Section 1: Business or organization and contact information

Section 2: General information

1. Which of the following best describes this victim program or service?

Help text: If the victim program or service is part of a larger organization, please provide information for the victim service component only.

Note: Press the help button (?) for additional information, including definitions of these categories.

• 01: Police-based program (including police-based victim/witness assistance)
• 02: Court-based victim/witness assistance program
• 03: Community-based victim/witness assistance program (including CAVAC's in Quebec) or other community-based program
• 04: Sexual assault/rape crisis centre or hospital-based sexual assault treatment centre
• 05: System-based program (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Manitoba only)
• 06: Ontario Victim Crisis Assistance Program or Victim Quick Response Program
• 07: Specify other
• Label: Other type of victim program or service

Section 3: Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

The following questions ask about the experiences of this victim program or service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that is, from March 15, 2020 to the present.

2. Based on a best estimate, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has the number of new clients served by this victim program or service increased, decreased or remained about the same?

• 01: Increased significantly
• 02: Increased somewhat
• 03: Remained about the same
• 04: Decreased somewhat
• 05: Decreased significantly
• 07: Don't know

3. If possible, please provide an explanation of why the number of new clients served by this victim program or service may have changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic:

4. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has the number of victims of any type of crime served by this victim program or service increased, decreased or remained about the same?

Help text: Include new referrals as well as ongoing and returning clients.

• 01: Increased significantly
• 02: Increased somewhat
• 03: Remained about the same
• 04: Decreased somewhat
• 05: Decreased significantly
• 07: Don't know

5. If possible, please provide an explanation of why the number of victims of any type of crime served by this victim program or service may have changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic:

6. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has the number of victims of domestic violence served by this victim program or service increased, decreased or remained about the same?

Help text: Include new referrals as well as ongoing and returning clients.

• 01: Increased significantly
• 02: Increased somewhat
• 03: Remained about the same
• 04: Decreased somewhat
• 05: Decreased significantly
• 07: Don't know

7. If possible, please provide an explanation of why the number of victims of domestic violence served by this victim program or service may have changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic:

8. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has the use of the following methods for communicating with clients for service delivery increased, decreased, or remained about the same?

Help text: If you introduced this method of communication for service delivery since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was not previously offered, please select "Increased".

9. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has this victim program or service introduced any new methods of communicating with clients for service delivery?

Help text: Include any method of communicating that was not listed in question 8.

• 01: Yes
• 02: No

If yes:
Please list the new methods of communication for service delivery:

10. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to what extent have the following factors impacted the ability of this victim program or service to provide services to clients?

11. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have any other factors had a significant impact on the ability of this victim program or service to serve clients?

Help text: Include any factors that were not listed in question 10.

• 01: Yes
• 02: No

If yes:
Please list the other factors:

12. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how has this victim program or service adapted its services to continue serving clients?

Help text: Select all that apply.

• 01: Using new technologies to communicate with clients
• 02: New forms of community outreach
• 03: Staff working from home
• 04: Enhanced health protection or cleaning practices
• 05: No changes in services
• 06: Specify other
• Label: Other change

(Text for help button for Q1)

Police-based program: Victim services that are offered through a federal, provincial or municipal police service.

Court-based victim/witness assistance program: These programs are specifically mandated to provide support services to individuals who have become involved in the court process as either victims or witnesses of crimes. They generally provide information, assistance and referrals with the goal of making the court process less intimidating. Types of services can include court orientation, preparation and accompaniment, updates on progress of the case, coordination of meetings with the Crown, assessment of children's ability to testify, etc. Programs can be geared toward specific clienteles such as children or victims of domestic violence.

Community-based victim/witness assistance program: Community-based, not for profit organizations that participate in the implementation of a victim and/or witness assistance program. Crime victims assistance centres, commonly referred to as CAVACs, would be classified as this type of victim service. CAVACs are non-profit organizations made up mainly of professionals working in the area of social intervention, such as social workers, psychologists and criminologists.

Sexual assault/rape crisis centre or hospital-based sexual assault treatment centre: Victim programs or services whose mandate is to exclusively serve victims of recent or historical sexual assault or rape. Sexual assault/rape crisis centres will often have 24-hour crisis telephone lines and are community-based, not-for-profit agencies. Hospital-based sexual assault centres consist of a team of nurses and physicians that are on call 24 hours, 7 days a week through the emergency department so that victims of a sexual assault can receive specialized medical and emotional care.

System-based program: Service delivery models for victims of crime that are independent from police, courts and Crown Attorneys and assist victims throughout their contact with the criminal justice system. System-based agencies may also serve clients who choose not to involve the criminal justice system.

Ontario Victim Crisis Assistance Program or Victim Quick Response Program: Specific to Ontario, these programs/victim services work closely with the police but are a community-based, non-government service. The Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario (VCAO) Program provides crisis intervention services to victims of crime and tragic circumstances after an incident and makes referrals to community services for longer-term assistance. The Victim Quick Response Program + (VQRP+) provides short-term financial support toward essential expenses for victims, their immediate family members and witnesses.

Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)

Reporting Guide

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2019 Annual Survey of Research and Development in Canadian Industry. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.

Help Line: 1-877-949-9492

Your answers are confidential.

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which 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 information from this survey for statistical purposes.

NOTE:

1. If this business performs in-house research and development (R&D) and outsources R&D, complete all questions.
2. If this business performs in-house R&D and does not outsource R&D, complete questions 1-5, 8-21.
3. If this business outsources R&D and does not perform in-house R&D, complete questions 1-3, 5-7, 12 & 16-21.
4. If this business does not perform in-house R&D and does not outsource R&D, complete questions 1-3, 5, 12, 16, 17 & 19-21.

Difference between Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program and this survey

Include the following expenditures in this survey:

• capital R&D expenditures
• R&D expenditures in the social sciences and humanities
• payments for R&D performed by other organizations outside Canada.

For this survey

'In-house R&D' refers to

Expenditures within Canada for R&D performed within this business by:

• employees (permanent, temporary or casual)
• self-employed individuals or contractors who are working on-site on this business's R&D projects.

'Outsourced R&D' refers to

Payments made within or outside Canada to other businesses, organizations or individuals to fund R&D performance:

• grants
• fellowships
• contracts.

Reporting period information

Here are some examples of fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:

• May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019
• July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019
• October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019
• January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019
• February 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020
• April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020

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

• September 18, 2018 to September 15, 2019 (e.g., floating year-end)
• June 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (e.g., a newly opened business)

Definitions and Concepts

Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.

