine of related information. If you were able to click on any of the hyperlinks there you'd find referenced metadata about the data source, methods, and quality.

Recap of key points

Data standards are rules used to standardize the way data are described, represented and structured. Data standards make data easier to work with. Metadata is data that provides information about other data. Metadata makes data easier to use. Using and sharing data standards and metadata facilitates using and sharing data.

(The Canada Wordmark appears.)

What did you think?

Please give us feedback so we can better provide content that suits our users' needs.

Telling the data story: How to create stories that matter

Catalogue number: 892000062021005

Release date: May 3, 2021 Updated: December 13, 2021

By the end of this video, you should have a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of using data to tell a story. We will go over some the principle components of storytelling including the data, the narrative and visualization, and discuss how they can be used to construct concise, informative and interesting messages your audience can trust. And then, you will learn the importance of a well-planned data story, which includes learning who your audience will be, what they should know and how to best deliver that information.

Data journey step
Tell the story
Data competency
  • Data interpretation
  • Data visualisation
  • Storytelling
Audience
Basic
Suggested prerequisites
N/A
Length
12:35
Cost
Free

Watch the video

Telling the data story: How to create stories that matter - Transcript

Telling the data story: How to create stories that matter - Transcript

(The Statistics Canada symbol and Canada wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Telling the Data Story: How to create stories that matter")

Telling the Data Story: How to create stories that matter

Welcome to telling the story. This video is meant to help learners understand how to tell interesting and informative stories with data.

Learning goals

By the end of this video, you should have a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of using data to tell a story. We will go over some of the principal components of storytelling including the data, the narrative and visualization, and discuss how they can be used to construct concise, informative and interesting messages your audience can trust. And then, you will learn the importance of a well planned data story, which includes learning who your audience will be, what they should know and how to best deliver that information.

Steps of a data journey

(Text on screen: Supported by a foundation of stewardship, metadata, standards and quality)

(Diagram of the Steps of the data journey: Step 1 - define, find, gather; Step 2 - explore, clean, describe; Step 3 - analyze, model; Step 4 - tell the story. The data journey is supported by a foundation of stewardship, metadata, standards and quality.)

This diagram is a visual representation of the data journey, from collecting the data to exploring, cleaning, describing and understanding the data, to analyzing the data, and lastly, to communicating with others the story the data tell.

Step 4: Tell the story

(Diagram of the Steps of the data journey with an emphasis on Step 4 - Tell the story)

This video will focus primarily on that final step of the data journey: telling the story. Being a good storyteller means being able to present information without inserting your opinions. It is important to keep things simple, which is done by determining what's important and what's not. Meaning, effective data storytellers also need to be ruthless editors and try to find signals in the noise.

What is a data story?

What is a data story? One way to describe data storytelling is the ability to convey data not just in numbers or charts, but as a narrative that humans can comprehend. A data story is made up of three principal components - the data, the narrative and visualizations, which all work together to create a spoken or written account of the data that meets the information needs of your audience. The goal of a data story is to provide context to help explain the importance of the data and help communicate any key messages you are trying to relay through your data story. Powerful data storytellers are ones that know how to effectively reduce their findings down to a core set that gets the point across in the most direct and succinct manner.

Why tell a data story?

But why tell a story? Why not just show people numbers in a spreadsheet? Well, quite frankly it's because stories are easier to remember. People relate to stories. And, truth be told, data stories are for the audience, not the author. Ever since humans first sat around a campfire, stories have been told to: Inform, to tell, update, provide facts; Persuade to sell, convince and recommend; Entertained to humor or amuse and touch our emotions. Overall when we want to tell a story, we don't just want people to understand the data and/or information we are discussing. Using stories helps your main ideas stick.

Components of a data story

Earlier, we told you a data, story is spoken or written account of the data made up of a narrative and accompanied by visualizations. Here, we will break down exactly what we mean when we use the terms data, narrative and visualizations. Data are Statistics and information included in your data story to support your key message. The narrative is built around the data and includes other information used to tell the data story. It also provides context to help explain the importance of the data and the key messages you are telling through to your data story. And finally, visualizations are the tables, graphs, charts, maps, pictographs and other data visualizations you use in telling your data story. If done correctly, visualizations help your key messages "pop".

More about the data

Before deciding which statistics and information to include in your data story, you must first confirm that the data are of adequate quality and value to be used for your purposes. Identifying data that meet the necessary criteria to be in your data story can be a ruthless affair. You'll likely have to conduct lots of analysis and now is the time to highlight and properly source your key findings.

More about the narrative

More about the narrative. A strong narrative is built on a strong structure. And what do we mean by structure? Well, if a narrative is used to tell a story, then it must, like all good stories, contain a beginning, a middle and an end or, what we will refer to here as the what, the so what and the now what. The what introduces a topic and explains the context. What are the facts? What does the audience need to know? The so what explains the data. What are the facts? Why are they important? And the now what calls readers to action. It should explain which conclusions can be drawn and what are the next steps.

More about visualizations

There are many different ways of presenting data visually, such as graphs, charts, maps, tables, pictographs, infographics and dashboards. For more detailed information on what data visualizations are and how to use them, check out our video titled "Data Visualization: an Introduction" also available in this series.

More about visualizations

But for now, our intention is to familiarize you with the final necessary component of an effective data story. Once you have chosen which data to include in your story and build your narrative around it, it's time to think about how to best present it to your audience. First, a good data visualization must be clear and quickly interpretable. Verifying this includes running tests for accessibility purposes. Remember, visualizations are not just there to look interesting, they are designed to aid readers' interpretation of your data story and help guide them. This means using visual properties the human brain processes immediately and without our conscious action and includes attributes like color, size and shape. We also want to make sure annotations are used to direct the audiences' attention and highlight key messages and all sourced materials are referenced. To avoid ineffective visualizations, you should ensure all unnecessary clutter has been removed and that it is not in any way distort key messages or mislead the reader.

Planning your data story

(Diagram of the key steps to keep in mind when planning a data story: 1) Who is the audience for the data story? 2) What is the goal of the data story? 3) What format will best fit the audience and achieve the goal?)

So far, we have examined the fundamentals of using data to tell a story, which include principal components of storytelling including the data, the narrative and visualization. Then, we discuss the part each one plays in constructing concise, informative and interesting messages. Next, we went through what it means to create a sticky story your audience can trust. So, now that we have all the pieces we need to create an effective data story, it's time to make a plan. Planning your data story, like planning a vacation, is when you know where you are now and you can see where you want to be at the end, but you haven't quite figured out exactly how you will get there. The three steps for planning your data story are as follows. First, who is the audience for the data story? Second, what is the goal of the data story? And third, what format will best achieve this goal?

Step 1: Who is your audience?

(Text on screen: General public? Senior Management? Academics? Colleagues? Policy makers? Media?)

Step one in planning your data story is knowing your audience. There are many different audiences and many different variables that could affect how we present our ideas. For example, when it comes to the general public, the level of engagement and understanding regarding any specific topic will most likely be very different than that of a senior government official. Each audience has a unique and specific expectation for how messages are presented. Other potential audiences include members of the academic community, who can handle very detailed and technical information. When communicating with colleagues and peers, the tone and style might be more casual. With makers of official policy, the opposite might be true, and the tone is very serious and professional. And with the media, you have many different types of audience.

Different audiences... different information

The types of audiences listed here demonstrate a range of comprehensions. Meaning the depth and detail of your story should be adjusted accordingly based on your audience's knowledge, interest and information needs. Novice means this is their first exposure to the subject. Here, we make no assumptions of prior knowledge, but it does not mean we oversimplify the message. A generalist is aware of the topic, but is looking more for an overview to help understand major themes rather than lower level details. A managerial audience requires something more in-depth and actionable. The have an understanding of the intricacies and interrelationships of the subject matter. Expert audiences want you to explore and discover new areas of the topic. They don't need a lot of background or high level details. And finally, there are decision-makers or executives, to whom time is the most important element. Keep it simple and be direct.

Know your audience

Another way to think about knowing your audience is by placing close attention to them and trying to understand different perspectives when planning your data story. Ask yourself, why is this important to this audience? Why does this matter to them? Why should they care? For example, if you are speaking to a novice, you might want to use common words and tell them a story that relays information they can immediately implement. Technical wording and expressions are more likely to be appreciated by managers or experts in the field, and their story might be used for briefing their own team or upwards to senior management. Inversely, if your story is a call to action for decision makers in a particular field, avoid any unnecessary detail and keep it need to know only. No matter who your audience is, use language that is understandable and relatable to them.

Step 2: What is the goal of the data story?

Step 2 in your data story is knowing your goal or purpose. There can be many goals to a story. One goal might be to simply to inform your audience about your data findings and where they fit into our current understanding of the topic. An example of this is weather or traffic report. Short and sweet. Another goal of a data story is to persuade. Your data story may be used to persuade a client to purchase your product or service, or to persuade your manager to follow your recommendations on a new sales strategy for the new fiscal year. The goal of your data story might even be to entertain. Entire businesses succeed or fail based on their ability to entertain their audience, such as magazines, blogs or websites. Of course, your data story could have multiple goals.

Step 3: What format will best achieve the goal?

Step 3 in planning your data story is to decide what format you will use. The format you choose will affect further decisions on the elements to use to tell your data story and the amount of time and space you have to tell it. Your audience can also affect the format you choose. For example, you are not likely to create an infographic to update your manager or project team on the progress of an ongoing research project. Instead, you might choose to provide a briefing report that can easily be altered and updated from week to week. Some briefing reports or publications may require a very specific format, but you may have more leeway in report to your team. They may even prefer an oral presentation. Whereas you may want to use more engaging visuals such as dashboards to engage an external audience such as new customers or new readers for your website.

Same information, different formats

(Two images representing information about walkable neighborhood and physical activity. Image on the right represent the front page of an academic paper. Image on the right represents an infographic summarizing academic paper.)

Here we have an example of how the same data can take on different formats, depending on who the audience might be. The goal of this data stories to inform the audience that physical activity is positively associated with the activity friendliness or walkability of the neighborhood a person lives in. In this case, we see how the audience can make a major impact on the final format of the data story. On the left, we see a research article that was written to inform academics and policy makers of our key message. And, on the right we have chosen an infographic to paint a picture for the general public who might not be as knowledgeable on the topic and benefit from a more visual storyline. Both formats have met their goal of informing their audience accordingly.

Dashboards for decision-makers

If your audience happens to be a decision maker, one of the most effective ways to tell a detailed yet concise data story is by using a dashboard. By tracking key performance indicators, a data dashboard manages important information that can be easily updated as time passes. Dashboards assists in monitoring the performance of a specific department or process, and deliver results quickly but without context, which is an important part of telling an effective data story and something that must always be kept in mind when choosing the right format for the right audience.

Recap of key points

In the end, this short video was meant to help learners tell interesting and informative stories with data. We explained the three most important components of a data story: the data, the narrative and visualizations, and we finally reviewed the importance of planning the structure of your data story by first determining who your audience is, what the goal of the story should be and how it might be best presented. Together, these elements are used to construct concise, informative and interesting data stories.

(The Canada Wordmark appears.)

What did you think?

Please give us feedback so we can better provide content that suits our users' needs.

Data Access Division newsletter - Fall 2020 edition

Archived information

Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

PDF Version (PDF, 429.35 KB)

A message to our clients

As everyone continues to adapt to and navigate through these challenging times, the Microdata Access Division would like to extend its gratitude once again. We want to thank all of our clients and colleagues for their continued support. Our thoughts remain with all those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have continued to work hard and provide innovative solutions to improve the way we give timely access to high-quality microdata that benefit all Canadians. Every day, we are reminded of how fortunate we are to be part of a strong community that continues to show resilience. On behalf of the Microdata Access Division, we extend our warmest wishes to all of our clients and friends.

Retirement of Gabrielle Beaudoin and welcome to Leila Boussaïd

After 34 years in the public service, Gabrielle Beaudoin will retire in October 2020. Gabrielle became Director General of the Data Access and Dissemination Branch in 2019, after seven years as Director General of the Communications and Dissemination Branch. Over her career, Gabrielle channelled her experience and passion to transform and improve programs to provide the best possible services to Canadians. We wish her a happy retirement and all the best in this next stage of life!

We are pleased to welcome our new Director General, Leila Boussaïd. Leila's strategic thinking, energetic and inclusive approach, and extensive experience in leading both strategic and operational programs will be a definite asset to our Branch.

Welcome Leila!

Self-serve access

Data Liberation Initiative team updates

The Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) team cancelled its annual training sessions in the Atlantic and Quebec regions this past spring and summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DLI team will lead its first virtual training sessions from November 23 to 27. These sessions will be hosted by Mount Saint Vincent University.

The External Advisory Committee has approved a new member to represent colleges across Canada on the DLI's Professional Development Committee (PDC). This is an exciting opportunity both for Canadian colleges and for the successful nominee. It will give colleges a seat at the table when the PDC meets to discuss professional development initiatives, and designs and develops its learning sessions (DLI National Training Day and regional training events) and training materials. It will also enable colleges to explain how DLI and Statistics Canada resources are used in colleges, in comparison with universities, and it will allow colleges to identify their unique training and material requirements.

A list of all products is available on the website: All DLI products.

Data releases on NESSTAR since June 2020:

  • Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)—May 2020
  • Additional historical PCCF files
  • Labour Force Survey files—monthly
  • Social Policy Simulation Database and Model (V28)
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians crowdsourcing file
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians—Your Mental Health—2020 crowdsourcing file
  • Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 2— Monitoring the Effects of COVID-19
  • Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Postsecondary Students—2020 crowdsourcing file
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians— Perceptions of Safety—2020 crowdsourcing file
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians—Trust in Others—2020 crowdsourcing file
  • Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 3— Resuming Economic and Social Activities During COVID-19
  • Canadian Community Health Survey— 2017 to 2018
  • Canadian Business Patterns—June 2020
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians— Parenting During the Pandemic—2020 crowdsourcing file

Real Time Remote Access initiatives: extending access

We are pleased to announce that we are extending free subscription to Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) to Research Data Centre (RDC) researchers until the end of March 2021. The original end date was October 31, 2020. The subscriptions of researchers who are already registered for RTRA will be automatically extended. Researchers who wish to register should email the RTRA team at statcan.madrtradamadtr.statcan@canada.ca.

When RDC locations were shut down across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, free RTRA was put in place to assist researchers in their projects and provide continuity of service. RTRA accounts were created for 25 RDC researchers, and 1,020 data tables were produced. This is a great opportunity to explore what RTRA has to offer.

Data files released in Real Time Remote Access

As of June 2020, the team has released a number of data files, including

  • 2018 Canadian Internet Use Survey—released on June 11
  • 2018 Canadian Income Survey— released on June 29
  • Labour Force Survey—released monthly.

Research Data Centres

Research Data Centre updates

As we reported in June, all RDCs were closed in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May, the first RDC had reopened to researchers. Based on public health guidelines, and thanks to the hard work of many people at Statistics Canada and the universities, the majority of RDCs have now reopened. We hope to reopen the remaining centres by mid October 2020. During the closures, four projects by RDC researchers using remote access were approved and are still underway. This research will directly inform program and policy development related to COVID-19.

A new remote code submission option using dummy files was also launched to aid researchers during the closures. We received 33 requests, and 10 projects were selected to participate. Researchers with active projects using 2016 Census and Canadian Community Health Survey data were eligible to apply. These researchers have been able to submit Stata and SAS code that is run by RDC analysts and vetted for confidentiality. Because of physical distancing requirements, RDC capacity is limited, so researchers continue to use the remote submit option to conduct their research.