R&D is performed in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. There are three types of R&D activities: basic research, applied research and experimental development.

Activities included and excluded from R&D

Inclusions

Prototypes

Include design, construction and operation of prototypes, provided that the primary objective is to make further improvements or to undertake technical testing. Exclude if the prototype is for commercial purposes.

Pilot plants

Include construction and operation of pilot plants, provided that the primary objective is to make further improvements or to undertake technical testing. Exclude if the pilot plant is intended to be operated for commercial purposes.

New computer software or significant improvements/modifications to existing computer software

Includes technological or scientific advances in theoretical computer sciences; operating systems e.g., improvement in interface management, developing new operating system or converting an existing operating system to a significantly different hardware environment, programming languages, and applications if a significant technological change occurs.

Contracts

Include all contracts which require R&D. For contracts which include other work, report only the R&D costs.

Research work in the social sciences

Include if projects are employing new or significantly different modelling techniques or developing new formulae, analyzing data not previously available or applying new research techniques, development of community strategies for disease prevention, or health education.

Exclude:

• routine analytical projects using standard techniques and existing data
• routine market research
• routine statistical analysis intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

Exclusions

Routine analysis in the social sciences including policy-related studies, management studies and efficiency studies

Exclude analytical projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies, principles and models of the related social sciences to bear on a particular problem (e.g., commentary on the probable economic effects of a change in the tax structure, using existing economic data; use of standard techniques in applied psychology to select and classify industrial and military personnel, students, etc., and to test children with reading or other disabilities).

Consumer surveys, advertising, market research

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for commercialization of the results of R&D.

Routine quality control and testing

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies not intended to create new knowledge, even if carried out by personnel normally engaged in R&D.

Pre-production activities such as demonstration of commercial viability, tooling up, trial production, and trouble shooting

Although R&D may be required as a result of these steps, these activities are excluded.

Prospecting, exploratory drilling, development of mines, oil or gas wells

Include only if for R&D projects concerned with new equipment or techniques in these activities, such as in-situ and tertiary recovery research.

Engineering

Exclude engineering unless it is in direct support of R&D.

Design and drawing

Exclude design and drawing unless it is in direct support of R&D.

Patent and license work

Exclude all administrative and legal work connected with patents and licenses.

Cosmetic modifications or style changes to existing products

Exclude if no significant technical improvement or modification to the existing products has occurred.

General purpose or routine data collection

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

Routine computer programming, systems maintenance or software application

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended to support on-going operations.

Routine mathematical or statistical analysis or operations analysis

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

Activities associated with standards compliance

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended to support standards compliance.

Specialized routine medical care such as routine pathology services

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

In-house R&D expenditures within Canada (Q4 - Q7)

In-house R&D expenditures are composed of current in-house R&D expenditures and capital in-house R&D expenditures.

Current in-house R&D expenditures

Include:

• wages, salaries, benefits and fringe benefits, materials and supplies
• services to support R&D, including on-site R&D consultants and contactors
• necessary background literature
• minor scientific equipment
• associated administrative overhead costs.

a. Wages, salaries of permanent, temporary and casual R&D employees

Include benefits and fringe benefits of employees engaged in R&D activities. Benefits and fringe benefits include bonus payments, holiday or vacation pay, pension fund contributions, other social security payments, payroll taxes, etc.

b. Services to support R&D

Include:

• payments to on-site R&D consultants and contractors working under the direct control of your business
• other services including indirect services purchased to support in-house R&D such as security, storage, repair, maintenance and use of buildings and equipment
• computer services, software licensing fees and dissemination of R&D findings.

c. R&D materials

Include:

• water, fuel, gas and electricity
• materials for creation of prototypes
• reference materials (books, journals, etc.)
• subscriptions to libraries and data bases, memberships to scientific societies, etc.
• cost of outsourced (contracted out or granted) small R&D prototypes or R&D models
• materials for laboratories (chemicals, animals, etc.)
• all other R&D-related materials.

d. All other current R&D costs including overhead

Include administrative and overhead costs (e.g., office, post and telecommunications, internet, insurance), prorated if necessary to allow for non-R&D activities within the business.

Exclude:

• interest charges
• value-added taxes (goods and services tax (GST) or harmonized sales tax (HST)).

Capital in-house R&D expenditures

Capital in-house R&D expenditures are the annual gross amount paid for the acquisition of fixed assets that are used repeatedly, or continuously in the performance of R&D for more than one year. Report capital in-house R&D expenditures in full for the period when they occurred.

Include costs for software, land, buildings and structures, equipment, machinery and other capital costs.

Exclude capital depreciation.

e. Software

Include applications and systems software (original, customized and off-the-shelf software), supporting documentation and other software-related acquisitions.

f. Land acquired for R&D including testing grounds, sites for laboratories and pilot plants.

g. Buildings and structures that are constructed or purchased for R&D activities or that have undergone major improvements, modifications, renovations and repairs for R&D activities.

h. Equipment, machinery and all other capital

Include major equipment, machinery and instruments, including embedded software, acquired for R&D activities.

Outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D expenditures (Q8 - Q11)

Include payments made through contracts, grants donations and fellowships to another company, organization or individual to purchase or fund R&D activities.

Exclude expenditures for on-site R&D contractors.

a. Parent and subsidiary companies are companies connected to each other through majority ownership of the subsidiary company by the parent company. Affiliated companies are companies connected to a parent through minority ownership of the affiliated companies by the parent.

b. Companies include all incorporated for-profit businesses and government business enterprises providing products in the market at market rates.

c. Private non-profit organizations include voluntary health organizations, private philanthropic foundations, associations and societies and research institutes. They are not-for-profit organizations that serve the public interest by supporting activities related to public welfare (such as health, education, the environment).

d. Industrial research institutes or associations include all non-profit organizations that serve the business sector, with industrial associations frequently consisting of their membership.

e. Federal government includes all federal government departments and agencies. It excludes federal government business enterprises providing products in the market.

f. Provincial or territorial governments include all provincial or territorial government ministries, departments and agencies. It excludes provincial or territorial government business enterprises providing products in the market.

g. Provincial or territorial research organizations are organizations created under provincial or territorial law which conduct or facilitate research on behalf of the province or territory.

h. Other organizations – individuals, non-university educational institutions, foreign governments including ministries, departments and agencies of foreign governments.

Sources of funds for in-house R&D expenditures in 2019 (Q16)

Include Canadian and foreign sources.

Exclude:

• payments for outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D, which should be reported in question 9
• capital depreciation.

a. Funds from this business

Amount contributed by this business to R&D performed within Canada (include amounts eligible for income tax purposes, e.g., Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program, other amounts spent for projects not claimed through SR&ED, and funds for land, buildings, machinery and equipment (capital expenditures) purchased for R&D).

b. Funds from parent, affiliated and subsidiary companies

Amount received from parent, affiliated and subsidiary companies used to perform R&D within Canada (include amounts eligible for income tax purposes, e.g., Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program, other amounts spent for projects not claimed through SR&ED, and funds for land, buildings, machinery and equipment (capital expenditures) purchased for R&D).

c. Federal government grants or funding

Funds received from the federal government in support of R&D activities not connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

d. Federal government contracts

Funds received from the federal government in support of R&D activities connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

e. R&D contract work for other companies

Funds received from other companies to perform R&D on their behalf.

f. Provincial or territorial government grants or funding

Funds received from the provincial or territorial government in support of R&D activities not connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

g. Provincial or territorial government contracts

Funds received from the provincial or territorial government in support of R&D activities connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

h. R&D contract work for private non-profit organizations

Funds received from non-profit organizations to perform R&D on their behalf.

i. Other sources

Funds received from all other sources not previously classified.

In-house R&D expenditures by fields of research and development in 2019 (Q18)

Exclude:

• payments for outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D, which should be reported in question 9
• capital depreciation.

Natural and formal sciences

Mathematics, physical sciences, chemical sciences, earth and related environmental sciences, biological sciences, other natural sciences.

Exclude computer sciences, information sciences and bioinformatics (to be reported at lines s. and t.)

a. Mathematics: pure mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics and probability.

b. Physical sciences: atomic, molecular and chemical physics, interaction with radiation, magnetic resonances, condensed matter physics, solid state physics and superconductivity, particles and fields physics, nuclear physics, fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics), optics (including laser optics and quantum optics), acoustics, astronomy (including astrophysics, space science).

c. Chemical sciences: organic chemistry, inorganic and nuclear chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer science and plastics, electrochemistry (dry cells, batteries, fuel cells, metal corrosion, electrolysis), colloid chemistry, analytical chemistry.

d. Earth and related environmental sciences: geosciences, geophysics, mineralogy and palaeontology, geochemistry and geophysics, physical geography, geology and volcanology, environmental sciences, meteorology, atmospheric sciences and climatic research, oceanography, hydrology and water resources.

e. Biological sciences: cell biology, microbiology and virology, biochemistry, molecular biology and biochemical research, mycology, biophysics, genetics and heredity (medical genetics under medical biotechnology), reproductive biology (medical aspects under medical biotechnology), developmental biology, plant sciences and botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology and behavioural sciences biology, marine biology, freshwater biology and limnology,  ecology and biodiversity conservation, biology (theoretical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), evolutionary biology.

f. Other natural sciences: other natural sciences.

Engineering and Technology

Civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and communications technology, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials engineering, medical engineering, environmental engineering, environmental biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, nanotechnology, other engineering and technologies.

Exclude software engineering and technology (to be reported at line r).

g. Civil engineering: civil engineering, architecture engineering, municipal and structural engineering, transport engineering.

h. Electrical engineering, electronic engineering and communications technology: electrical and electronic engineering, robotics and automatic control, micro-electronics, semiconductors, automation and control systems, communication engineering and systems, telecommunications, computer hardware and architecture.

i. Mechanical engineering: mechanical engineering, applied mechanics, thermodynamics, aerospace engineering, nuclear-related engineering (nuclear physics under Physical sciences), acoustical engineering, reliability analysis and non-destructive testing, automotive and transportation engineering and manufacturing, tooling, machinery and equipment engineering and manufacturing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineering and manufacturing.

j. Chemical engineering: chemical engineering (plants, products), chemical process engineering.

k. Materials engineering: materials engineering and metallurgy, ceramics, coating and films (including packaging and printing), plastics, rubber and composites (including laminates and reinforced plastics), paper and wood and textiles, construction materials (organic and inorganic).

l. Medical engineering: medical and biomedical engineering, medical laboratory technology (excluding biomaterials, which should be reported under Industrial biotechnology).

m. Environmental engineering: environmental and geological engineering, petroleum engineering (fuel, oils), energy and fuels, remote sensing, mining and mineral processing, marine engineering, sea vessels and ocean engineering.

n. Environmental biotechnology: environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, diagnostic biotechnologies in environmental management (DNA chips and bio-sensing devices).

o. Industrial biotechnology: industrial biotechnology, bioprocessing technologies, biocatalysis and fermentation bioproducts (products that are manufactured using biological material as feedstock), biomaterials (bioplastics, biofuels, bioderived bulk and fine chemicals, bio-derived materials).

p. Nanotechnology: nano-materials (production and properties), nano-processes (applications on nano-scale).

q. Other engineering and technologies: food and beverages, oenology, other engineering and technologies.

Software-related sciences and technology

Software engineering and technology, computer sciences, information technology and bioinformatics.

r. Software engineering and technology: computer software engineering, computer software technology, and other related computer software engineering and technologies.

s. Computer sciences: computer science, artificial intelligence, cryptography, and other related computer sciences.

t. Information technology and bioinformatics: information technology, informatics, bioinformatics, biomathematics, and other related information technologies.

Medical and health sciences

Basic medicine, clinical medicine, health sciences, medical biotechnology, other medical sciences.

u. Basic medicine: anatomy and morphology (plant science under Biological science), human genetics, immunology, neurosciences, pharmacology and pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, toxicology, physiology and cytology, pathology.

v. Clinical medicine: andrology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, cardiac and cardiovascular systems, haematology, anaesthesiology, orthopaedics, radiology and nuclear medicine, dentistry, oral surgery and medicine, dermatology, venereal diseases and allergy, rheumatology, endocrinology and metabolism and gastroenterology, urology and nephrology, and oncology.

w. Health sciences: health care sciences and nursing, nutrition and dietetics, parasitology, infectious diseases and epidemiology, occupational health.

x. Medical biotechnology: health-related biotechnology, technologies involving the manipulation of cells, tissues, organs or the whole organism, technologies involving identifying the functioning of DNA, proteins and enzymes, pharmacogenomics, gene-based therapeutics, biomaterials (related to medical implants, devices, sensors).

y. Other medical sciences: forensic science, other medical sciences.