The Canadian Research Data Centres Network (CRDCN), in partnership with Statistics Canada, is currently hosting its 20th anniversary virtual conference. With 12 panels with Canadian and international speakers, live Q&As and Twitter chats, a Three-Minute Thesis competition, and networking opportunities with research and policy colleagues. The conference is held throughout the month of October. Registration is still open on the CRDCN website.

New Research Data Centre holdings

A total of 16 products were added to our data holdings in the second quarter of 2020. These include two new surveys (the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey and Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1—Impacts of COVID-19), as well as updated survey cycles and administrative files.

Complete list of new Data Releases from May To August 2020:

  • Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1— Impacts of COVID-19
  • Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD)—2018
  • Labour Force Survey—Fast Track Option for COVID-19 supplementary files
  • Canadian Income Survey—2018
  • Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey— 2019
  • National Apprenticeship Survey concordance keys
  • Canadian Housing Survey—2018
  • Employment Insurance Coverage Survey— 2018
  • General Social Survey – Giving, Volunteering and Participating—2018 (Cycle 33)
  • British Columbia Kindergarten to Grade 12 linked to the T1 Family File (T1FF) parental tax component
  • Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS) linked to T1FF
  • Ontario Mental Health Reporting System (2006 to 2018) linked to the CVSD (2006 to 2018)
  • National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (2002 to 2018) linked to the CVSD (2002 to 2018)
  • Discharge Abstract Database (2000 to 2018) linked to the CVSD (2000 to 2018)
  • PSIS (2005 to 2018)
  • RAIS (2008 to 2018)

Want to check out some of the other data available in the RDCs? Visit: Data available in the Research Data Centres.

Federal Research Data Centre: government data access

The Federal Research Data Centre (FRDC) at Tunney's Pasture reopened on July 13, 2020, after a brief shutdown because of COVID-19 restrictions. Access is available for federal government researchers Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 4:30. New safety protocols and measures have been implemented to ensure physical distancing. Please contact us to reserve a workstation or for more information: statcan.mad-frdcadmin-admindamcfrd.statcan@canada.ca.

Work is underway with our partners at Employment and Social Development Canada to reopen the FRDC in Place du Portage Phase IV in fall 2020. A new model will be implemented that will include access within the centre and in authorized workspaces within the building. A data custodian will be appointed who will be responsible for monitoring access to and use of protected information. For more information about these initiatives or access to a centre, please contact us: statcan.mad-frdcadminadmindam-cfrd.statcan@canada.ca.

Statcan Secure Access Points

Work continues with three provinces on a pilot project to provide access to Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP) data at a location convenient to provincial ministry researchers. For this pilot project, Statistics Canada will grant access to anonymized ELMLP data in secure StatCan premises within ministry offices. Each ministry will be responsible for monitoring deemed employees' access while they work on site and ensuring that no unauthorized individuals gain access to confidential information. The ministry employees responsible for these monitoring activities are data custodians. We have been working with these data custodians over the summer to train them in their roles and responsibilities. We have also finished training the deemed employees who will be accessing the data. We experienced some delays in implementing our model during the initial stages of COVID-19, since provincial offices were closed. However, we anticipate that these secure access points will be operational in fall 2020. We will then move on to new access points in underserviced areas.

Access to Business Data resumes under new management

Under the direction of the Microdata Access Division, access to business data resumed within the data centre in Ottawa on July 15, after a brief shutdown because of COVID-19. The centre has physical distancing measures in place, and researchers can book a workstation using our online booking system. For more information on booking a workstation, contact us: statcan.csc-csc.statcan@canada.ca.

Over the summer, the division worked closely with partners at the Bank of Canada to prepare a secure room for bank employees to access business data. The new room includes eight workstations with remote access to Statistics Canada and virtual monitoring. The room is slated to open in mid-September.

This fall, the Microdata Access Division will continue to work on consolidating administrative processes and knowledge transfer and will be moving to a new, brighter and roomier location. New requests for access to a wide variety of business data can be submitted through the Microdata Access Portal.

For more information on business data available at Statistics Canada, consult: Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER).

Modernization of access

Pilot projects and testing

The Data Lab team has continued to work with the Data Analytics as a Service team to test two platforms in a cloud environment with various tools to facilitate critical COVID-19 research. Statistics Canada received approval to put confidential information on the cloud, enabling pilot projects to be conducted using confidential microdata with low levels of sensitivity. Prior to this approval, a few federal partners were given access to the platforms to help with testing using public data. Low-sensitivity microdata will be used for testing in the forthcoming stage. The platform evaluations and improvements are still in progress, ensuring that users will have access to the environments and tools required to complete their research.

While RDCs were closed because of COVID-19, the Data Access and Dissemination Branch provided an alternative solution to academic researchers. Researchers contributing to the COVID-19 response effort, such as by informing public programs and policies, were granted remote access to detailed data using Statistics Canada laptops. The COVID-19 data collaboration was regarded as a huge success, demonstrating a responsive, agile and innovative approach to increasing access while protecting data confidentiality. Overall, six researchers successfully participated from the University of British Columbia, four from McGill University, four from the University of Toronto and one from Western University.

Additionally, the Data Lab team successfully launched an opioid pilot project in collaboration with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada to give access to the Data Lab cloud workspace. The project was launched in July 2020, and five users (four external and one internal) were granted access to nonconfidential data on the StatCan public cloud using virtual machines. Standard software was also provided, depending on the licensing. A second pilot project was launched in midSeptember in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada to test low-sensitivity confidential data in the StatCan protected cloud environment using virtual machines. Five accredited researchers were given access to this platform.

Virtual Data Lab project updates

Progress is ongoing on a number of key initiatives to increase virtual data access and promote collaboration. These include the development of analytics platforms, and further development and integration of the Microdata Access Portal (MAP) and the Client Relationship Management System (CRMS). The Virtual Data Lab (VDL) will vastly improve access to statistical information for researchers by integrating the MAP with the new CRMS and the Microdata Search Tool. Users will have seamless 24/7 remote access to data housed at Statistics Canada using a secure IT connection and a protected cloud application.

The CRMS pilot project is currently underway and slated to last six months to support the VDL. The project will be separated into phases 1 and 2. The Data Lab team will meet with the other programs in the Microdata Access Division to gather requirements in the 12 months following the pilot project. The project will be used to evaluate VDL access and will also assess setting and monitoring security and permissions, approving requests, managing project information, and building reliable dashboards. The CRMS will allow the VDL to effectively manage access for all researcher communities with an efficient and timely access process.

Advisory Council meeting

The Data Lab team hosted the third biannual meeting of the Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access on October 8, 2020.

The meeting included a panel of council members and representatives from Statistics Canada's senior management team.

Three additional guests joined the panel: David Green, Professor at the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia; Chantal Guay, Chief Executive Officer of the Standards Council of Canada; and Alain Beaudoin, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet at the Privy Council Office. Over the past year, Statistics Canada has been striving to modernize access to microdata to benefit all Canadians while working to integrate the concept of ethics within its access frameworks and modernization agenda. The meeting focused on the need to increase collaboration between researchers and organizations, as well as expand data access by leveraging new technologies. It also focused on the application of innovative ways to harvest data from new sources with new methods, while considering the ethics behind these methods.

Questions or comments? Visit Access to microdata.

Check out the StatCan Blog.

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Date modified:

Data Access Division newsletter - Summer 2020 edition

Archived information

Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

PDF version (PDF, 626.41 KB)

A message to our clients

In light of the recent events regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 over the course of the last few months, the Microdata Access Division would like to extend our thoughts to all of those affected by the virus. As we adapt and navigate through these challenging times, we are devoted to continuing our work to ensure that you are provided with the real time data and services that you need. We would like to extend our gratitude to all our clients and friends as we are constantly reminded of how fortunate we are to be part of such a strong community. On behalf of the Microdata Access Division, thank you for your continued support and partnership. We wish you and your loved ones well.

Welcome to our new director

Geneviève Jourdain left the private sector to join Statistics Canada in 2006. After 10 years with the Canadian Health Measures Survey, she was appointed as a chief in the Microdata Access Division in 2017. She was nominated Acting Director of the Microdata Access Division on May 1, 2020. Congratulations Geneviève!

Access to business data: CDER joins the microdata access divison

The Microdata Access Division (MAD) now has new responsibilities under its umbrella. As of April 1, 2020, the operations of the Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER) was integrated into MAD. As the division already provides data access to federal and academic researchers through the Federal Research Data Centre and the Research Data Centres located across the country, it just made sense to bring CDER onboard.

This integration will take a few months to complete and will include the consolidation of administrative processes, the knowledge transfer of various skill sets among staff, the review and update of training materials, the IT files transfer, the website rebranding, and so on. Stay tuned for further updates on our journey!

Want more information on CDER? Please visit: Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER)

Self-serve access

DLI team: the DLI collection

The focus this year is on improving the technical infrastructure, consulting with the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) community on program developments, and enhancing data service delivery.

New Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs) and aggregate data products, are added to the DLI Collection and hosted on the Electronic File Transfer (EFT) repository. The EFT and NESSTAR are used to disseminate the Collection to subscribers. A Listserv continues to be actively used for networking and discussion among the DLI Contacts.

A list of all products is available on the website: All DLI products.

Data Gap Coding Project

The Data Gap Coding project has been completed. As of March 31, 2020, all of the outstanding PUMF files from the project were published to NESSTAR, coded to DDI standards. The team released 428 PUMFs to NESSTAR last fiscal year. Other releases include:

  • Postal Code Conversion File plus (PCCF+)
  • Social Policy Simulation Database and Model (SPSD/M V28)
  • Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC) Standard Tables 2018/19, 2019/20

Data releases on NESSTAR since September 2019:

  • Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2019/2020 (monthly files)
  • International Travel Survey (ITS),
  • 2017 National Graduates Survey (NGS),
  • Class of 2015 Survey of Household Spending (SHS),
  • 2017 Employment Insurance Coverage (EICS), 2018
  • Canadian Income Survey (CIS), 2017
  • National Travel Survey (NTS), 2018
  • Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS), 2019
  • Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), 2017
  • General Social Survey – Family (GSS), cycle 31
  • Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1: Impacts of COVID-19

Real Time Remote Access initiatives

The Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) program is piloting a Graphical User Interface called the SAS Assistant. The project seeks to promote RTRA to a broader range of users by eliminating the need for SAS knowledge and software, and increase the usability of RTRA by creating a onestop-shop environment to select datasets, variables, and data steps from menus within the GUI, by providing a platform that is accessible via Web Browser. There are about 20 users currently testing and providing feedback through GCCollab to the team to make improvements before official release. There are a number of files with subject matter areas waiting approval to add the RTRA system including many health files.

Research Data Centres

RDC updates

By mid-March all Research Data Centres (RDCs) were closed to comply with public health authorities guidance to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of May the first RDC reopened to researchers, under new social distancing procedures, with other centres working towards opening as local conditions allow.

Many projects that will benefit RDC researchers have progressed during the closure. Work has focused on streamlining RDC application procedures, training materials for RDC staff and researchers, improvement to confidentiality vetting services and initiatives in RDC microdata and metadata.

Statistics Canada utilized remote access to support academic research that will generate empirical evidence to inform program and policy development related to COVID-19. To date, RDC researchers have four COVID projects underway using remote access technology.

A new remote code submission option using dummy files is also being piloted to aid researchers during closures. Researchers with active projects using Census 2016 and Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) data are able to submit code in Stata and SAS that will be run by RDC analysts. RTRA subscriptions have also been offered to RDC researchers, free of charge, to help facilitate research during the closure.

Dedication in the face of Covid-19: initiatives underway

Despite the challenges created by the pandemic, MAD has taken steps to ensure that when data centres re-open, researchers can continue their important work of using Statistics Canada confidential microdata to inform and guide policy and research on issues that are important to Canadians. Among our initiatives is a streamlining of operational procedures to make it easier to process new applications and researchers, and to do so remotely. Adopting exclusively the use of electronically fillable forms with secure digital signatures on documents such as the Microdata Research Contract, contract amendments, and the Personnel Screening Form have not only resulted in a more efficient process, but allowed us to perform these necessary services for our clients safely, effectively, and uninterrupted during these extraordinary times. Indeed, the response from the research community has been very positive and appreciative of these efforts. Another initiative that is underway includes the creation of a downloadable proposal template for applicants to facilitate the completion of their proposals, and to ensure that they have the best chance of submitting a successful application. The proposal template is also being standardized across microdata access programs to ensure consistency and ease of review, with the goal of reducing the timeline further from application submission to approval.

Statcan secure access points

Work continues with three provinces on a pilot project to test access to the Education, Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP) data at a location convenient to provincial ministry researchers. For this pilot, Statistics Canada (StatCan) will be granting access to anonymized ELMLP data in a secure StatCan premise located in secure ministry government offices. With feedback from the ministries, StatCan has improved organizational agreements that outline the roles and responsibilities of StatCan and each ministry involved. This includes the responsibilities assigned to a ministry employee whose role it is to monitor the use of the secure premise (Data Custodian). StatCan conducted inspections of all three sites and has designated all sites as secure access locations. Data Custodians for all three sites have successfully completed the mandatory training and we are now in the process of arranging mandatory training for the researchers who will become deemed employees of StatCan and access data within the sites.

A signed organizational agreement for access to the microdata is in place with British Columbia and we are in the final stages of signatures of a similar agreement for the Alberta site. The Ontario agreement is fast approaching finalization as well. Access for researchers to the sites is currently on-hold pending public health recommendations related to the re-opening of workspaces in these provinces after COVID. Our goal is to open these sites for access as soon as the COVID restrictions have been lifted.

New RDC data holdings!

A total of 15 releases were added to our data holdings in the last quarter of 2019. A total of 17 releases were added to our data holdings in the first quarter of 2020. A number of these were integrated data sets including: British Columbia Kindergarten to Grade 12 linked to T1FF (BC_K12_T1FF), British Columbia Kindergarten to Grade 12 linked to Census of Population 2016 (BC_K12_CEN) and Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2000 to 2017 linkages to the: Canadian Cancer Registry All Years (CCR); CENSUS 2011 and 2016 (CCHS-CEN); and T1FF.

Sample of new data available from January to March 2020 in the RDCS

  • British Columbia Kindergarten to Grade 12 (BC_K12)
  • Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) 2018
  • General Social Survey - Caregiving and Care Receiving (GSS) Cycle 32
  • Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) 2017
  • Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) 2018
  • Survey on Maternal Health (SMH) 2018-2019
  • Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) 2018
  • Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) 2011-2017
  • Vital Statistics - Birth Database (VSBD) 2018
  • Vital Statistics - Stillbirth Database (VSBD) 2018

Want to take a look at some of the other data available in the RDCs? Visit: Data available in the Research Data Centres.

Modernization of access

Creator of the Five Safes Framework visits Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is moving forward with modernization; using new types of data, modernizing systems, and modernizing access to microdata. As such, Statistics Canada adopted a smart risk management approach. To better prepare for this journey, the DataLab team hosted Dr. Felix Ritchie, renowned expert who devised the Five Safes Framework, to discuss Access Risk Management and Accountability, including Building a Trust Culture with Researchers.

Dr. Ritchie is Professor of Applied Economics at the University of the West of England (UWE), and Director of Bristol Centre for Economics and Finance. He is also an applied economist with particular research interests in the use, quality and accessibility of government data; labour economics; data management, data confidentiality, security and access; and statistical disclosure control.

Prior to joining UWE Bristol in 2012, Dr. Ritchie spent nearly a decade as Head of Microdata Analysis and User Support at the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). The experience of working with government departments, ensuring that research is relevant, policy-oriented and accessible to users, has driven much of his subsequent career and focus on user-centered system design. Dr. Ritchie devised the Five Safes in 2003 while at ONS. This popular framework for managing data access has been widely adopted by government departments across the world, and many national statistical organizations including StatCan.

Dr. Ritchie presented to a variety of audiences at Statistics Canada, using different styles and approaches. Notably, Dr. Ritchie addressed the Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access, and a group of Government of Canada Chief Data Officers, on the topics of data sharing and data management, and frameworks and attitudes. To the internal audience of Statistics Canada, Dr. Ritchie delivered workshops on the topics of vetting outputs and training, and presented hands-on sessions detailing the Five Safes Framework and how it could be applied. Dr. Ritchie's visit was a resounding success. Statistics Canada and the DataLab team look forward to continuing this relationship with Dr. Felix Ritchie.

Pilots and testing

The DataLab team has been working with the Data Analytics as a Service (DAaaS) team to test two platforms, in a cloud environment, with various tools that will be available to facilitate critical COVID-19 research. The platform evaluations are ongoing, with the goal to ensure that researchers will have the options, tools, and environments necessary to conduct the research that they and their organizations require. This work will deliver the ability for data scientists and analysts to conduct analysis, modelling, machine learning, and publishing. The various tools available in these platforms run in an isolated area within the StatCan Azure cloud. It supports access from personal or work devices, with access through a secure web browser, and using StatCan cloud userid's. Data is initially limited to open, non-sensitive data in which a protected environment is forthcoming.

The Microdata Access Portal

We are proud to announce that the Microdata Access Portal (MAP) was successfully launched on January 29, 2020! Within just hours after the launch we received our first submitted application through the MAP. Researchers (federal, provincial, and academic) can now apply for access to Statistics Canada's microdata files in a simplified and streamlined manner. With its real-time data validation, file uploads and web-standard and language-requirement compliant features, MAP is streamlining the application process and accelerating the timelines for researchers to gain access at an approved access site. Through their dashboards, researchers are able to see the status of their application. Currently there are numerous researchers using the portal with new applications being submitted on a daily basis. The redesign of our Microdata Access Division webpages for the Research Data Centre (RDC) and the Federal Research Data Centre (FRDC) was implemented in January.

To access the MAP please visit our new web page at: Research Data Centres (Net B only).

Looking to the future, the vision is to integrate MAP with the new Client Relation Management System and with the Microdata Search Tool which will allow users to discover different avenues to access the data they are interested in, such as public use microdata files and realtime remote access.

A live webinar was hosted on March 5 and March 9 to provide a demo of the MAP to current and prospective RDC researchers.

For more information, please contact: statcan.mad-damdam-mad.statcan@canada.ca.

Questions/Comments? Visit: Access to microdata.

Check out the StatCan Blog.

Don't forget to follow us on Social Media!

Date modified:

Data Access Division newsletter - Winter 2020 edition

Archived information

Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

PDF version (PDF, 371.69 KB)

Greetings and Happy New Year!

The Data Access Division would like to wish you a Happy New Year! We want to thank you and extend our warmest wishes for the season to all our clients and friends who have made our data access progress possible. Our thoughts continue to be with all those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased to see that our community is staying strong and optimistic through these difficult times.

We hope you enjoyed the holiday season with your loved ones, and we look forward to the continued support in the coming year.

Data Access Division: new Division name

The Microdata Access Division is excited to announce that, with its continued rebranding and reorganization, it has changed its name to the Data Access Division (DAD). The change went into effect in November 2020 to reflect structural changes happening within the Division.

In the new year, DAD will continue to provide increased and timely data access in new and innovative ways. The Division will also keep offering high-quality services for researchers and clients to best serve their data needs across the country.

For more information, please visit the Data Access Division.

Self-serve access

Data Liberation Initiative team updates

The Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) held its first virtual training sessions from November 23 to 27. These sessions were hosted by the Professional Development Committee (PDC) and Statistics Canada. In all, 155 participants were registered, with an overall attendance of 73.4%. A wide variety of topics were covered; the schedule can be found on the DLI training. If you could not attend, the presentations and training resources can be found in the DLI Training Repository. We would like to thank all the presenters, students, translators, note takers and moderators, as this would not have been possible without them volunteering their time and expertise.

What students had to say

"Hearing about future StatCan projects was valuable. I'm pleased to see how concepts will be updated for the next census (especially around sex and gender). Improving the census is an ongoing process, and while I don't think there were any surprises among the changes discussed, I'm starting to get excited for 2021. I am also thrilled to hear about the ways that StatCan is making microdata secure and more readily available. I'm a student librarian who occasionally performs reference duties, and even I will experience the tangible value of this service—especially when business data are implemented!" - Dan Philips

An article written by Barbara Znamirowski, "DLI National Training: Accessing data and building a community," provides a great overview of the weeklong training.

Professional Development Committee

The PDC will send a call-out to the listserv in the new year for two volunteers to represent the Quebec and Ontario regions. The DLI team and the PDC would like to take this opportunity to welcome new members to the PDC and thank those who are stepping down.

New members:

  • Atlantic Region – Margaret Vail
    St. Francis Xavier University
  • Quebec Region – Emanuela Chiriac
    Université du Québec en Outaouais
  • College Representative – Caleb Domsy
    Humber College

Members stepping down:

  • Carolyn DeLorey
    St. Francis Xavier University
  • Caroline Patenaude
    Université de Montréal
  • Gaston Quirion
    Université Laval (in May 2021)
  • Deena Yanofsky
    University of Toronto

The PDC has put together a working group to update the DLI Contact and Alternate's Survival Guide. The new guide will be in line with the StatsCan Web Redesign Project. As part of this initiative, a notice was sent out to the community for comments.

Public Use Microdata Files online project

The project to put public use microdata files (PUMFs) online in a downloadable format is underway. As part of this project, digital object identifiers (DOIs) will be assigned to PUMFs. Since May, Statistics Canada has released 20 PUMFs, including 12 COVID-19 PUMFs.

Colectica, which uses the Data Documentation Initiative standard, has been approved by the agency as the data documentation tool. Once it is implemented and becomes widely used across the agency, it will be easier to create PUMFs. This should increase the number of PUMFs released every year.

Real Time Remote Access initiatives: extending access

Research data centre (RDC) researchers have had their access to the Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) program extended to March 31, 2021. The RTRA team has compiled the following metrics and usage report:

  • 48 users submitting
  • 1,455 submissions
  • 922 successful submissions
  • 2,779 tables output

A list of all DLI products is available on the website.

Data releases to DLI since October 2020:

  • Labour Force Survey files—monthly
  • Employment Insurance Coverage Survey - 2019
  • Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey – 2014, 2016 & 2018
  • Social Policy Simulation Database and Model (SPSD/M), COVID-19 glass box, version 3.0
  • Crowdsourcing: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians Experience of Discrimination – 2020
  • Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 4: Information Sources Consulted During the Pandemic Public Use Microdata File
  • TLAC Standard Tables 2020-2021
  • Interprovincial and International Trade Flow 2017
  • Supply and Use Tables 2017

A list of all RTRA products is available on the website.

Data releases to RTRA since October 2020:

  • Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS)
  • Labour Force Survey—released monthly

Research Data Centres

Research Data Centre updates

RDCs are once again operational after the shutdown at the beginning of the pandemic. Only two centres have yet to reopen, and the remainder are operating at reduced capacity with COVID-19 safety measures in place. As the pandemic resurgence is underway, staff are preparing in the event a second round of closures is required in some jurisdictions.

Work is ongoing to help ensure that research with Statistics Canada data can continue if closures occur. For example, DAD is preparing to pilot a new virtual data access platform. In this project, Statistics Canada microdata will be made accessible securely outside RDC facilities using a Statistics Canada cloud infrastructure platform. This project will involve four universities, to start, but will be implemented with broader contingency planning in mind if RDCs in other universities have to close because of the pandemic. Approximately eight RDC research teams accessing eligible survey data will be offered this new opportunity in January 2021. The lessons learned from this project will help the program determine next steps for expanding access more broadly by the end of 2021.

Work continues on the project to modernize the RDC information technology (IT) infrastructure by updating the network architecture and moving to a centralized virtual environment. This initiative, referred to as the vRDC, will greatly improve computing resources for academic researchers and improve the reliability of the system. Remote access to the vRDC will follow the same access framework that is used in the Virtual DataLab (vDL) environment. The rollout is anticipated to start in late 2021.

In spring 2020, a high-level task force co-chaired by Martin Taylor (Director, Canadian Research Data Centre Network) and Jacques Fauteux (Assistant Chief Statistician, StatCan) was created to develop short- and long-term data access strategies for academic researchers. Its mandate is to align different initiatives, including the vRDC and vDL.

In October, the Canadian Research Data Centre Network, in partnership with Statistics Canada, held a very successful 20th anniversary virtual conference. Attendance was at an all-time high for the conference, with more than 950 participants registering. Feedback was extremely positive.

New Research Data Centre holdings

A total of 31 products were added to microdata holdings in the third quarter of 2020. These include two new surveys (Crowdsourcing: Impacts of COVID19 on Canadians' Experiences of Discrimination, and the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Seniors), as well as updated survey cycles and linked and administrative datasets.

Partial list of new data releases from September to December 2020

  • Labour Force Survey (LFS) COVID Fast Track Option (FTO) 2020 - September
  • Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 3 – 5 (CPSS) 2020
  • Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population (SISPSP) - 2019
  • Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) 2018 linked to Tax data, Social Inclusion, Proximity Measure, Income Dispersion and Historical addresses
  • Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) data linked to Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) 1997-2016
  • Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) linked to T1 Family File (T1FF), Census 2016 and LAD
  • Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Custom Data Files linked to 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability
  • Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR) 2017
    • The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
    • Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)
  • Provisional death data January to September 2020 (monthly extract from Vital Statistics dataset)

For a complete list of data available in RDCs and government access centres, visit Data available in the Research Data Centres.

Government data access: Federal Research Data Centres

In April 2020, DAD assumed the responsibility of providing access to Statistics Canada's business data holdings to deemed employee researchers through data access programs. Throughout the fall, the Government Data Access team worked to integrate business data access under the Federal Research Data Centre (FRDC) umbrella. Currently, the FRDC operates two data centres at Tunney's Pasture under this umbrella, the Social Data Access Centre and the Business Data Access Centre (formerly known as the Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research). Both will continue to operate for the foreseeable future to facilitate maximum accessibility to deemed employees, while ensuring appropriate physical distancing. In the future, the two centres will be fully integrated into one physical location to serve all federal government users.

As part of the transition, website content is being updated to ensure that the processes for requesting access to business data are reflected on the DAD website and within the Microdata Access Portal (MAP) instructions. Researchers interested in accessing business data are encouraged to consult with a Statistics Canada subject-matter expert before submitting a proposal through the MAP. Please contact the team to be connected with an expert.

Expanding access to business data

DAD staff are continuing to expand access to business data outside the data centres located at Statistics Canada's head offices in Ottawa. To this end, the Bank of Canada remote site opened in September to facilitate on-site access to Bank of Canada staff. In addition, plans are being solidified to move access for academic clients to the university-based RDCs in the near future.

Provincial secure access points

In fall 2020, two secure access points opened in the provinces to facilitate access to Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform data. One is at the Office of Statistics and Information in Edmonton, Alberta, while the second is in Victoria, British Columbia, at BC Stats. In addition, an office at the Ontario Ministry of Finance in Toronto will be opening soon. Opportunities to open additional provincial sites continue to be sought to facilitate access outside Ottawa. Discussions are underway with the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. For more information about these initiatives, please contact statcan.mad-ssap-dampass.statcan@canada.ca.

Modernization of access

Pilot projects and testing

The Virtual DataLab (vDL) team is continuing to work with the Data Analytics as a Service (DAaaS) team to test platforms in a cloud environment with various tools to facilitate data staging and research. The platform evaluations and improvements are still in progress, ensuring that users will have access to the environment and tools required to complete their research. Additionally, the DAaaS team is working to incorporate various specifications for a search tool, which will help researchers identify relevant available datasets.

The vDL development and pilot schedules are regularly reviewed, in collaboration with IT teams, to ensure continued testing and troubleshooting before onboarding users into the vDL. The vDL team has identified several pilot projects using low- to medium-sensitive confidential microdata on the cloud environment. The users will be onboarded once the appropriate agreements have been signed, as per the approved governance structure.

The established pilot projects help evaluate the nuances of onboarding different types of researchers. In addition, the lessons learned from each pilot will be monitored and resolved or mitigated for the following project, and this will help guide the team towards a production environment.

Once the vDL team has successfully conducted pilot projects using data of low to medium sensitivity, in 2021, additional pilot projects may be conducted using data of medium to high sensitivity, as this is more representative of the data that researchers typically use. Statistics Canada's Strategic Management Committee approved this strategy on November 25, 2020.

Access framework approved

In line with the goal of modernizing data access, the vDL team was granted approval to introduce a new access location: authorized workspaces. An authorized workspace can include a deemed employee's place of work, as well as a private space within their personal residence; this is timely, given the current public health situation. A summary of the privacy impact assessment for this new location of work will soon be available on the Statistics Canada website.

Along with introducing an accreditation model for trusted researchers and organizations, the VDL team developed a table for approved access locations. This table uses the sensitivity of the data, along with the researcher's and organization's accreditation scores, to determine the options for approved access locations for a given project. This table was presented to and approved by Statistics Canada's Security Coordination Committee and Data Out: Services, Access, Dissemination and Communication Committee. It will be implemented during the VDL pilot projects.

Virtual Data Lab project updates

The VDL will greatly improve access to statistical information for researchers by providing 24/7 remote access to data housed at Statistics Canada using a secure IT connection and a protected cloud environment. Progress is ongoing on a number of key initiatives to increase virtual data access and promote collaboration. These include the development of analytics platforms and the continued assessment and development of the Client Relationship Management System (CRMS) and the Microdata Search Tool.

The DAD CRMS pilot project is finished, and the CRMS corporate project is now with the Dissemination Division. Under Mathieu Laporte's guidance, Dissemination will explore the capabilities and functionality of the internal portal for CRMS.

A new production schedule is currently being developed to integrate DAD requirements. A Microsoft Dynamics consultant is expected to begin working in collaboration with Dissemination in the new year. Stay tuned!

Questions or comments? Visit Access to microdata.

Check out the StatCan Blog.

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Date modified:

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey collects financial data from the Canadian Level IV air carriers. This information is used to determine if a carrier has reached the revenue threshold required to qualify for reporting Level III. The data are also used by various government departments for statistical and research purposes.

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 under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with Natural Resources Canada, 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.

Under Section 12 of the Statistics Act, respondents can object to the sharing of information with other organizations. 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.

Respondents may refuse to share their information with Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, and mailing it to the following address. These organizations have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes.

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 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 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. 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
    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. 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.

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?

For this survey, the end date should fall between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

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

  • May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020
  • June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020
  • July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020
  • August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
  • September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020
  • October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
  • November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020
  • December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020
  • January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
  • February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021
  • March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021
  • April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

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

  • September 18, 2019 to September 15, 2020 ( e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 ( 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:

Statement of Revenues, Annual - Statement 21 (IV)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what was the operating revenue earned by this business?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

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.

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.)

Fixed wing

Means a power-driven, heavier-than-air aircraft, deriving its lift in flight chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surfaces which remain fixed. An aircraft having wings fixed to the airplane fuselage and outspread in flight - that is non-rotating wings.

Helicopter

Means a rotary wing, heavier-than-air aircraft, supported in flight chiefly by the reactions of the air on one or more power-driven rotors on substantially vertical axes. A helicopter does not have conventional fixed wings, nor is it provided with a conventional propeller for forward thrust.

Total operating revenue

Include revenue from air transportation services (for example, transportation of passengers, transportation of goods and other flight-related revenue [such as flying training, recreational flying and other specialty flying]) and all other sources.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what was the operating revenue earned by this business?
  CAN$ '000
O scope="row"perating revenue
Include scheduled and charter services.
 
a. Fixed wing services  
b. Helicopter services  
Total operating revenue  

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

1. 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

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?