Agricultural Sciences

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences, animal and dairy sciences, veterinary sciences, agricultural biotechnology, other agricultural sciences.

z. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences: agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, soil science, horticulture, viticulture, agronomy, plant breeding and plant protection.

aa. Animal and dairy sciences: animal and dairy science, animal husbandry.

ab. Veterinary sciences: veterinary science (all).

ac. Agricultural biotechnology: agricultural biotechnology and food biotechnology, genetically modified (GM) organism technology and livestock cloning, diagnostics (DNA chips and biosensing devices), biomass feedstock production technologies and biopharming.

ad. Other agricultural sciences: other agricultural sciences.

Social sciences and humanities

Psychology, educational sciences, economics and business, other social sciences, humanities.

ae. Psychology: cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, experimental psychology, psychometrics and quantitative psychology, and other fields of psychology.

af.  Educational sciences: education, training and other related educational sciences.

ag. Economics and business: micro-economics, macro-economics, econometrics, labour economics, financial economics, business economics, entrepreneurial and business administration, management and operations, management sciences, finance and all other related fields of economics and business.

ah. Other social sciences: anthropology (social and cultural) and ethnology, demography, geography (human, economic and social), planning (town, city and country), management, organization and methods (excluding market research unless new methods/techniques are developed), law, linguistics, political sciences, sociology, miscellaneous social sciences and interdisciplinary, and methodological and historical science and technology activities relating to subjects in this group.

ai.  Humanities: history (history, prehistory and history, together with auxiliary historical disciplines such as archaeology, numismatics, palaeography, genealogy, etc.), languages and literature (ancient and modern), other humanities (philosophy (including the history of science and technology)), arts (history of art, art criticism, painting, sculpture, musicology, dramatic art excluding artistic "research" of any kind), religion, theology, other fields and subjects pertaining to the humanities, and methodological, historical and other science and technology activities relating to the subjects in this group.

In-house R&D personnel in 2019 (Q70 - Q72)

Include:

• permanent, temporary and casual R&D employees
• independent on-site R&D consultants and contractors working in your business's offices, laboratories, or other facilities
• employees engaged in R&D-related support activities.

Researchers and research managers are composed of:

a. Scientists, social scientists, engineers and researchers are professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models, techniques instrumentation, software or operational methods. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.

b. Senior research managers plan or manage R&D projects and programs. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.

R&D technical, administrative and support staff are composed of:

c. Technicians and technologists and research assistants are persons whose main tasks require technical knowledge and experience in one or more fields of engineering, the physical and life sciences, or the social sciences, humanities and the arts. They participate in R&D by performing scientific and technical tasks involving the application of concepts, operational methods and the use of research equipment, normally under the supervision of researchers. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.

c. Other R&D technical, administrative support staff include skilled and unskilled craftsmen, and administrative, secretarial and clerical staff participating in R&D projects or directly associated with such projects.

d. On-site R&D consultants and contractors are individuals hired 1) to perform project-based work or to provide goods at a fixed or ascertained price or within a certain time or 2) to provide advice or services in a specialized field for a fee and, in both cases, work at the location specified and controlled by the contracting company or organization.

Full-time equivalent (FTE)

R&D may be carried out by persons who work solely on R&D projects or by persons who devote only part of their time to R&D, and the balance to other activities such as testing, quality control and production engineering. To arrive at the total effort devoted to R&D in terms of personnel, it is necessary to estimate the full-time equivalent of these persons working only part-time in R&D.

Full-time equivalent (FTE) = Number of persons who work solely on R&D projects + the time of persons working only part of their time on R&D.

Example calculation: If out of four scientists engaged in R&D work, one works solely on R&D projects and the remaining three devote only one quarter of their working time to R&D, then: FTE = 1 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1.75 scientists.

Technology and technical assistant payments in 2019 (Q73 - Q75)

Definitions (equivalent to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office)

a. Patent

Government grant giving the right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention.

b. Copyright

Legal protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works, computer programs, performer's performances, sound recordings, and communication signals.

c. Trademark

A word, symbol or design, or combination of these, used to distinguish goods or services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace.

d. Industrial design

Legal protection against imitation of the shape, pattern, or ornamentation of an object.

e. Integrated circuit topography

Three-dimensional configurations of the elements and interconnections embodied in an integrated circuit product.

f. Original software

Computer programs and descriptive materials for both systems and applications. Original software can be created in-house or outsourced and includes packaged software with customization.

g. Packaged or off-the-shelf software

Packaged software purchased for organizational use and excludes software with customization.

h. Databases

Data files organized to permit effective access and use of the data.

i. Other

Technical assistance, industrial processes and know-how.

Energy-related R&D by area of technology (Q22 - Q69)

Fossil Fuels

Crude oils and natural gas exploration, crude oils and natural gas production, oil sands and heavy crude oils surface and sub-surface production and separation of the bitumen, tailings management, refining, processing and upgrading, coal production, separation and processing, transportation of fossil fuels.

a. Crude oils and natural gas exploration

Include development of advanced exploration methods (geophysical, geochemical, seismic, magnetic) for on-shore and off-shore prospecting.

b. Crude oil and natural gas production and storage, include enhanced recovery natural gas production

Include on-shore and off-shore deep drilling equipment and techniques for conventional oil and gas, secondary and tertiary recovery of oil and gas, hydro fracturing techniques, processing and cleaning of raw product, storage on remote platforms (e.g., Arctic, off-shore), safety aspects of offshore platforms.

c. Oil sands and heavy crude oils surface and sub-surface production and separation of the bitumen, tailings management

Include surface and in-situ production (e.g., SAGD), tailings management.

d. Refining, processing and upgrading of fossil fuels

Include processing of natural gas to pipeline specifications, and refining of conventional crude oils to refined petroleum products (RPPs), and the upgrading of bitumen and heavy oils either to synthetic crude oil or to RPPs. Upgrading may be done at an oil sands plant, regional merchant upgraders or integrated into a refinery producing RPPs.

e. Coal production, separation and processing

Include coal, lignite and peat exploration, deposit evaluation techniques, mining techniques, separation techniques, coking and blending, other processing such as coal to liquids, underground (in-situ) gasification.

f. Transportation of fossil fuels

Include transport of gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons via pipelines (land and submarine) and their network evaluation, safety aspects of LNG transport and storage.