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey collects financial and operational data from the Canadian Level lll air carriers needed to measure the growth, the performance and the long-term financial position of the airline industry. The information is also used by Statistics Canada as input to the Canadian System of National Accounts and by individual carriers for measuring company performance relative to groups of competitors.

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 under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with Natural Resources Canada, 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.

Under Section 12 of the Statistics Act, respondents can object to the sharing of information with other organizations. 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.

Respondents may refuse to share their information with Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, and mailing it to the following address. These organizations have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes.

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 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 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. 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
    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. 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.

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?

For this survey, the end date should fall between April 1, 2020and March 31, 2021.

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

  • May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020
  • June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020
  • July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020
  • August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
  • September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020
  • October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
  • November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020
  • December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020
  • January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
  • February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021
  • March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021
  • April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

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

  • September 18, 2019 to September 15, 2020 ( e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 ( 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:

Balance Sheet, Annual - Statement 20 (II, III)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's assets and liabilities?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Financial assets

Current assets

Include:

  • cash, bank balances (including deposits in transit, special deposits for the payments of debts, and so on) and short-term investments due within one year from the date of the balance sheet;
  • current accounts and notes receivable as well as other current assets such as inventories, charges to subscribers on transportation contracts, interests and dividends receivable, and so on.

All other financial assets – (Include investments and special funds.)

Include investments in associated companies, other investments such as investments in stocks, bonds, and so on, and special funds such as equipment purchase funds, funds set aside for such special purposes as contractual deposits, pension funds, self-insurance funds, and so on.

Property and equipment

Operating - property and equipment – (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • ground property and equipment (including flight equipment) owned and/or under capital leases;
  • the cost of aircraft (airframes), aircraft engines, propellers, components (aircraft communication and navigational equipment) and spare parts that have been purchased outright;
  • the cost of non-airborne communication and meteorological equipment, ramp equipment, maintenance and engineering equipment, surface transport vehicles and equipment, furniture, fixtures and office equipment, buildings and land as well as miscellaneous ground equipment such as medical equipment, airport and lighting equipment, passenger service equipment, hotel, restaurant and food service equipment, storage and distribution equipment. Property and equipment under capital leases includes the cost of property and equipment under a capital or finance lease, in other words, a lease for a period considered to be the whole or nearly the whole life of the property or equipment.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - property and equipment

Include:

  • accumulated depreciation and amortization of ground property and equipment (including flight equipment) owned and/or under capital leases;
  • accrued charges representing losses, not replaced by current repairs, occurring in physical property and suffered through current lessening of service value due to wear and tear from use and the action of time and the elements; and losses occurring through obsolescence, supersession, new technological developments, changes in popular demand and the requirements of public authority.

Non-operating property and equipment – (Include capital leases.)

Include the cost of all non-operating property and equipment, in other words, all property and equipment not included in the "operating" category above.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - non-operating property and equipment

Include accumulated depreciation and amortization of the non-operating property and equipment.

All other assets

Include long-term prepayments, developmental and pre-operating costs such as the cost of extraordinary training, unamortized discounts and expenses on the issue of long-term debt securities, property acquisition adjustments, other intangibles such as payments made for patents, copyrights, and so on, and other deferred charges.

Total assets

The sum of the assets above less the accumulated depreciation and amortization.

Liabilities and capital

Current liabilities

Include:

  • current accounts and traffic balances payable, including balances subject to current settlement and payable to associated companies and/or shareholders, and notes payable on demand or within one year from the date of the balance sheet;
  • the current portion of long-term debt and the current obligations under capital leases;
  • air traffic liabilities (unearned transportation revenue), which includes the value of passenger tickets sold but not used or refunded as of the date of the balance sheet, and pre-paid amounts for the transportation of baggage, freight and mail for which the transportation has not occurred as of the date of the balance sheet;
  • salaries and wages accrued and unpaid, taxes accrued and unpaid, dividends payable, deposits by subscribers on transportation contracts (air travel plan liabilities, in other words, deposits received under air travel plan contracts) and other current and accrued liabilities.

Advances from associated companies and/or shareholders

Include the net amount from associated companies and/or shareholders for notes, loans or advances which are not currently settled.

Long-term debt and other non-current liabilities – (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • the face value or principal amount of debt securities (for example, bonds, trust certificates, debentures, notes) issued and assumed by the air carrier and in the hands of others, which is not payable within twelve months of the balance sheet date;
  • long-term obligations under capital leases, which refers to the present value of unexpired contracts for the acquisition of aircraft under such lease arrangements.

Deferred income taxes

Include taxes that will be owed on income, but that have not yet been assessed.

All other liabilities

Include:

  • deferred credits which correspond to unamortized premiums on all classes of long-term debt, and other deferred credits such as securities issued or assumed by the air carrier, and other unadjusted accounts that cannot be cleared as of the date of the balance sheet;
  • provisions for major overhauls such as for flight equipment (in other words, liabilities of uncertain value or timing associated with the complete disassembly and inspection or repair of an aircraft, engine or other component of an aircraft) and other provisions such as liabilities of uncertain value or timing.

Shareholders' equity

Capital stock

Include the equity capital invested in a business through the purchase of various classes of common and preferred shares.

Retained earnings

Include the portion of after-tax profits left over, after dividends have been paid to shareholders, for reinvestment into the company. If this account is negative, then the amount indicated for this item should be shown with a negative (-) sign.

All other items

Include other paid-in capital and reserves. Other paid-in capital or contributed surplus includes the premiums or discounts that have resulted from selling stock, and stock received from donations. Reserves include any reserve fund such as reserve for self-insurance, reserve for pension, reserves against potential future losses, and so on. Also, include proprietorship or partnership accounts (balance year-end).

Total liabilities and capital

The sum of liabilities and capital plus the sum of shareholders' equity which should equal total assets.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's assets and liabilities?
  CAN$ '000
Financial assets  
a. Current assets  
b. All other financial assets
Include investments and special funds.
 
Property and equipment  
a. Operating - property and equipment
Include capital leases.
 
b. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
c. Non-operating property and equipment
Include capital leases.
 
d. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
e. All other assets  
Total assets  
Liabilities and capital  
a. Current liabilities  
b. Advances from associated companies and/or shareholders  
c. Long-term debt and other non-current liabilities
Include capital leases.
 
d. Deferred incomes taxes  
e. All other liabilities  
Shareholders' equity  
a. Capital stock  
b. Retained earnings  
c. All other items  
Total liabilities and capital  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (III)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating revenue?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

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.

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.)

Passenger revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers on scheduled and charter services. Include revenue from all surcharges (baggage, fuel, seat selection, changing or cancelling flights, and so on) that are retained by the air carrier. Exclude amounts such as taxes, navigation fees, security fees, and so on that are collected but passed on to other entities.

Goods revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of goods on scheduled and charter services. Exclude taxes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

All other flight-related revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from air transport activities not included in passenger revenue or goods revenue. Include revenue from other flying services such as flying training, recreational flying and other specialty flying.

All other revenue

Include subsidies and revenue earned from all other sources (including contra revenue, revenue of a corporate nature (leasing revenue, third party ground-handling, and so on), ancillary passenger revenue not easily allocated by operating flight (customs brokerage, and so on), revenue from in-flight sales (beverages, food, entertainment and wireless Internet access, and so on)).

Total operating revenue

The sum of passenger revenue, goods revenue, other flight-related revenue and revenue from all other sources.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating revenue?
  CAN$ '000
Operating revenue  
a. Scheduled services - passenger revenue
Include revenue from fees such as baggage, fuel, seat selection, etc.
 
b. Scheduled services - goods revenue  
c. Charter services - passenger revenue  
d. Charter services - goods revenue  
e. All other flight - related revenue
Include revenue from flying services such as flying training, recreational flying, etc.
 
f. All other revenue
Include subsidies and revenue earned from all other sources.
 
Total operating revenue  

2. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating expenses?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Operating expenses

Maintenance - ground property and equipment

Expenses incurred in the repair and upkeep of ground property and equipment. Include employee wages, salaries and benefits (including employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on), expenses for materials and supplies, purchased repair services and all other related expenses.

Aircraft operations

Expenses incurred directly for the in-flight operation of aircraft or in the holding of aircraft and aircraft personnel in readiness for assignment to an in-flight status.

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits (including employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on and layover expenses such as hotels and meals) for flight crews (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and so on);
  • expenses for turbo fuel, gasoline and all other fuel and oil consumed such as turbine oil and piston oil (including throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes);
  • airport landing fees paid both in Canada and outside of Canada;
  • navigation fees remitted to NAV CANADA or other international suppliers for the provision of air navigation services (air navigation services include aeronautical communication services, aeronautical information services, aeronautical radio navigation services, air traffic control services, aviation weather services, emergency assistance services and flight information services);
  • expenses for insurance against accidental damage to flight equipment while in flight or on the ground and for insurance against liability occurring from the operation of aircraft or, in the case of non-insurance, the resulting expenses for which the carrier is liable;
  • expenses incurred for the rental of aircraft (and crew) from other carriers, such as in chartering, interchange and operating or lease agreements;
  • all other aircraft operation expenses incurred directly for the in-flight operation and related standby time of aircraft.

Maintenance - flight equipment

Expenses incurred in the repair and upkeep of flight equipment. Include employee wages, salaries and benefits (including employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on), expenses for materials and supplies, purchased repair services and all other related expenses.

General administration

Expenses incurred for in-flight service, aircraft and traffic servicing, promotion and sales and general administration.

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits (including employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on and layover expenses such as hotels and meals) paid to cabin crews (flight attendants, and so on), ground personnel, staff engaged in reservations, ticketing, sales and promotional activities and all other employees (including the personnel performing the general and administrative functions of the air carrier);
  • expenses for in-flight service such as passenger food and supplies (in-flight meals, complimentary drinks, and so on and the cost of supplies and personal services furnished to passengers), passenger liability insurance (premiums for passenger liability and accident insurance) and all other in-flight service expenses (including passenger-related expenses incurred due to interrupted flights, including hotels, meals, taxi fares and other expense items, the cost of other services provided to passengers, such as pay, allowances and the cost of passenger service personnel, and all other services provided for the comfort of passengers in transit);
  • expenses for aircraft and traffic servicing purchased from outside suppliers, expenses incurred on the ground for scheduling or preparing aircraft for arrival and takeoff, expenses incurred in enplaning and deplaning passenger and cargo traffic, and expenses involved in servicing and handling individual aircraft and traffic on the ground, in preparing aircraft crews for flight assignment, in controlling the in-flight movements of aircraft and the in-flight expenses of handling all traffic including baggage;
  • all promotion and sales expenses such as passenger and cargo commission expenses (the net commission payable to others for the sale of transportation on the reporting carrier's service less the commission receivable from the reporting carrier's sale of transportation on other carriers' services), advertising and publicity expenses and any related expenses, accommodation costs, agency fees for outside services, expenses associated with reservations, city ticket offices and other sales expenses;
  • general administration expenses such as those for financial accounting activities, supplementary labour income, property taxes, building rentals, communications purchased, purchasing activities, representation at law, and all other operational administration expenses not directly applicable to a particular function that are not included in the previous operating expenses categories;
  • expenses such as incidental air transport-related expenses associated with revenue reported as "all other revenue";
  • staff reduction expenses.

Depreciation

Include:

  • provisions for the depreciation of ground property and equipment (including flight equipment);
  • all charges incurred in normal wear and tear on property and equipment which have not been replaced by current year repair, as well as losses in service ability;
  • charges for the amortization of capitalized development and other intangible assets.

All other expenses

Include any and all miscellaneous operating expenses not reported elsewhere.

Total operating expenses

The sum of the previous six expense items.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating expenses?
  CAN$ '000
Operating expenses  
a. Maintenance - ground property and equipment  
b. Aircraft operations  
c. Maintenance - flight equipment  
d. General administration
Include expenses incurred for in-flight service, aircraft and traffic servicing, promotion and sales and general administration.
 
e. Depreciation
Include provisions for the depreciation of ground property and equipment (including flight equipment), etc.
 
f. All other expenses  
Total operating expenses  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (III)

3. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating and non-operating income?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Operating income

Net operating income (a loss should be a negative number)

Total operating revenue less total operating expenses - calculated from the previous questions.

Non-operating income/expenses

Interest and discount income

Include interest income from all sources and cash discounts on the purchase of materials and supplies.

Interest expenses

Include interest on unpaid taxes and all classes of debt including premiums, discounts and expenses on short-term obligations, amortization of premiums, discounts and expenses on short-term and long-term obligations.

All other net non-operating income (enter a negative number for a loss)

Include:

  • capital gains (or losses) from retiring operating property and equipment, aircraft equipment, expendable parts, miscellaneous materials and supplies and other assets, when they are sold or otherwise retired from service as part of a general program and not as incidental sales performed as a service to others;
  • gains or losses made on investments in securities;
  • net miscellaneous non-operating income or loss, which refers to revenue and expenses attributable to financing or other activities that are not an integral part of the air transportation activities undertaken by the carrier, or its incidental services. These could include dividend income, the balance of all income or losses from affiliated companies reimbursed to the carrier, foreign exchange adjustments and special items, such as restructuring expenses, which do not occur on a regular basis.

Exclude staff reduction expenses which should be included under all other expenses.

Net non-operating income (a loss should be a negative number)

The sum of the previous three income or expense items.

Provision for income taxes

Include the provision for taxes payable on net income for the accounting period and adjustments of income taxes relating to previous years, including provisions for deferred income taxes resulting from differences between accounting income and taxable income that arise when the time of including items of revenue and expense in the computation of accounting income and taxable income do not coincide. If the net amount is negative, then the amount indicated for this item should be shown with a negative (-) sign.

Net income (a loss should be a negative number)

Net operating income plus net non-operating income less the provision for income taxes.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating and non-operating income?
  CAN$ '000
Operating income  
a. Net operating income (a loss should be a negative number)
Calculated from the previous questions as total operating revenue [$ amount] less total operating expenses [$ amount].
 
Non-operating income/expenses  
a. Interest and discount income  
b. Interest expenses  
c. All other net non-operating income (enter a negative number for a loss)  
Net non-operating income (a loss should be a negative number)  
d. Provision for income taxes  
Net income (a loss should be a negative number)  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (III)

4. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's fuel consumption.

Fuel and oil consumed

Turbo fuel consumed

Include fuel used in both turboprop and jet aircraft.

Provide the quantity and expenses for 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. Report the quantity of turbo fuel consumed in litres.

Include turbo fuel consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for turbo fuel consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes. If the fuel was supplied by a customer, an approximate value may be provided based on prevailing market rates.

Conversion factor

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

Gasoline consumed

Provide the quantity and expenses for gasoline consumed. If the gasoline was supplied by a customer, it may be estimated based on hours flown. Report the quantity of gasoline consumed in litres.
Include gasoline consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for gasoline consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes. If the gasoline was supplied by a customer, an approximate value may be provided based on prevailing market rates.

Conversion factor

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

All other fuel and oil consumed

Provide the quantity and expenses for all other fuel and oil consumed. Report the quantity of all other fuel and oil consumed in litres.
The quantity should include turbine oil, piston oil and all other types of fuel and oil consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for all other fuel and oil consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes.

Conversion factor

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

Total fuel and oil consumed

The sum of the quantities and expenses reported in the previous three items.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's fuel consumption.
  Quantity -
Litres (L)
Expenses
CAN$ '000
Fuel and oil consumed    
a. Turbo fuel consumed (litres)
Include fuel used in both turboprop and jet aircraft.
   
b. Gasoline consumed (litres)    
c. All other fuel and oil consumed (litres)    
Total fuel and oil consumed (litres)    

5. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's employment.

Average number of employees

Refers to the average number of people employed for each of the six categories of personnel.

Include all employees, temporary or permanent, on the payroll of the air carrier during the reporting period. Include part-time employees, prorated to the amount of time worked when compared to full-time employees (for example, two part-time employees working half-time are equivalent to one full-time employee).

Wages and salaries expenses

Include a breakdown of the wages and salaries paid for each of the six categories of personnel.

Exclude all benefits, in other words, employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on or layover expenses, such as hotels and meals, for flight and cabin crews.

Employment category

Include:

  • Pilots and co-pilots. Self-explanatory;
  • Other flight personnel. Flight crew (including flight engineers, navigators, and so on) and cabin crew (including flight attendants, and so on);
  • General management and administration employees (including the personnel performing the general and administrative functions such as administrative personnel at headquarters, comptrollers and assistants, directors and assistants (operations, passenger service, public relations, sales), and so on);
  • Maintenance personnel (including the personnel performing the ground property and equipment maintenance such as the carpenters, cleaners, and so on and including the personnel performing the flight equipment maintenance such as the aircraft maintenance engineers and the inspectors of flight equipment);
  • Aircraft and traffic servicing personnel (including supervisory personnel, assigned to ground activities, engaged directly in protecting and controlling aircraft in flight (flight dispatch personnel, flight planning staff), in scheduling and preparing flight crews for flight assignment, in parking and servicing aircraft incidental to line operations and including baggage handlers, aircraft fuelers, and so on);
  • All other employees (including air ambulance attendants, accountants, economists, statisticians, lawyers, purchasing personnel, publicity representatives, and so on).

Total employees

The sum of the number and the wages and salaries expenses for the six categories of personnel.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's employment.
  Average number of employees Wages and salaries expenses
CAN$ '000
Employment    
a. Pilots and co-pilots    
b. Other flight personnel
Include flight engineers, navigators, flight attendants, etc.
   
c. General management and administration employees    
d. Maintenance personnel    
e. Aircraft and traffic servicing personnel
Include flight dispatch personnel, flight planning staff, aircraft fuelers, etc.
   
f. All other employees
Include air ambulance attendants, accountants, purchasing personnel, etc.
   
Total employees    

6. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the distribution of this business's revenue and expenses by area of operation.

Revenue and expenses by area of operation

Passenger revenue

Include a breakdown of the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the transportation service was provided. Total passenger revenue should equal the sum of passenger revenue from scheduled services and charter services previously reported.

Goods revenue

Include a breakdown of the revenue earned from the transportation of goods for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the transportation service was provided. Total goods revenue should equal the sum of goods revenue from scheduled services and charter services previously reported.

Employee wages and salaries

Include a breakdown of employee wages and salaries for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the employees are located. Total employee wages and salaries should equal the total wages and salaries expenses reported in the "Employment" section above.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the distribution of this business's revenue and expenses by area of operation.
  Passenger revenue
CAN$ '000
Goods revenue
CAN$ '000
Employee wages and salaries
CAN$ '000
Area of operation      
a. Newfoundland and Labrador      
b. Prince Edward Island      
c. Nova Scotia      
d. New Brunswick      
e. Quebec      
f. Ontario      
g. Manitoba      
h. Saskatchewan      
i. Alberta      
j. British Columbia      
k. Yukon      
l. Northwest Territories      
m. Nunavut      
n. Outside Canada      
Total      

Scheduled Services, Revenue Operating Statistics, Annual - Statement 10 (III)

1. For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, please provide the details of this business's scheduled services by sector of operation.

Scheduled services - operating statistics

Include fixed wing and helicopter services.

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).

Data reported must include both fixed wing and helicopter services, where:

Fixed wing

Means a power-driven, heavier-than-air aircraft, deriving its lift in flight chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surfaces which remain fixed. An aircraft having wings fixed to the airplane fuselage and outspread in flight - that is non-rotating wings.

Helicopter

Means a rotary wing, heavier-than-air aircraft, supported in flight chiefly by the reactions of the air on one or more power-driven rotors on substantially vertical axes. A helicopter does not have conventional fixed wings, nor is it provided with a conventional propeller for forward thrust.

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 passengers1 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.

1 Revenue passengers correspond to passengers for which an air carrier receives remuneration and who are travelling with tickets purchased (a) under a publicly available promotional offer; (b) through a loyalty program or through the redemption of loyalty points or miles; (c) with a corporate discount or at a preferential fare; or obtained (d) as compensation for denied boarding. It excludes (a) passengers travelling for free, at a fare available only to persons who are employees or agents of an air carrier or are travelling on the business of an air carrier; and (b) persons, such as infants, who do not occupy seats.

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.

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.

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.

For the calendar year ending in December 2019, please provide the details of this business's scheduled services by sector of operation.
  Domestic Transborder
(Canada-US)
Other
international
Total
Scheduled services - operating statistics
Include fixed wing and helicopter services.
       
a. Number of enplaned passengers        
b. Number of passenger-kilometres        
c. Number of hours flown        
d. Enplaned goods (kilograms)        
e. Goods tonne-kilometres
(tonne-kilometres)
       

2. For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, what was the distribution by sector of the operating revenue for scheduled services?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Scheduled services - revenue

Include fixed wing and helicopter services.

Passenger revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers on scheduled services. Include revenue from all surcharges (baggage, fuel, seat selection, and so on) that are retained by the air carrier. Exclude amounts such as taxes, navigation fees, security fees, and so on that are collected but passed on to other entities.

Goods revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of goods on scheduled services. Exclude taxes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, what was the distribution by sector of the operating revenue for scheduled services?
  Domestic CAN$ '000 Transborder
(Canada-US) CAN$ '000
Other
international CAN$ '000
Total
CAN$ '000
Scheduled services - revenue
Include fixed wing and helicopter services.
       
a. Passenger revenue        
b. Goods revenue        

Charter Services, Revenue Operating Statistics, Annual - Statement 12 (III)

1. For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, please provide the details of this business's charter services by sector of operation.

Charter services - operating statistics

Include fixed wing and helicopter services.

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).

Data reported must include both fixed wing and helicopter services, where:

Fixed wing

Means a power-driven, heavier-than-air aircraft, deriving its lift in flight chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surfaces which remain fixed. An aircraft having wings fixed to the airplane fuselage and outspread in flight - that is non-rotating wings.

Helicopter

Means a rotary wing, heavier-than-air aircraft, supported in flight chiefly by the reactions of the air on one or more power-driven rotors on substantially vertical axes. A helicopter does not have conventional fixed wings, nor is it provided with a conventional propeller for forward thrust.

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.)

Enplaned passengers

Refers to revenue passengers1 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.

1 Revenue passengers correspond to passengers for which an air carrier receives remuneration and who are travelling with tickets purchased (a) under a publicly available promotional offer; (b) through a loyalty program or through the redemption of loyalty points or miles; (c) with a corporate discount or at a preferential fare; or obtained (d) as compensation for denied boarding. It excludes (a) passengers travelling for free, at a fare available only to persons who are employees or agents of an air carrier or are travelling on the business of an air carrier; and (b) persons, such as infants, who do not occupy seats.

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.

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.

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.

For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, please provide the details of this business's charter services by sector of operation.
  Domestic Transborder
(Canada-US)
Other
international
Total
Charter services - operating statistics
Include fixed wing and helicopter services.
       
a. Number of enplaned passengers        
b. Number of passenger-kilometres        
c. Number of hours flown        
d. Enplaned goods (kilograms)        
e. Goods tonne-kilometres
(tonne-kilometres)
       

2. For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, what was the distribution by sector of the operating revenue for charter services?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Charter services - revenue

Include fixed wing and helicopter services.

Passenger revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers on charter services. Include revenue from all surcharges (baggage, fuel, seat selection, and so on) that are retained by the air carrier. Exclude amounts such as taxes, navigation fees, security fees, and so on that are collected but passed on to other entities.

Goods revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of goods on charter services. Exclude taxes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

For the calendar year ending in December YYYY, what was the distribution by sector of the operating revenue for charter services?
  Domestic CAN$ '000 Transborder
(Canada-US) CAN$ '000
Other
international CAN$ '000
Total
CAN$ '000
Charter services - revenue
Include fixed wing and helicopter services.
       
a. Passenger revenue        
b. Goods revenue        

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

1. 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

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?

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey collects financial data from the Canadian Level II air carriers needed to measure the growth, the performance and the long-term financial position of the airline industry. The information is also used by Statistics Canada as input to the Canadian System of National Accounts and by individual carriers for measuring company performance relative to groups of competitors.

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 under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with Natural Resources Canada, 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.

Under Section 12 of the Statistics Act, respondents can object to the sharing of information with other organizations. 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.

Respondents may refuse to share their information with Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, and mailing it to the following address. These organizations have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes.

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 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 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. 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
    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. 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.

Example
  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, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

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

  • May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020
  • June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020
  • July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020
  • August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
  • September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020
  • October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
  • November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020
  • December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020
  • January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
  • February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021
  • March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021
  • April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

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

  • September 18, 2019 to September 15, 2020 ( e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 ( 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:  

Balance Sheet, Annual - Statement 20 (II, III)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what were this business's assets and liabilities?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Financial assets

Current assets

Include:

  • cash, bank balances (including deposits in transit, special deposits for the payments of debts, and so on) and short-term investments due within one year from the date of the balance sheet;
  • current accounts and notes receivable as well as other current assets such as inventories, charges to subscribers on transportation contracts, interests and dividends receivable, and so on.

All other financial assets - (Include investments and special funds.)

Include investments in associated companies, other investments such as investments in stocks, bonds, and so on, and special funds such as equipment purchase funds, funds set aside for such special purposes as contractual deposits, pension funds, self-insurance funds, and so on.

Property and equipment

Operating - property and equipment - (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • ground property and equipment (including flight equipment) owned and/or under capital leases;
  • the cost of aircraft (airframes), aircraft engines, propellers, components (aircraft communication and navigational equipment) and spare parts that have been purchased outright;
  • the cost of non-airborne communication and meteorological equipment, ramp equipment, maintenance and engineering equipment, surface transport vehicles and equipment, furniture, fixtures and office equipment, buildings and land as well as miscellaneous ground equipment such as medical equipment, airport and lighting equipment, passenger service equipment, hotel, restaurant and food service equipment, storage and distribution equipment. Property and equipment under capital leases includes the cost of property and equipment under a capital or finance lease, in other words, a lease for a period considered to be the whole or nearly the whole life of the property or equipment.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - property and equipment

Include:

  • accumulated depreciation and amortization of ground property and equipment (including flight equipment) owned and/or under capital leases;
  • accrued charges representing losses, not replaced by current repairs, occurring in physical property and suffered through current lessening of service value due to wear and tear from use and the action of time and the elements; and losses occurring through obsolescence, supersession, new technological developments, changes in popular demand and the requirements of public authority.

Non-operating property and equipment - (Include capital leases.)

Include the cost of all non-operating property and equipment, in other words, all property and equipment not included in the "operating" category above.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - non-operating property and equipment

Include accumulated depreciation and amortization of the non-operating property and equipment.

All other assets

Include long-term prepayments, developmental and pre-operating costs such as the cost of extraordinary training, unamortized discounts and expenses on the issue of long-term debt securities, property acquisition adjustments, other intangibles such as payments made for patents, copyrights, and so on, and other deferred charges.

Total assets

The sum of the assets above less the accumulated depreciation and amortization.

Liabilities and capital

Current liabilities

Include:

  • current accounts and traffic balances payable, including balances subject to current settlement and payable to associated companies and/or shareholders, and notes payable on demand or within one year from the date of the balance sheet;
  • the current portion of long-term debt and the current obligations under capital leases;
  • air traffic liabilities (unearned transportation revenue), which includes the value of passenger tickets sold but not used or refunded as of the date of the balance sheet, and pre-paid amounts for the transportation of baggage, freight and mail for which the transportation has not occurred as of the date of the balance sheet;
  • salaries and wages accrued and unpaid, taxes accrued and unpaid, dividends payable, deposits by subscribers on transportation contracts (air travel plan liabilities, in other words, deposits received under air travel plan contracts) and other current and accrued liabilities.

Advances from associated companies and/or shareholders

Include the net amount from associated companies and/or shareholders for notes, loans or advances which are not currently settled.

Long-term debt and other non-current liabilities - (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • the face value or principal amount of debt securities (for example, bonds, trust certificates, debentures, notes) issued and assumed by the air carrier and in the hands of others, which is not payable within twelve months of the balance sheet date;
  • long-term obligations under capital leases, which refers to the present value of unexpired contracts for the acquisition of aircraft under such lease arrangements.

Deferred income taxes

Include taxes that will be owed on income, but that have not yet been assessed.

All other liabilities

Include:

  • deferred credits which correspond to unamortized premiums on all classes of long-term debt, and other deferred credits such as securities issued or assumed by the air carrier, and other unadjusted accounts that cannot be cleared as of the date of the balance sheet;
  • provisions for major overhauls such as for flight equipment (in other words, liabilities of uncertain value or timing associated with the complete disassembly and inspection or repair of an aircraft, engine or other component of an aircraft) and other provisions such as liabilities of uncertain value or timing.

Shareholders' equity

Capital stock

Include the equity capital invested in a business through the purchase of various classes of common and preferred shares.

Retained earnings

Include the portion of after-tax profits left over, after dividends have been paid to shareholders, for reinvestment into the company. If this account is negative, then the amount indicated for this item should be shown with a negative (-) sign.

All other items

Include other paid-in capital and reserves. Other paid-in capital or contributed surplus includes the premiums or discounts that have resulted from selling stock, and stock received from donations. Reserves include any reserve fund such as reserve for self-insurance, reserve for pension, reserves against potential future losses, and so on. Also, include proprietorship or partnership accounts (balance year-end).

Total liabilities and capital

The sum of liabilities and capital plus the sum of shareholders' equity which should equal total assets.

For the reporting period ending, what were this business's assets and liabilities?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Example
  CAN$ '000
Financial assets  
a. Current assets  
b. All other financial assets
Include investments and special funds.
 
Property and equipment  
a. Operating - property and equipment
Include capital leases.
 
b. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
c. Non-operating property and equipment
Include capital leases.
 
d. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
e. All other assets  
Total assets  
Liabilities and capital  
a. Current liabilities  
b. Advances from associated companies and/or shareholders  
c. Long-term debt and other non-current liabilities
Include capital leases.
 
d. Deferred incomes taxes  
e. All other liabilities  
Shareholders' equity  
a. Capital stock  
b. Retained earnings  
c. All other items  
Total liabilities and capital  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what were the details of this business's operating revenue?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

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.

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 TP 8880 - Starting A Commercial Air Service or at Starting a Commercial Air Service.)

Passenger revenue
Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers on scheduled and charter services. Include revenue from all surcharges (baggage, fuel, seat selection, changing or cancelling flights, and so on) that are retained by the air carrier. Exclude amounts such as taxes, navigation fees, security fees, and so on that are collected but passed on to other entities.

Goods revenue
Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of goods on scheduled and charter services. Exclude taxes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

All other flight-related revenue
Refers to the revenue earned from air transport activities not included in passenger revenue or goods revenue. Include revenue from other flying services such as flying training, recreational flying and other specialty flying.

All other revenue
Include subsidies and revenue earned from all other sources (including contra revenue, revenue of a corporate nature (leasing revenue, third party ground-handling, and so on), ancillary passenger revenue not easily allocated by operating flight (customs brokerage, and so on), revenue from in-flight sales (beverages, food, entertainment and wireless Internet access, and so on)).