Renewable energy resources

Solar photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal-power and high-temperature applications, solar heating and cooling, wind energy, bio-energy – biomass production, bio-energy – biomass conversion to fuels, bio-energy – biomass conversion to heat and electricity, other bio-energy, small hydro (less than 10 MW), large hydro (greater than or equal to 10 MW), other renewable energy.

a. Solar photovoltaics (PV)

Include solar cell development, PV-module development, PV-inverter development, building-integrated PV-modules, PV-system development, other.

b. Solar thermal-power and high-temperature applications

Include solar chemistry, concentrating collector development, solar thermal power plants, high-temperature applications for heat and power.

c. Solar heating and cooling

Include daylighting, passive and active solar heating and cooling, collector development, hot water preparation, combined-space heating, solar architecture, solar drying, solar-assisted ventilation, swimming pool heating, low-temperature process heating, other.

d. Wind energy

Include technology development, such as blades, turbines, converters structures, system integration, other.

e. Bio-energy – Biomass production and transport

Include improvement of energy crops, research on bio-energy production potential and associated land-use effects, supply and transport of bio-solids, bio-liquids, biogas and bio-derived energy products (e.g., ethanol, biodiesel), compacting and baling, other.

f. Bio-energy – Biomass conversion to transportation fuel

Include conventional bio-fuels, cellulosic-derived alcohols, biomass gas-to-liquids, other energy-related products and by-products.

g. Bio-energy – Biomass conversion to heat and electricity

Include bio-based heat, electricity and combined heat and power (CHP), exclude multi-firing with fossil fuels.

h. Other bio-energy

Include recycling and the use of municipal, industrial and agricultural waste as energy not covered elsewhere.

i. Small hydro – (less than 10 MW)

Include plants with capacity below 10 MW.

j. Large hydro – (greater than or equal to 10 MW)

Include plants with capacity of 10 MW and above.

k. Other renewable energy

Include hot dry rock, hydro-thermal, geothermal heat applications (including agriculture), tidal power, wave energy, ocean current power, ocean thermal power, other.

Nuclear fission and fusion

Materials exploration, mining and preparation, tailings management, nuclear reactors, other fission, fusion.

a. Nuclear materials exploration, mining and preparation, tailings management

Include development of advanced exploration methods (geophysical, geochemical) for prospecting, ore surface and in-situ production, uranium and thorium extraction and conversion, enrichment, handling of tailings and remediation.

b. Nuclear reactors

Include nuclear reactors of all types and related system components.

c. Other fission

Include nuclear safety, environmental protection (emission reduction or avoidance), radiation protection and decommissioning of power plants and related nuclear fuel cycle installations, nuclear waste treatment, disposal and storage, fissile material recycling, fissile materials control, transport of radioactive materials.

d. Fusion

Include all types (e.g., magnetic confinement, laser applications).

Electric Power

Generation in utility sector, combined heat and power in industry and in buildings, electricity transmission, distribution and storage of electricity.

a. Electric power generation in utility sector

Include conventional and non-conventional technology (e.g., pulverised coal, fluidised bed, gasification-combined cycle, supercritical), re-powering, retrofitting, life extensions and upgrading of power plants, generators and components, super-conductivity, magneto hydrodynamic, dry cooling towers, co-firing (e.g., with biomass), air and thermal pollution reduction or avoidance, flue gas cleanup (excluding CO2 removal), CHP (combined heat and power) not covered elsewhere.

b. Electric power - combined heat and power in industry, buildings

Include industrial applications, small scale applications for buildings.

c. Electricity transmission, distribution and storage

Include solid state power electronics, load management and control systems, network problems, super-conducting cables, AC and DC high voltage cables, HVDC transmission, other transmission and distribution related to integrating distributed and intermittent generating sources into networks, all storage (e.g., batteries, hydro reservoirs, fly wheels), other.

Hydrogen and fuel cells

Hydrogen production for process applications, hydrogen production for transportation applications, hydrogen transport and storage, other hydrogen, fuel cells, both stationary and mobile.

a. Hydrogen production for process applications

b. Hydrogen production for transportation applications

c. Hydrogen transport and storage

d. Other hydrogen

Include end uses (e.g., combustion), other infrastructure and systems R&D (refuelling stations).

e. Stationary fuel cells

Include electricity generation, other stationary end-use.

f. Mobile fuel cells

Include portable applications.

Energy efficiency

Industry, residential and commercial, transportation, other energy efficiency.

a. Energy efficiency applications for industry

Include reduction of energy consumption through improved use of energy and/or reduction or avoidance of air and other emissions related to the use of energy in industrial systems and processes (excluding bio-energy-related) through the development of new techniques, new processes and new equipment, other.

b. Energy efficiency for residential, institutional and commercial sectors

Include space heating and cooling, ventilation and lighting control systems other than solar technologies, low energy housing design and performance other than solar technologies, new insulation and building materials, thermal performance of buildings, domestic appliances, other.

c. Energy efficiency for transportation

Includes analysis and optimisation of energy consumption in the transport sector, efficiency improvements in light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, non-road vehicles, public transport systems, engine-fuel optimisation, use of alternative fuels (liquid and gaseous, other than hydrogen), fuel additives, diesel engines, Stirling motors, electric cars, hybrid cars, air emission reduction, other.

d. Other energy efficiency

Include waste heat utilisation (heat maps, process integration, total energy systems, low temperature thermodynamic cycles), district heating, heat pump development, reduction of energy consumption in the agricultural sector.

Other energy-related technologies

Carbon capture, transportation and storage for fossil fuel production and processing, electric power generation, industry in end-use sector, energy systems analysis, all other energy-related technologies.

a. Carbon capture, transport and storage related to fossil fuel production and processing

b. Carbon capture, transport and storage related to electric power production

c. Carbon capture, transport and storage related to industry in end-use sector

Include industry in the end-use sector, such as steel production, manufacturing, etc. (exclude fossil fuel production and processing and electric power production).

d. Energy system analysis

Include system analysis related to energy R&D not covered elsewhere, sociological, economical and environmental impact of energy which are not specifically related to one technology area listed in the sections above.

e. All other energy technologies

Include energy technology information dissemination, studies not related to a specific technology area listed above.

Environmental and clean technology products in 2019

Air pollution management

Activities aimed at reducing the emissions of pollutants (including greenhouse gases) to the atmosphere. Include pollution abatement and control (e.g., end-of-pipe processes) and pollution prevention (e.g., integrated processes), as well as related measurement, control, laboratories and the like.

Solid waste management

Activities related to the collection, treatment, storage, disposal, and recycling of all domestic, industrial, non-hazardous and hazardous waste (including low-level radioactive waste). Include monitoring activities. Exclude radioactive waste and mine tailings handling and treatment (to be reported under Protection against radiation and Wastewater management, respectively).