Total operating revenue
The sum of passenger revenue, goods revenue, other flight-related revenue and revenue from all other sources.

Example
  CAN$ '000
Operating revenue  
a. Scheduled services - passenger revenue
Include revenue from fees such as baggage, fuel, seat selection, etc.
 
b. Scheduled services - goods revenue  
c. Charter services - passenger revenue  
d. Charter services - goods revenue  
e. All other flight - related revenue
Include revenue from flying services such as flying training, recreational flying, etc.
 
f. All other revenue
Include subsidies and revenue earned from all other sources.
 
Total operating revenue  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

2. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what were the details of this business's operating expenses?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Operating expenses - Ground property and equipment maintenance

Employee wages, salaries and benefits
Direct labour costs (wages and salaries) expended on the maintenance of ground property and equipment.
Include benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

All other maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses
Expenses, both direct and indirect, incurred in the repair and upkeep of ground property and equipment.
Include materials and supplies, purchased repair services and all other related expenses.

Total maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses
The sum of the previous two expense items.

Operating expenses - Aircraft operations

Flight crew wages, salaries and benefits
Include the wages, salaries and benefits for flight crews (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and so on).
Include benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on and layover expenses such as hotels and meals.

Aircraft fuel and oil
Expenses for turbo fuel, gasoline and all other fuel and oil consumed such as turbine oil and piston oil.
Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes.

Landing fees
Include airport landing fees paid both in Canada and outside of Canada.

Navigation fees
Charges remitted to NAV CANADA or other international suppliers for the provision of air navigation services. Air navigation services include aeronautical communication services, aeronautical information services, aeronautical radio navigation services, air traffic control services, aviation weather services, emergency assistance services and flight information services.

Aircraft insurance
Expenses for insurance against accidental damage to flight equipment while in flight or on the ground and for insurance against liability occurring from the operation of aircraft or, in the case of non-insurance, the resulting expenses for which the carrier is liable.

Aircraft rental
Expenses incurred for the rental of aircraft (and crew) from other carriers, such as in chartering, interchange and operating or lease agreements.

All other aircraft operation expenses
Expenses incurred directly for the in-flight operation and related standby time of aircraft which are not elsewhere classified.

Total aircraft operations expenses
The sum of the previous seven expense items.

Operating expenses - Flight equipment maintenance

Employee wages, salaries and benefits
Direct labour costs (wages and salaries) expended on the maintenance of flight equipment.
Include benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

Materials and supplies
Expenses on materials and supplies for the maintenance of flight equipment.

Purchased repair services
Expenses for repair services for the maintenance of flight equipment purchased from outside suppliers.

All other maintenance - flight equipment expenses
Expenses, both direct and indirect, incurred in the repair and upkeep of flight equipment.

Total maintenance - flight equipment expenses
The sum of the previous four expense items.

Operating expenses - In-flight services

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to cabin crews (flight attendants, and so on);
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on and layover expenses such as hotels and meals.

Passenger food and supplies
Include expenses for in-flight meals, complimentary drinks, and so on, and the cost of supplies and personal services furnished to passengers.

Passenger liability insurance
Include the premiums for passenger liability and accident insurance paid by the carrier.

All other in-flight service expenses
Include passenger-related expenses incurred due to interrupted flights, including hotels, meals, taxi fares and other expense items, the cost of other services provided to passengers, such as pay, allowances and the cost of passenger service personnel, and all other services provided for the comfort of passengers in transit.

Total in-flight service expenses
The sum of the previous four expense items.

Operating expenses - Aircraft and traffic servicing

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to ground personnel;
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

Purchased services
Expenses for aircraft and traffic servicing purchased from outside suppliers.

All other aircraft and traffic servicing expenses
Include expenses incurred on the ground for scheduling or preparing aircraft for arrival and takeoff, expenses incurred in enplaning and deplaning passenger and cargo traffic, and expenses involved in servicing and handling individual aircraft and traffic on the ground, in preparing aircraft crews for flight assignment, in controlling the in-flight movements of aircraft and the in-flight expenses of handling all traffic including baggage.

Total aircraft and traffic servicing expenses
The sum of the previous three expense items.

Operating expenses - Promotion and sales

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to all staff engaged in reservations, ticketing, sales and promotional activities;
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

All other promotion and sales expenses

Include:

  • passenger and cargo commission expenses;
  • the net commission payable to others for the sale of transportation on the reporting carrier's service less the commission receivable from the reporting carrier's sale of transportation on other carriers' services, advertising and publicity expenses and any related expenses, accommodation costs, agency fees for outside services, expenses associated with reservations, city ticket offices and other sales expenses.

Total promotion and sales expenses
The sum of the previous two expense items.

Operating expenses - Depreciation

Depreciation - flight equipment

Include:

  • provisions for the depreciation of flight equipment only;
  • all charges incurred in normal wear and tear on flight equipment which have not been replaced by current year repair, as well as losses in service ability.

All other depreciation

Include:

  • provisions for the depreciation of all non-flight ground and property equipment;
  • all charges incurred in normal wear and tear which have not been replaced by current year repair, as well as losses in service ability;
  • charges for the amortization of capitalized development and other intangible assets.

Total depreciation
The sum of the previous two expense items.

Operating expenses - All other expenses
Include general administration.

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to all employees performing the general and administrative functions of the air carrier;
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

Exclude all amounts reported in the previous six wages, salaries and benefits categories.

All other expenses

Include:

  • all operating expenses and general administration expenses not reported elsewhere;
  • expenses for general financial accounting activities, supplementary labour income, property taxes, building rentals, communications purchased, purchasing activities, representation at law, and all other operational administration expenses not directly applicable to a particular function that are not included in the previous operating expenses categories;
  • expenses such as incidental air transport-related expenses associated with revenue reported as "all other revenue";
  • all miscellaneous operating expenses not covered elsewhere;
  • staff reduction expenses.

Total other expenses
The sum of the previous two expense items.

Total operating expenses
The sum of the eight expenses sub-totals, in other words, Total maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses, Total aircraft operations expenses, and so on.

Example
  CAN$ '000
Operating expenses - Ground property and equipment maintenance  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. All other maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses  
Total maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses  
Operating expenses - Aircraft operations  
a. Flight crew wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Aircraft fuel and oil  
c. Landing fees  
d. Navigation fees  
e. Aircraft insurance  
f. Aircraft rental  
g. All other aircraft operations expenses  
Total aircraft operations expenses  
Operating expenses - Flight equipment maintenance  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Materials and supplies  
c. Purchased repair services  
d. All other maintenance - flight equipment expenses  
Total maintenance - flight equipment expenses  
Operating expenses - In-flight service  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Passenger food and supplies  
c. Passenger liability insurance  
d. All other in-flight service expenses
Include expenses incurred due to interrupted flights such as hotels, meals, etc.
 
Total in-flight service expenses  
Operating expenses - Aircraft and traffic servicing  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Purchased services  
c. All other aircraft and traffic servicing expenses  
Total aircraft and traffic servicing expenses  
Operating expenses - Promotion and sales  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. All other promotion and sales expenses  
Total promotion and sales expenses  
Operating expenses - Depreciation  
a. Depreciation - flight equipment  
b. All other depreciation
Include provisions for the depreciation of all non-flight ground and property equipment, etc.
 
Total depreciation  
Operating expenses - All other expenses
Include general administration.
 
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. All other expenses
Include all operating expenses and general administration expenses not reported elsewhere, expenses such as incidental air transport-related expenses, expenses for general financial accounting activities, supplementary labour income, property taxes, etc.
 
Total other expenses  
Total operating expenses  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

3. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what were the details of this business's operating and non-operating income?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Operating income

Net operating income (a loss should be a negative number)
Total operating revenue less total operating expenses - calculated from the previous questions.

Non-operating income/expenses

Interest and discount income
Include interest income from all sources and cash discounts on the purchase of materials and supplies.

Interest expenses
Include interest on unpaid taxes and all classes of debt including premiums, discounts and expenses on short-term obligations, amortization of premiums, discounts and expenses on short-term and long-term obligations.

All other net non-operating income (enter a negative number for a loss)

Include:

  • capital gains (or losses) from retiring operating property and equipment, aircraft equipment, expendable parts, miscellaneous materials and supplies and other assets, when they are sold or otherwise retired from service as part of a general program and not as incidental sales performed as a service to others;
  • gains or losses made on investments in securities;
  • net miscellaneous non-operating income or loss, which refers to revenue and expenses attributable to financing or other activities that are not an integral part of the air transportation activities undertaken by the carrier, or its incidental services. These could include dividend income, the balance of all income or losses from affiliated companies reimbursed to the carrier, foreign exchange adjustments and special items, such as restructuring expenses, which do not occur on a regular basis.

Exclude staff reduction expenses which should be included under all other expenses.

Net non-operating income (a loss should be a negative number)
The sum of the previous three income or expense items.

Provision for income taxes
Include the provision for taxes payable on net income for the accounting period and adjustments of income taxes relating to previous years, including provisions for deferred income taxes resulting from differences between accounting income and taxable income that arise when the time of including items of revenue and expense in the computation of accounting income and taxable income do not coincide. If the net amount is negative, then the amount indicated for this item should be shown with a negative (-) sign.

Net income (a loss should be a negative number)
Net operating income plus net non-operating income less the provision for income taxes.

Example
  CAN$ '000
Operating income  
a. Net operating income (a loss should be a negative number)
Calculated from the previous questions as total operating revenue [$ amount] less total operating expenses [$ amount].
 
Non-operating income/expenses  
a. Interest and discount income  
b. Interest expenses  
c. All other net non-operating income (enter a negative number for a loss)  
Net non-operating income (a loss should be a negative number)  
d. Provision for income taxes  
Net income (a loss should be a negative number)  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

4. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , please provide the details of this business's fuel consumption.

Fuel and oil consumed

Turbo fuel consumed
Include fuel used in both turboprop and jet aircraft.
Provide the quantity and expenses for 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. Report the quantity of turbo fuel consumed in litres.
Include turbo fuel consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for turbo fuel consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes. If the fuel was supplied by a customer, an approximate value may be provided based on prevailing market rates.

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

All other fuel and oil consumed
Provide the quantity and expenses for all non-turbo fuel and oil consumed. Report the quantity of all other fuel and oil consumed in litres.
The quantity should include gasoline, turbine oil, piston oil and all other types of fuel and oil consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for all other fuel and oil consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes.

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

Total fuel and oil consumed
The sum of the quantities and expenses reported in the previous two items.

Example
  Quantity -
Litres (L)
Expenses
CAN$ '000
Fuel and oil consumed    
a. Turbo fuel consumed (litres)
Include fuel used in both turbopop and jet aircraft.
   
b. All other fuel and oil consumed (litres)    
Total fuel and oil consumed (litres)    

5. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , please provide the details of this business's employment.

Employment

Average number of employees
Refer to the average number of people employed for each of the six categories of personnel. Include all employees, temporary or permanent, on the payroll of the air carrier during the reporting period. Include part-time employees, prorated to the amount of time worked when compared to full-time employees (for example, two part-time employees working half-time are equivalent to one full-time employee).

Wages and salaries expenses
Include a breakdown of the wages and salaries paid for each of the six categories of personnel.
Exclude all benefits, in other words, employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on or layover expenses, such as hotels and meals, for flight and cabin crews.

Employment category

Include:

  • Pilots and co-pilots. Self-explanatory;
  • Other flight personnel. Flight crew (including flight engineers, navigators, and so on) and cabin crew (including flight attendants, and so on);
  • General management and administration employees (including the personnel performing the general and administrative functions such as administrative personnel at headquarters, comptrollers and assistants, directors and assistants (operations, passenger service, public relations, sales), and so on);
  • Maintenance personnel (including the personnel performing the ground property and equipment maintenance such as the carpenters, cleaners, and so on and including the personnel performing the flight equipment maintenance such as the aircraft maintenance engineers and the inspectors of flight equipment);
  • Aircraft and traffic servicing personnel (including supervisory personnel, assigned to ground activities, engaged directly in protecting and controlling aircraft in flight (flight dispatch personnel, flight planning staff), in scheduling and preparing flight crews for flight assignment, in parking and servicing aircraft incidental to line operations and including baggage handlers, aircraft fuelers, and so on);
  • All other employees (including air ambulance attendants, accountants, economists, statisticians, lawyers, purchasing personnel, publicity representatives, and so on).

Total employees
The sum of the number and the wages and salaries expenses for the six categories of personnel.

Example
  Average number of employees Wages and salaries expenses
CAN$ '000
Employment    
a. Pilots and co-pilots    
b. Other flight personnel
Include flight engineers, navigators, flight attendants, etc.
   
c. General management and administration employees    
d. Maintenance personnel    
e. Aircraft and traffic servicing personnel
Include flight dispatch personnel, flight planning staff, aircraft fuelers, etc.
   
f. All other employees
Include air ambulance attendants, accountants, purchasing personnel, etc.
   
Total employees    

6. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , please provide the distribution of this business's revenue and expenses by area of operation.

Revenue or expenses by area of operation

Passenger revenue
Include a breakdown of the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the transportation service was provided. Total passenger revenue should equal the sum of passenger revenue from scheduled services and charter services previously reported.

Goods revenue
Include a breakdown of the revenue earned from the transportation of goods for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the transportation service was provided. Total goods revenue should equal the sum of goods revenue from scheduled services and charter services previously reported.

Employee wages and salaries
Include a breakdown of employee wages and salaries for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the employees are located. Total employee wages and salaries should equal the total wages and salaries expenses reported in the "Employment" section above.

Example
  Passenger revenue
CAN$ '000
Goods revenue
CAN$ '000
Employee wages and salaries
CAN$ '000
Area of operation      
a. Newfoundland and Labrador      
b. Prince Edward Island      
c. Nova Scotia      
d. New Brunswick      
e. Quebec      
f. Ontario      
g. Manitoba      
h. Saskatchewan      
i. Alberta      
j. British Columbia      
k. Yukon      
l. Northwest Territories      
m. Nunavut      
n. Outside Canada      
Total      

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

1. 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

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?

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey collects financial data from the Canadian Level I air carriers needed to measure the growth, the performance and the long-term financial position of the airline industry. The information is also used by Statistics Canada as input to the Canadian System of National Accounts and by individual carriers for measuring company performance relative to groups of competitors.

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 under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with Natural Resources Canada, 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.

Under Section 12 of the Statistics Act, respondents can object to the sharing of information with other organizations. 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.

Respondents may refuse to share their information with Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, and mailing it to the following address. These organizations have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes.

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 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 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. 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
    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. 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.

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?

For this survey, the end date should fall between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

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

  • May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020
  • June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020
  • July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020
  • August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
  • September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020
  • October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
  • November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020
  • December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020
  • January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
  • February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021
  • March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021
  • April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

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

  • September 18, 2019 to September 15, 2020 ( e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 ( 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:

Balance Sheet, Annual - Statement 20 (I)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's assets and liabilities?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Financial assets

Current assets

Include:

  • cash, bank balances (including deposits in transit, special deposits for the payments of debts, and so on) and short-term investments due within one year from the date of the balance sheet;
  • current accounts and notes receivable as well as other current assets such as inventories, charges to subscribers on transportation contracts, interests and dividends receivable, and so on.

All other financial assets - (Include investments and special funds.)

Include investments in associated companies, other investments such as investments in stocks, bonds, and so on, and special funds such as equipment purchase funds, funds set aside for such special purposes as contractual deposits, pension funds, self-insurance funds, and so on.

Property and equipment

Operating - flight equipment - (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • flight equipment owned and/or under capital leases;
  • the cost of aircraft (airframes), aircraft engines, propellers, components (aircraft communication and navigational equipment) and spare parts that have been purchased outright. Flight equipment under capital leases includes the cost of flight equipment acquired under a capital or finance lease, in other words, a lease for a period considered to be the whole or nearly the whole life of the aircraft.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - flight equipment

Include:

  • accumulated depreciation and amortization of flight equipment owned and/or under capital leases;
  • accrued charges representing losses, not replaced by current repairs, occurring in physical property and suffered through current lessening of service value due to wear and tear from use and the action of time and the elements; and losses occurring through obsolescence, supersession, new technological developments, changes in popular demand and the requirements of public authority.

Operating - ground property and equipment - (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • ground property and equipment owned and/or under capital leases;
  • the cost of non-airborne communication and meteorological equipment, ramp equipment, maintenance and engineering equipment, surface transport vehicles and equipment, furniture, fixtures and office equipment, buildings and land as well as miscellaneous ground equipment such as medical equipment, airport and lighting equipment, passenger service equipment, hotel, restaurant and food service equipment, storage and distribution equipment. Ground property and equipment under capital leases includes the cost of ground property and equipment under a capital or finance lease, in other words, a lease for a period considered to be the whole or nearly the whole life of the property or equipment.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - ground property and equipment

Include:

  • accumulated depreciation and amortization of ground property and equipment owned and/or under capital leases;
  • accrued charges representing losses, not replaced by current repairs, occurring in physical property and suffered through current lessening of service value due to wear and tear from use and the action of time and the elements; and losses occurring through obsolescence, supersession, new technological developments, changes in popular demand and the requirements of public authority.

Non-operating property and equipment - (Include capital leases.)

Include the cost of all non-operating property and equipment, in other words, all property and equipment not included in the "operating" categories above.

Accumulated depreciation and amortization - non-operating property and equipment

Include accumulated depreciation and amortization of the non-operating property and equipment.

All other assets

Include long-term prepayments, developmental and pre-operating costs such as the cost of extraordinary training, unamortized discounts and expenses on the issue of long-term debt securities, property acquisition adjustments, other intangibles such as payments made for patents, copyrights, and so on, and other deferred charges.

Total assets

The sum of the assets above less the accumulated depreciation and amortization.

Liabilities and capital

Current liabilities

Include:

  • current accounts and traffic balances payable, including balances subject to current settlement and payable to associated companies and/or shareholders, and notes payable on demand or within one year from the date of the balance sheet;
  • the current portion of long-term debt and the current obligations under capital leases;
  • air traffic liabilities (unearned transportation revenue), which includes the value of passenger tickets sold but not used or refunded as of the date of the balance sheet, and pre-paid amounts for the transportation of baggage, freight and mail for which the transportation has not occurred as of the date of the balance sheet;
  • salaries and wages accrued and unpaid, taxes accrued and unpaid, dividends payable, deposits by subscribers on transportation contracts (air travel plan liabilities, in other words, deposits received under air travel plan contracts) and other current and accrued liabilities.

Advances from associated companies and/or shareholders

Include the net amount from associated companies and/or shareholders for notes, loans or advances which are not currently settled.

Long-term debt and other non-current liabilities - (Include capital leases.)

Include:

  • the face value or principal amount of debt securities (for example, bonds, trust certificates, debentures, notes) issued and assumed by the air carrier and in the hands of others, which is not payable within twelve months of the balance sheet date;
  • long-term obligations under capital leases, which refers to the present value of unexpired contracts for the acquisition of aircraft under such lease arrangements.

Deferred income taxes

Include taxes that will be owed on income, but that have not yet been assessed.

All other liabilities

Include:

  • deferred credits which correspond to unamortized premiums on all classes of long-term debt, and other deferred credits such as securities issued or assumed by the air carrier, and other unadjusted accounts that cannot be cleared as of the date of the balance sheet;
  • provisions for major overhauls such as for flight equipment (in other words, liabilities of uncertain value or timing associated with the complete disassembly and inspection or repair of an aircraft, engine or other component of an aircraft) and other provisions such as liabilities of uncertain value or timing.

Shareholders' equity

Capital stock

Include the equity capital invested in a business through the purchase of various classes of common and preferred shares.

Retained earnings

Include the portion of after-tax profits left over, after dividends have been paid to shareholders, for reinvestment into the company. If this account is negative, then the amount indicated for this item should be shown with a negative (-) sign.

All other items

Include other paid-in capital and reserves. Other paid-in capital or contributed surplus includes the premiums or discounts that have resulted from selling stock, and stock received from donations. Reserves include any reserve fund such as reserve for self-insurance, reserve for pension, reserves against potential future losses, and so on. Also, include proprietorship or partnership accounts (balance year-end).

Total liabilities and capital

The sum of liabilities and capital plus the sum of shareholders' equity which should equal total assets.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's assets and liabilities?
  CAN$ '000
Financial assets  
a. Current assets  
b. All other financial assets
Include investments and special funds.
 
Property and equipment  
a. Operating - flight equipment
Include capital leases.
 
b. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
c. Operating - ground property and equipment
Include capital leases.
 
d. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
e. Non-operating property and equipment
Include capital leases.
 
f. Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  
g. All other assets  
Total assets  
Liabilities and capital  
a. Current liabilities  
b. Advances from associated companies and/or shareholders  
c. Long-term debt and other non-current liabilities
Include capital leases.
 
d. Deferred incomes taxes  
e. All other liabilities  
Shareholders' equity  
a. Capital stock  
b. Retained earnings  
c. All other items  
Total liabilities and capital  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

1. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what were the details of this business's operating revenue?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

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.

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.)

Passenger revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers on scheduled and charter services.

Include revenue from all surcharges (baggage, fuel, seat selection, changing or cancelling flights, and so on) that are retained by the air carrier. Exclude amounts such as taxes, navigation fees, security fees, and so on that are collected but passed on to other entities.

Goods revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from the transportation of goods on scheduled and charter services. Exclude taxes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

All other flight-related revenue

Refers to the revenue earned from air transport activities not included in passenger revenue or goods revenue. Include revenue from other flying services such as flying training, recreational flying and other specialty flying.

All other revenue

Include subsidies and revenue earned from all other sources (including contra revenue, revenue of a corporate nature (leasing revenue, third party ground-handling, and so on), ancillary passenger revenue not easily allocated by operating flight (customs brokerage, and so on), revenue from in-flight sales (beverages, food, entertainment and wireless Internet access, and so on)).

Total operating revenue

The sum of passenger revenue, goods revenue, other flight-related revenue and revenue from all other sources.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD , what were the details of this business's operating revenue?
  CAN$ '000
Operating revenue  
a. Scheduled services - passenger revenue
Include revenue from fees such as baggage, fuel, seat selection, etc.
 
b. Scheduled services - goods revenue  
c. Charter services - passenger revenue  
d. Charter services - goods revenue  
e. All other flight - related revenue
Include revenue from flying services such as flying training, recreational flying, etc.
 
f. All other revenue
Include subsidies and revenue earned from all other sources.
 
Total operating revenue  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

2. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating expenses?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Operating expenses - Ground property and equipment maintenance

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Direct labour costs (wages and salaries) expended on the maintenance of ground property and equipment.

Include benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

All other maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses

Expenses, both direct and indirect, incurred in the repair and upkeep of ground property and equipment.

Include materials and supplies, purchased repair services and all other related expenses.

Total maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses

The sum of the previous two expense items.

Operating expenses - Aircraft operations

Flight crew wages, salaries and benefits

Include the wages, salaries and benefits for flight crews (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and so on).

Include benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on and layover expenses such as hotels and meals.

Aircraft fuel and oil

Expenses for turbo fuel, gasoline and all other fuel and oil consumed such as turbine oil and piston oil.

Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes.

Landing fees

Include airport landing fees paid both in Canada and outside of Canada.

Navigation fees

Charges remitted to NAV CANADA or other international suppliers for the provision of air navigation services. Air navigation services include aeronautical communication services, aeronautical information services, aeronautical radio navigation services, air traffic control services, aviation weather services, emergency assistance services and flight information services.

Aircraft insurance

Expenses for insurance against accidental damage to flight equipment while in flight or on the ground and for insurance against liability occurring from the operation of aircraft or, in the case of non-insurance, the resulting expenses for which the carrier is liable.

Aircraft rental

Expenses incurred for the rental of aircraft (and crew) from other carriers, such as in chartering, interchange and operating or lease agreements.

All other aircraft operation expenses

Expenses incurred directly for the in-flight operation and related standby time of aircraft which are not elsewhere classified.

Total aircraft operations expenses

The sum of the previous seven expense items.

Operating expenses - Flight equipment maintenance

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Direct labour costs (wages and salaries) expended on the maintenance of flight equipment.

Include benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

Materials and supplies

Expenses on materials and supplies for the maintenance of flight equipment.

Purchased repair services

Expenses for repair services for the maintenance of flight equipment purchased from outside suppliers.

All other maintenance - flight equipment expenses

Expenses, both direct and indirect, incurred in the repair and upkeep of flight equipment.

Total maintenance - flight equipment expenses

The sum of the previous four expense items.

Operating expenses - In-flight services

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to cabin crews (flight attendants, and so on);
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on and layover expenses such as hotels and meals.

Passenger food and supplies

Include expenses for in-flight meals, complimentary drinks, and so on, and the cost of supplies and personal services furnished to passengers.

Passenger liability insurance

Include the premiums for passenger liability and accident insurance paid by the carrier.

All other in-flight service expenses

Include passenger-related expenses incurred due to interrupted flights, including hotels, meals, taxi fares and other expense items, the cost of other services provided to passengers, such as pay, allowances and the cost of passenger service personnel, and all other services provided for the comfort of passengers in transit.

Total in-flight service expenses

The sum of the previous four expense items.

Operating expenses - Aircraft and traffic servicing

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to ground personnel;
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

Purchased services

Expenses for aircraft and traffic servicing purchased from outside suppliers.

All other aircraft and traffic servicing expenses

Include expenses incurred on the ground for scheduling or preparing aircraft for arrival and takeoff, expenses incurred in enplaning and deplaning passenger and cargo traffic, and expenses involved in servicing and handling individual aircraft and traffic on the ground, in preparing aircraft crews for flight assignment, in controlling the in-flight movements of aircraft and the in-flight expenses of handling all traffic including baggage.

Total aircraft and traffic servicing expenses

The sum of the previous three expense items.

Operating expenses - Promotion and sales

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to all staff engaged in reservations, ticketing, sales and promotional activities;
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

All other promotion and sales expenses

Include:

  • passenger and cargo commission expenses;
  • the net commission payable to others for the sale of transportation on the reporting carrier's service less the commission receivable from the reporting carrier's sale of transportation on other carriers' services, advertising and publicity expenses and any related expenses, accommodation costs, agency fees for outside services, expenses associated with reservations, city ticket offices and other sales expenses.

Total promotion and sales expenses

The sum of the previous two expense items.

Operating expenses - Depreciation

Depreciation - flight equipment

Include:

  • provisions for the depreciation of flight equipment only;
  • all charges incurred in normal wear and tear on flight equipment which have not been replaced by current year repair, as well as losses in service ability.

All other depreciation

Include:

  • provisions for the depreciation of all non-flight ground and property equipment;
  • all charges incurred in normal wear and tear which have not been replaced by current year repair, as well as losses in service ability;
  • charges for the amortization of capitalized development and other intangible assets.

Total depreciation

The sum of the previous two expense items.

Operating expenses - All other expenses

Include general administration.

Employee wages, salaries and benefits

Include:

  • the wages, salaries and benefits paid to all employees performing the general and administrative functions of the air carrier;
  • benefits such as employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on.

Exclude all amounts reported in the previous six wages, salaries and benefits categories.

All other expenses

Include:

  • all operating expenses and general administration expenses not reported elsewhere;
  • expenses for general financial accounting activities, supplementary labour income, property taxes, building rentals, communications purchased, purchasing activities, representation at law, and all other operational administration expenses not directly applicable to a particular function that are not included in the previous operating expenses categories;
  • expenses such as incidental air transport-related expenses associated with revenue reported as "all other revenue";
  • all miscellaneous operating expenses not covered elsewhere;
  • staff reduction expenses.

Total other expenses

The sum of the previous two expense items.

Total operating expenses

The sum of the eight expenses sub-totals, in other words, Total maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses, Total aircraft operations expenses, and so on.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating expenses?
  CAN$ '000
Operating expenses - Ground property and equipment maintenance  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. All other maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses  
Total maintenance - ground property and equipment expenses  
Operating expenses - Aircraft operations  
a. Flight crew wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Aircraft fuel and oil  
c. Landing fees  
d. Navigation fees  
e. Aircraft insurance  
f. Aircraft rental  
g. All other aircraft operations expenses  
Total aircraft operations expenses  
Operating expenses - Flight equipment maintenance  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Materials and supplies  
c. Purchased repair services  
d. All other maintenance - flight equipment expenses  
Total maintenance - flight equipment expenses  
Operating expenses - In-flight service  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Passenger food and supplies  
c. Passenger liability insurance  
d. All other in-flight service expenses
Include expenses incurred due to interrupted flights such as hotels, meals, etc.
 
Total in-flight service expenses  
Operating expenses - Aircraft and traffic servicing  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. Purchased services  
c. All other aircraft and traffic servicing expenses  
Total aircraft and traffic servicing expenses  
Operating expenses - Promotion and sales  
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. All other promotion and sales expenses  
Total promotion and sales expenses  
Operating expenses - Depreciation  
a. Depreciation - flight equipment  
b. All other depreciation
Include provisions for the depreciation of all non-flight ground and property equipment, etc.
 
Total depreciation  
Operating expenses - All other expenses
Include general administration.
 
a. Employee wages, salaries and benefits  
b. All other expenses
Include all operating expenses and general administration expenses not reported elsewhere, expenses such as incidental air transport-related expenses, expenses for general financial accounting activities, supplementary labour income, property taxes, etc.
 
Total other expenses  
Total operating expenses  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

3. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating and non-operating income?

Report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Operating income

Net operating income (a loss should be a negative number)

Total operating revenue less total operating expenses - calculated from the previous questions.

Non-operating income/expenses

Interest and discount income

Include interest income from all sources and cash discounts on the purchase of materials and supplies.

Interest expenses

Include interest on unpaid taxes and all classes of debt including premiums, discounts and expenses on short-term obligations, amortization of premiums, discounts and expenses on short-term and long-term obligations.

All other net non-operating income (enter a negative number for a loss)

Include:

  • capital gains (or losses) from retiring operating property and equipment, aircraft equipment, expendable parts, miscellaneous materials and supplies and other assets, when they are sold or otherwise retired from service as part of a general program and not as incidental sales performed as a service to others;
  • gains or losses made on investments in securities;
  • net miscellaneous non-operating income or loss, which refers to revenue and expenses attributable to financing or other activities that are not an integral part of the air transportation activities undertaken by the carrier, or its incidental services. These could include dividend income, the balance of all income or losses from affiliated companies reimbursed to the carrier, foreign exchange adjustments and special items, such as restructuring expenses, which do not occur on a regular basis.

Exclude staff reduction expenses which should be included under all other expenses.

Net non-operating income (a loss should be a negative number)

The sum of the previous three income or expense items.

Provision for income taxes

Include the provision for taxes payable on net income for the accounting period and adjustments of income taxes relating to previous years, including provisions for deferred income taxes resulting from differences between accounting income and taxable income that arise when the time of including items of revenue and expense in the computation of accounting income and taxable income do not coincide. If the net amount is negative, then the amount indicated for this item should be shown with a negative (-) sign.