Wastewater management

Activities aimed at pollution reduction or prevention through the abatement of pollutants or the reduction of the release of wastewater. Include measures aimed at reducing pollutants before discharge, reducing the release of wastewater, septic tanks, treatment of cooling water, handling and treatment of mine tailings, etc.

Protection and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water

Activities aimed at the prevention of pollution infiltration: remediation or cleaning up of soils and water bodies; protection of soil from erosion, salinization and physical degradation; monitoring, control, laboratories and the like. Exclude management of wastewater released to surface waters, municipal sewer systems or soil, or injected underground (to be reported under Wastewater management) and protection of biodiversity and habitat (to be reported under Protection of biodiversity and habitat).

Protection of biodiversity and habitat

Activities related to protecting wildlife and habitat from the effects of economic activity, and to restoring wildlife or habitat that has been adversely affected by such activity. Include related environmental measurements, monitoring, control, laboratories and the like.

Noise and vibration abatement

Activities aimed at controlling or reducing industrial and transport noise and vibration for the sole purpose of protecting the environment. Include preventive in-process modifications at the source, construction of anti-noise/vibration facilities, measurement, control, laboratories and the like.

Protection against radiation

Activities aimed at preventing, reducing, or eliminating the negative consequences of radiation on the environment. This includes all handling, transportation, and treatment of radioactive waste (i.e. waste that requires shielding during normal handling and transportation due to high radionuclide content), the protection of ambient media, measurement, control, laboratories and the like, as well as any other activities related to the containment of radioactive waste. Exclude activities and measures related to low-level radioactive waste (to be reported under Solid waste management), the prevention of technological hazards (e.g., external safety of nuclear power plants), and measures taken to protect workers.

Heat or energy savings and management

Activities aimed at reducing the intake of energy through in-process modifications (such as adjustment of production processes or heat and electricity co-generation), as well as reducing heat and energy losses. This includes insulation activities, energy recovery, measurement, control, laboratories and the like.

Renewable energy

Energy obtained from resources that naturally replenish or renew within a human lifespan (i.e. the resource is a sustainable source of energy). This includes wind, solar, aero-thermal, geothermal, hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases.

Responding to data needs during COVID-19

COVID-19 has had unprecedented impacts on Canadians, and particularly on the most vulnerable populations. To understand these impacts, disaggregated data are needed for visible minority populations, immigrants, seniors, Indigenous people and other vulnerable populations.

Statistics Canada has enhanced crowdsourcing survey instruments, and used them to collect key information for vulnerable populations—including immigrants, Indigenous people and visible minority groups—when there are sufficient responses from Canadians to do so. We are thankful to Canadians for participating in these important initiatives. Moving forward, as of July 2020, the Labour Force Survey will include a question on visible minority status.

Statistics Canada is also transforming data into key insights and disseminating new findings on a daily basis through its COVID-19 hub, with an increased focus on the unique experiences of different population groups.

Investments in disaggregated data prior to COVID-19

Prior to COVID-19, the government recognized the importance of filling gaps in disaggregated data and took steps to address this matter. The pandemic has made these gaps more apparent and has increased the urgency to address them.

In 2018/2019, the government allocated $6.7 million in funding over five years, with $600,000 thereafter, to create the Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics (CGDIS). The goal of the CGDIS is to support evidence-based policy and program development by monitoring and reporting on gender, diversity and inclusion. In addition to this funding, Statistics Canada received $4.2 million in 2019/2020 for four distinct activities, as part of Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy.

Statistics Canada continues to work with its federal, provincial and territorial counterparts to develop ways to paint a more complete picture of the situation.

2018/2019: Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics

Accomplishments to date

• The CGDIS launched the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub, which focuses on disaggregated data by gender and other identities to support evidence-based policy development and decision making. The hub is a centralized platform to provide support to departments as they prepare advice for ministers and develop evidence-based policy.
• To monitor progress on the Government of Canada's Gender Results Framework, the CGDIS released 29 indicator tables, disaggregated by gender and other identities. These indicators are used to inform Canadians about Canada's progress in achieving gender equality.
• The CGDIS has undertaken work to support the collection of disaggregated data for the LGBTQ2 population. For example, a new gender standard was developed. This gender standard was included on the 2019 Census Test and is currently being used in many social surveys. It allows Statistics Canada to better report on Canada's gender-diverse population and ensures that Statistics Canada's data reflect the realities of the Canadian population. The CGDIS is also developing a new standard for disaggregating data based on sexual orientation.
• A number of articles and infographics—including four products highlighting new disaggregated data on Black communities in Canada—have been published to address key policy needs and to raise awareness about issues related to gender, diversity and inclusion. An example of this type of product, "A socioeconomic portrait of Canada's Black population," can be found in the February 25, 2020, edition of The Daily.
• Existing data sources have been used in new and innovative ways to explore gender equality. This includes, for example, an analysis of diversity on boards of directors and an analysis of business ownership by gender in Canada.
• It is impossible to have reliable information on gender, diversity and inclusion in Canada without strong statistical standards that clearly define the concepts being measured. Statistics Canada plays a leading role in ensuring that strong standards are developed and adopted as part of the national statistical system. This includes making available statistical standards for collecting disaggregated data. The July 24, 2020, edition of The Daily "Tested and trusted statistical standards" explores how statistical standards are used to provide data insights on a particular topic to help individuals understand and interpret those data.

2019/2020: Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy

Four distinct activities

• Expansion of the 2020 General Social Survey (GSS) on Social Identity: This project entails increasing the sample size of the GSS on Social Identity. This will allow for more targeted policy analysis with respect to the experiences of certain ethnocultural groups for most provinces and provincial regions of Canada. Data collection for the new cycle of the GSS on Social Identity started last August and will be completed in December 2020.
• Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) experimentation: This project will examine potential changes proposed to the UCR Survey to collect more than one motivation that may contribute to hate crimes.
• Supporting the new Expert Advisory Committee on Ethnocultural and Immigration Statistics: This project engages an external expert advisory committee over three years to guide and advise Statistics Canada in developing a conceptual framework on ethnocultural diversity and inclusion, and in developing groups of indicators to track inclusion over time.
• Social, economic and justice analytical products: This project will provide statistical analyses of new and existing inclusion and exclusion data to better understand the lived experiences of specific communities within Canada, including ethnocultural groups, in the areas of socioeconomic participation and the justice system. Work is already underway to improve information on hate crimes by linking police data to courts data.