Net income (a loss should be a negative number)

Net operating income plus net non-operating income less the provision for income taxes.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, what were the details of this business's operating and non-operating income?
  CAN$ '000
Operating income  
a. Net operating income (a loss should be a negative number)
Calculated from the previous questions as total operating revenue [$ amount] less total operating expenses [$ amount].
 
Non-operating income/expenses  
a. Interest and discount income  
b. Interest expenses  
c. All other net non-operating income (enter a negative number for a loss)  
Net non-operating income (a loss should be a negative number)  
d. Provision for income taxes  
Net income (a loss should be a negative number)  

Statement of Revenues and Expenses, Annual - Statement 21 (I, II)

4. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's fuel consumption.

Fuel and oil consumed

Turbo fuel consumed

Include fuel used in both turboprop and jet aircraft.

Provide the quantity and expenses for 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. Report the quantity of turbo fuel consumed in litres.

Include turbo fuel consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for turbo fuel consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes. If the fuel was supplied by a customer, an approximate value may be provided based on prevailing market rates.

Conversion factor

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

All other fuel and oil consumed

Provide the quantity and expenses for all non-turbo fuel and oil consumed. Report the quantity of all other fuel and oil consumed in litres.

The quantity should include gasoline, turbine oil, piston oil and all other types of fuel and oil consumed for all scheduled and/or charter operations, regardless of where purchased. The expenses for all other fuel and oil consumed should be reported in Canadian dollars, regardless of where purchased. Include throughput charges, non-refundable duties and taxes.

Conversion factor

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

Total fuel and oil consumed

The sum of the quantities and expenses reported in the previous two items.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's fuel consumption.
  Quantity -
Litres (L)
Expenses
CAN$ '000
Fuel and oil consumed    
a. Turbo fuel consumed (litres)
Include fuel used in both turbopop and jet aircraft.
   
b. All other fuel and oil consumed (litres)    
Total fuel and oil consumed (litres)    

5. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's employment.

Employment

Average number of employees

Refer to the average number of people employed for each of the six categories of personnel. Include all employees, temporary or permanent, on the payroll of the air carrier during the reporting period. Include part-time employees, prorated to the amount of time worked when compared to full-time employees (for example, two part-time employees working half-time are equivalent to one full-time employee).

Wages and salaries expenses

Include a breakdown of the wages and salaries paid for each of the six categories of personnel.
Exclude all benefits, in other words, employer contributions to pensions, medical benefits, insurance, and so on or layover expenses, such as hotels and meals, for flight and cabin crews.

Employment category

Include:

  • Pilots and co-pilots. Self-explanatory;
  • Other flight personnel. Flight crew (including flight engineers, navigators, and so on) and cabin crew (including flight attendants, and so on);
  • General management and administration employees (including the personnel performing the general and administrative functions such as administrative personnel at headquarters, comptrollers and assistants, directors and assistants (operations, passenger service, public relations, sales, and so on);
  • Maintenance personnel (including the personnel performing the ground property and equipment maintenance such as the carpenters, cleaners, and so on and including the personnel performing the flight equipment maintenance such as the aircraft maintenance engineers and the inspectors of flight equipment);
  • Aircraft and traffic servicing personnel (including supervisory personnel, assigned to ground activities, engaged directly in protecting and controlling aircraft in flight (flight dispatch personnel, flight planning staff), in scheduling and preparing flight crews for flight assignment, in parking and servicing aircraft incidental to line operations and including baggage handlers, aircraft fuelers, and so on);
  • All other employees (including air ambulance attendants, accountants, economists, statisticians, lawyers, purchasing personnel, publicity representatives, and so on).

Total employees

The sum of the number and the wages and salaries expenses for the six categories of personnel.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the details of this business's employment.
  Average number of employees Wages and salaries expenses
CAN$ '000
Employment    
a. Pilots and co-pilots    
b. Other flight personnel
Include flight engineers, navigators, flight attendants, etc.
   
c. General management and administration employees    
d. Maintenance personnel    
e. Aircraft and traffic servicing personnel
Include flight dispatch personnel, flight planning staff, aircraft fuelers, etc.
   
f. All other employees
Include air ambulance attendants, accountants, purchasing personnel, etc.
   
Total employees    

6. For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the distribution of this business's revenue and expenses by area of operation.

Revenue or expenses by area of operation

Passenger revenue

Include a breakdown of the revenue earned from the transportation of passengers for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the transportation service was provided. Total passenger revenue should equal the sum of passenger revenue from scheduled services and charter services previously reported.

Goods revenue

Include a breakdown of the revenue earned from the transportation of goods for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the transportation service was provided. Total goods revenue should equal the sum of goods revenue from scheduled services and charter services previously reported.

Employee wages and salaries

Include a breakdown of employee wages and salaries for each province, territory and outside of Canada based on where the employees are located. Total employee wages and salaries should equal the total wages and salaries expenses reported in the "Employment" section above.

For the reporting period ending YYYY-MM-DD, please provide the distribution of this business's revenue and expenses by area of operation.
  Passenger revenue
CAN$ '000
Goods revenue
CAN$ '000
Employee wages and salaries
CAN$ '000
Area of operation      
a. Newfoundland and Labrador      
b. Prince Edward Island      
c. Nova Scotia      
d. New Brunswick      
e. Quebec      
f. Ontario      
g. Manitoba      
h. Saskatchewan      
i. Alberta      
j. British Columbia      
k. Yukon      
l. Northwest Territories      
m. Nunavut      
n. Outside Canada      
Total      

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

1. 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

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?

Machine learning: An introduction

Catalogue number: 892000062021004

Release date: May 3, 2021 Updated: December 30, 2021

This video is recommended for those who already have some familiarity with the concepts and techniques associated with computer programming and using algorithms to analyze data. One important distinction we will make in this video is the differences between Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

You'll learn what machine learning can be used for, how it works, and some different methods for doing it. And you'll also learn how to build and use machine learning processes responsibly.

Data journey step
Analyze, model
Data competency
  • Data exploration
  • Data gathering
  • Data interpretation
  • Data modeling
  • Evidence based decision-making
Audience
Intermediate
Suggested prerequisites
N/A
Length
14:11
Cost
Free

Watch the video

Machine learning: An introduction - Transcript

Machine learning: An introduction - Transcript

(The Statistics Canada symbol and Canada wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Machine learning: An introduction")

Machine learning: An introduction

Welcome to Machine Learning: An introduction. Here we'll explain the basic concepts of machine learning and include a framework for responsible machine learning processes.

Learning goals

This video is recommended for those who already have some familiarity with the concepts and techniques associated with computer programming and using algorithms to analyze data. One important distinction we'll make in this video is the difference between data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning. You'll learn what machine learning can be used for, how it works and some different methods for doing it. You'll also learn how to build and use machine learning processes responsibly.

Steps of a data journey

(Text on screen: Supported by a foundation of stewardship, metadata, standards and quality)

(Diagram of the Steps of the data journey: Step 1 - define, find, gather; Step 2 - explore, clean, describe; Step 3 - analyze, model; Step 4 - tell the story. The data journey is supported by a foundation of stewardship, metadata, standards and quality.)

This diagram is a visual representation of the data journey from collecting the data to exploring, cleaning, describing and understanding the data, to analyzing the data and lastly, to communicating with others the story the data tell.

Steps 1,2 & 3: Define, find, gather; Explore, clean and describre; Analyze and model

(Diagram of the Steps of the data journey with an emphasis on Step 1 - define, find, gather; Step 2 - explore, clean and describe; Step 3 - analyze and model)

Machine learning can be used at the find, gather and protect step in the data journey to search through data and find only the parts that are needed. It can also be used at the explorer clean and describe step in the data journey to reveal what's in the data. And finally, machine learning can be used at the analyze and model step in the data journey to find relationships between variables and predict outcomes or future events.

What is data science?

(Chart containing 3 intersecting circles in the middle. The circles of the orange, left green and right blue top represent the Domain Expertise, Computer Science and Mathematics, respectively. The intersection of orange-green, green-blue and blue-orange circles represent Data Processing, Machine Learning and Statistical Research, respectively. The intersection of the three circles represents the Data Science.)

First, what is data science exactly? It's the intersection of three things: expertise in a particular domain, computer programming skills, and mathematics and statistics. Data scientists, computer scientists, statisticians and other types of scientists can all use machine learning in their work. Data science techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are used to solve analytically complex problems.

What are artificial intelligence and machine learning?

Artificial intelligence, or A.I., is an area of study within the field of computer science dedicated to solving problems commonly associated with human intelligence, such as memory, problem solving and pattern recognition. One example of A.I. Would be a computer which has been programmed to recognize all possible sequences of moves in order to play the game of chess. Machine learning, or M.L., on the other hand, is a subset of A.I. where the computer learns without having been programmed for specific tasks. Instead of having lines of code telling the computer exactly what to do, in machine learning, the computer learns patterns in data and applies those patterns to predict an outcome. So when playing chess, a computer is not randomly choosing a move after assessing all possible options, but rather it's using data gathered from millions of previously played games not just to ensure that its move is valid, but to ensure the sequence is most likely to result in a win.

Why use machine learning?

Machine learning is a tool that allows for the development, adjustment and fine tuning of complex models in order to make more accurate predictions using high volumes of data. Think of it like a human brain: as it receives more data, the model improves and can draw better conclusions, leading to stronger predictions. Machine learning is also used to automate repetitive and tedious tasks that would otherwise take many hours to complete, such as sorting and categorizing online news articles.

How machine learning algorithms "learn"

Two ways that machine learning algorithms learn to predict an outcome are supervised and unsupervised learning. In supervised learning, we give the algorithm a mapping of inputs to the desired outcomes. The algorithm tries to figure out the relationship between them, so that for subsequent inputs, it can predict outcomes following the same logic as in the original mapping. An important requirement in supervised learning is to have data where both the inputs and the outcomes are known. This is called labeled data. In unsupervised learning, we don't have data with the inputs and desired outcomes. Here, the algorithm looks for similarities and patterns in the data and tries to determine a strategy for categorizing the inputs. The algorithm will apply the same strategy to categorize subsequent inputs. We'll see an example of each of these on the next two slides.

Supervised learning: Determining crop type on satellite images

(satellite image of a farm area containing farms)

Here we see an example of using supervised machine learning to predict crop type in satellite images. On the right hand side, you see an actual satellite image of farmers fields. This is the input. The first step is to identify what portions in the image are crops versus something else, such as roads, water, fences or trees, and then to identify each different type of crop. These are the outcomes. This first step has to be done by a person. The second step is to create a machine learning algorithm that reads in the satellite image and the correct label for what's in every spot of the image. From this, the algorithm learns to identify crops by how they appear on the image. For example, by the color and density in the image. Finally, the algorithm reads an image it's never seen before and tries to predict which crops are there, based on what it learned in the second step.

unsupervised learning: Detecting credit card fraud

In this example, we see how an unsupervised machine learning algorithm can be used to sort out fraudulent transactions from all the legitimate ones. As a first step, all transactions, for a period of time, are passed through the algorithm. The algorithm looks at many different attributes of each transaction, such as the date, the amount, the location, type of store and type of product or service that was purchased. Then the algorithm is asked to sort the transactions into groups. In this case, we believe that fraud is a rare event, so we would expect a very small percentage of transactions to be separated out from the rest. Remember, in unsupervised learning, we don't know in advance which transactions are legitimate and which are fraudulent. The next few slides will introduce you to some machine learning methods. We don't cover all of them here in this short video.

Machine learning methods: Image processing

One machine learning method is image processing. We already saw how this works in the satellite image and crop type example. This method is used to extract information from images, find patterns, segment an image or compress an image, so it takes up less storage space.

Machine learning methods: Natural language processing

Natural language processing is a method of translating between computer and human languages. The goal of natural language processing is to get a computer to read a line of text and understand the meaning, just as a person would. An example is a chatbot. It expects people to type "how do I" or "I can't find" followed by keywords that refer to things one should be able to do or find on that particular website and then it provides the appropriate response. With each interaction the chatbot has, it learns to be more and more sophisticated in how it interprets what people type and how it phrases its responses.

Machine learning methods: Sentiment analysis

Sentiment analysis is a machine learning method that interprets the emotions within text to measure the inclination of people's opinions, whether they're positive, negative or neutral. An example is reading and interpreting people's sentiments from reviews of dining experiences in restaurants.

Machine learning methods: Deep learning

Have you ever been shown an image and it's all fuzzy and you're supposed to guess what it is? Then gradually the resolution gets better and better. So first, you know, it's a person and then you see, oh, it's a woman, and then you recognize the unique physical characteristics that differentiate your sister from a stranger, even if they have the same height, hair and eye color. That's how deep learning works. The algorithm makes many passes over the same data, gaining precision each time until it can predict what the image actually is. It works using structures of interconnected nodes that imitate the workings of a human brain. An example of deep learning is self-driving cars. The onboard cameras are constantly feeding deep learning algorithms in the car's computer that analyze and interpret the images of its surroundings and adjust the speed and direction of travel so as to avoid collisions.

Building a responsible ML process

Machine learning processes are typically developed using open source code and code written in house. All machine learning processes should meet certain quality standards no matter who develops them or what purpose they're used for. Quality standards include the following aspects: Rigorous - in terms of the scientific methods used and the testing they go through. Responsible - in terms of how they're used and what they're used for. Trustworthy - in terms of sound implementation. Ethical - both in terms of the data and the algorithms themselves. To ensure that machine learning processes at Statistics Canada meet these expectations, we've developed a framework for responsible machine learning processes.

Framework for responsible machine learning

(Text: Assessed through self-evaluation and peer review, using a checklist and producing a report or dashboard)

(Circular diagram on the ethics of responsible machine learning. In a clockwise direction, beginning in the upper left, is titled: Respect for people; Sound application; Sound methods; Respect for data)

This is a visual representation of the framework for responsible machine learning processes at Statistics Canada. The framework is built on four themes: Respect for people, Respect for data, Sound application and Sound methods. Each theme has several attributes.

Framework for responsible machine learning

(Text: Trustworthy insight from responsible machine learning processes)

Let's go through the themes one by one. A machine learning process ensures respect for people by ensuring there's no bias or discrimination in the learning data. Everyone is treated fairly. A machine learning process that ensures respect for data is one that protects privacy of people and businesses, ensures security of data through all processing steps, and protects confidential information to prevent disclosure. A machine learning process that has sound application is one that ensures transparency and reproducibility of both the process and the results. A machine learning process that has sound methods is one whose methods are compliant with quality guidelines and uses appropriate metrics to measure accuracy and performance.

How to use ML processes responsibly

It's not enough to simply build responsible machine learning processes, they also have to be used responsibly. This means monitoring performance metrics through time. There could be evolution in the data processed by the algorithm, so it's important to monitor performance and retune the algorithm when necessary. There should be human oversight and accountability at all steps. People are ultimately responsible for all predictions and decisions that are the output of a machine learning algorithm. For all systems that use machine learning processes and most importantly, for those that directly support or make administrative decisions, it's essential to implement and enforce protocols on their use. For machine learning processes in the government of Canada, this means ensuring compliance with the directive on automated decision making from the Treasury Board Secretariat.

Recap of key points

In this video, you learned that data science is the intersection of subject matter expertise, computer programming, mathematics and statistics. Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on teaching computers how to learn without the need to be programmed for specific tasks. Supervised and unsupervised are two types of machine learning used to predict an outcome. And we also presented a framework for how to build and use machine learning algorithms responsibly.

Further learning

You can find Statistics Canada's framework for responsible machine learning in the Data Literacy Initiative Learning Catalog, where you found this video. If you want to learn more about the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the government of Canada, enter "Treasury Board Secretariat Directive on automated decision making" in the search field of your favorite browser.

(The Canada Wordmark appears.)

What did you think?

Please give us feedback so we can better provide content that suits our users' needs.