Moving forward

Although much has been done, the pandemic has also underlined the importance of collaboration between organizations and across jurisdictions to address the growing demands for more disaggregated data on the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic.

For Statistics Canada to provide more disaggregated information for population groups, the data must first be collected in a standardized way to allow for meaningful comparisons. A sufficient volume of data must also be collected to enable these comparisons.

For surveys, when data are collected directly from Canadians, Statistics Canada is exploring areas where larger sample sizes are needed to produce disaggregated information. Data held by other partners and jurisdictions could also be shared with Statistics Canada transparently, with privacy and confidentiality protections, to make a more integrated picture of population groups and their experiences available.

February 2020

Program managers: Assistant Director, Centre for Social Data Insights and Innovation
Director, Centre for Social Data Insights and Innovation
Director General, Census Subject Matter, Social Insights, Integration and Innovation

Reference to Personal Information Bank (PIB)

In accordance with the Privacy Act, Statistics Canada is developing a new institutional personal information bank (PIB) to describe any personal information obtained from provincial and/or municipal paramedics and police services, health and long-term care agencies, as well as existing narcotics registries, for the purposes of the Statistics Act. The following PIB is proposed for review and registration.

Narcotics, Substance Use, and Community Well-Being Initiative

Description: This bank describes information that is obtained from municipal, provincial, and/or federal police services, paramedic services, and health and long-term care agencies, on the topic of individuals who have experienced problematic substance use or a suspected overdose related to opioids, crystal methamphetamines and other forms of narcotics. Personal information may include: first name, last name, date of birth, age, sex, civic address, postal code, telephone number and provincial health number; and, information related to the suspected over-dose incident including whether the individual was criminally charged, the history of police contacts of individuals identified, treatment received, health care billing information, health care services received and dispensing information for all monitored drugs dispensed.

Class of Individuals: Individuals (including minors) who experienced problematic substance use or a suspected drug overdose from 2015 to the present, as identified by police services, paramedic services, and health and long-term care agencies.

Purpose: The personal information is used to produce analytical data that will highlight primary risk factors and increase understanding of the population most at-risk of a drug overdose. These results will assist frontline workers and policy and programs makers in the health, justice and employment sectors in identifying potential multi-sectoral interventions. Personal information is collected pursuant to the Statistics Act (Sections 3, 7, 8, 13).

Consistent Uses: The information is used for statistical and research purposes only. Subject to Statistics Canada's Directive on Microdata Linkage, the collected data for this Initiative may be combined with surveys or administrative data sources described in this chapter, including but not limited to the Canadian Coroners and Medical Examiner Information (StatCan PPU 809), T1 Family File (StatCan PPU 111), Census of Population and National Household Survey (StatCan PPU 005) and health data. The identifiable information is required only for the purpose of record linkage to produce more robust analytical output. A research file containing individual records, with no names or other direct identifiers, may be shared with the organisations participating in the Narcotics, Substance Use, and Community Well-Being Initiative under a discretionary disclosure order with the authorization of the data provider for statistical and research purposes, as permitted by the provisions of Subsection 17(2) of the Statistics Act.

Retention and Disposal Standards: Information is retained until it is no longer required for statistical purposes and then it is destroyed.

RDA Number: 2007/001
Related Record Number: StatCan SSD 040
TBS Registration: To be assigned by TBS
Bank Number: StatCan PPU 814

Description of statistical activity

The Narcotics, Substance Use, and Community Well-Being Initiative (hereinafter referred to as "the Initiative"), is a series of projects where Statistics Canada will be collecting data pertaining to individuals (including minors) who experienced suspected drug overdoses, to produce analytical data that will help provide insight on primary risk factors and increase understanding of those most at-risk of a drug overdose and problematic substance use. Each project under the Initiative will be conducted with a focus on a different municipality, region, province/territory or the country as a whole and will be determined in collaboration with key stakeholders from all levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal). A pilot project was conducted in 2017 in collaboration with the City of Surrey in British Columbia. That pilot project provided high quality and relevant data on the opioid crisis in the City of Surrey, which were used by front line responders and policy makers to inform drug policies and programs used to save Canadian lives. The success of the pilot project has led to the development of the Narcotics, Substance Use, and Community Well-Being Initiative that will provide the necessary data on narcotics and other substances to assist frontline workers and policy and program makers in better identifying, understanding and serving persons most at-risk in various municipalities across the country.

To gather the data needed for this Initiative, Statistics Canada will be collecting administrative data from provincial and/or municipal paramedics and police services, health and long-term care agencies, as well as existing narcotics registries pertaining to individuals who have experienced a suspected overdose related to opioids, crystal methamphetamines and other forms of narcotics which have been identified as having a significant detrimental effect on Canadians and communities across the country. Using the acquired data, a study cohort of individuals who experienced a suspected drug overdose will be created to provide meaningful insights regarding those at greatest risk of an overdose. The data being requested include personal identifiers of overdose victims for the purpose of record linkage and analysis. The personal identifiers include: first name, last name, date of birth, age, sex, civic address, postal code, telephone number and provincial health number.

The requested data will be linked to other administrative data available at Statistics Canada, including coroners' data, tax, census and health data. The resulting analytical data generated from this Initiative will assist frontline workers and policy and programs makers in the health, justice and employment sectors in identifying potential multi-sectoral interventions by informing evidence-based decision-making and effective policy review. The ability to link information on the same individual across various services (including the Criminal Justice System) is integral to better identifying, understanding and serving persons most at-risk. All information collected will be used for statistical purposes only.

Reason for supplement

While Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment addresses most of the privacy and security risks related to statistical activities conducted by Statistics Canada, this supplement details the necessity and proportionality and the mitigation factors related to this Initiative due to the sensitivity of the information.

Necessity and Proportionality

The collection and use of personal information for the Narcotics, Substance Abuse and Community Well-Being Initiative can be justified using the four-part test proposed by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:

1. Necessity: The information generated from these projects will serve to fill data gaps by adding to the body of knowledge surrounding the social determinants of emerging drug use issues such as the opioid crisis. The Initiative responds to requests from communities interested in obtaining detailed data and analysis on narcotics in their communities, on a cost recovery basis. The data from various external databases are integral for this Initiative as Statistics Canada currently only has access to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) and Discharge Abstract Database (DAD). Both of these databases are important data sources, however they do not provide the level of detail required for the purposes of the Initiative. For example, in the DAD and NACRS, crystal methamphetamines are included as part of a larger group of stimulants, however detailed information about crystal methamphetamines specifically is not provided.

   These data will help highlight primary risk factors and increase understanding of those most at-risk of drug overdose, which contributes to the ability to identify and act on opportunities for intervention in the community. The integration of these data and the indicators generated by these projects will allow front line responders and policy makers to better tailor policies and programs aimed at saving lives and preventing fatal overdoses.

2. Effectiveness: The collected data will be linked to other Statistics Canada databases such as coroners' data, tax, Census and health data. This integrated data will result in high quality, timely and relevant aggregated analytical outputs. These outputs will assist the health, justice and employment sectors in identifying potential multi-sectoral interventions by informing evidence-based decision-making and effective policy review with respect to the opioid crisis and methamphetamine issues. The effectiveness of the project model has already been seen with the results from the pilot project in Surrey, which were used by front-line responders and policy makers to inform drug policies and programs used to save Canadian lives.

3. Proportionality: The requested data represents the minimum information required to formulate the cohort and produce the analytical output requested. These analytical outputs can highlight the demographic characteristics of individuals who have experienced an overdose, and the associated risk and protective factors associated with overdose events. The analytical output is developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, to best inform their data needs. The files and variables requested represent only the data that are needed to produce high quality aggregated analytical information. The pilot project in Surrey was used as a model for the Narcotics, Substance Abuse and Community Well-Being Initiative to determine the types and number of variables needed to produce the requested indicators. Given that the work under the Initiative is predicated on work previously undertaken by Statistics Canada, the quality requirements have already been assessed, and cannot be modified without decreasing the quality of the final analytical output. For the pilot project in Surrey, several administrative databases were acquired, each of which contained roughly nine personal identifiers used for linking the data with other databases. Additionally, various incident level variables were collected related to the type of database, such as: the type of call made to emergency services requesting a service, if treatment was given, final outcome of the call (for example, if a first responder was sent), and billing information. There could be up to 70 additional incident level variables requested depending on the specific database of interest and the analysis sought by the stakeholder. Although personal identifiers are required for record linkage, all risk mitigation approaches have been implemented and are described below under "Mitigation Factors".

   Proportionality has also been considered based on data sensitivity and ethics:

   • Data sensitivity: Although the data requested have some degree of sensitivity, no issues relating to sensitivity were raised during the course of the pilot project in Surrey and the overall public good resulting from the Initiative justifies their collection.
   • Ethics: In undertaking this work, numerous experts have been consulted to date. These include experts at Statistics Canada, but also experts working with provincial and municipal governments. Under this Initiative, Statistics Canada is partnering with the Simcoe-Muskoka Opioids Strategy (SMOS) group, comprised of experts working in the health, justice and employment sectors. There are no known legal issues stemming from the Initiative as the data being requested are from data custodians with the authority to share the data with Statistics Canada. While there are no plans to engage with Canadians at large, under the project's common governance structure, individuals with lived experience are given the opportunity to review and comment on the analytical output prior to dissemination. The opioid crisis shows no sign of slowing down, and is impacting thousands of Canadians and communities across Canada. Given the gravity of the crisis, and the potential social good resulting from the project in increasing understanding of those most at-risk of drug overdose, the project is helping more than hindering.

4. Alternatives: There is no extensive source of overdose incidents currently available at Statistics Canada. For instance, for the pilot project in Surrey, we received paramedic data which proved critical in forming the study cohort. Detailed paramedic data is not currently available at Statistics Canada. Existing administrative data sources available at Statistics Canada, namely, the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), and Vital Statistics – Death Database (CVSD), underestimate the number of individuals experiencing overdose and do not have the same level of detail that the requested databases will provide. Databases that do not have a sufficient level of detail reduce the accuracy of the indicators produced, therefore making it difficult to determine primary risk factors and the sub-populations at greatest risk of overdose. Additionally, this data does not exist anywhere in one data source therefore validating the importance of using Statistics Canada's capability and expertise to integrate the external data sources in order to create a comprehensive database for the Initiative.

Mitigation factors

Record linkage

The identifiable information is required only for the purpose of record linkage to produce more accurate analysis. Upon receipt of the files, the identifiable data will be stored separately from the analytical information. Any identifiable information on the analytical files will be replaced by an anonymized person key. The identifiable information will be available only on a need-to-know basis, and will be restricted to the project team of under 8 people.

Disclosure

A research file containing individual records, with no names or other direct identifiers, may be shared with the organisations participating in the Initiative under a discretionary disclosure order with the authorization of the data provider for statistical and research purposes, as permitted by the provisions of Subsection 17(2) of the Statistics Act.

Access to personal information

Statistics Canada has established that information collected about minors will not be disclosed to parents or guardians requesting access to their child's personal information. If parental values and belief systems differ from those of the minor, disclosure of the minor's information to a parent or guardian could place the minor's safety at risk. The individuals themselves, whether they are adults or minors, can request and obtain the information collected about themselves.

Conclusion

This assessment concludes that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Formal approval

This Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment has been reviewed and recommended for approval by Statistics Canada's Chief Privacy Officer, Director General for Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science, and Assistant Chief Statistician, Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field. The Chief Statistician of Canada has the authority for section 10 of the Privacy Act for Statistics Canada, and is responsible for the Agency's operations, including the program area mentioned in this Privacy Impact Assessment.

Eric Rancourt
Director General,
Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science

Linda Howatson-Leo
Chief Privacy Officer

Lynn Barr-Telford
Assistant Chief Statistician,
Social, Health and Labour Statistics

Anil Arora
Chief Statistician of Canada

The mandate of this committee is to provide advice and guidance to Statistics Canada on the data, concepts and instruments it uses to collect, analyze, classify and disseminate information on immigration, citizenship, ethnocultural diversity, inclusion and religion statistics. The committee will also help Statistics Canada determine how it can most effectively and efficiently collect, analyze and disseminate disaggregated data on population groups, especially groups that are most likely to experience discrimination and exclusion.

The committee's activities will help Statistics Canada maintain the relevance of its key programs and continue to deliver high-quality statistics, products and services that meet the needs of Canadians and institutions. Among the issues upon which the Committee will provide professional guidance and advice are:

• improving Statistics Canada's process for collecting, processing and disseminating immigration, citizenship, ethnocultural and religion data
• developing a conceptual framework, a series of indicators and classifications for disseminating statistics on ethnocultural diversity and inclusion, immigration, citizenship, and religion; this will include reviewing Statistics Canada's use of the "visible minority" concept and its existing categories for analytical and dissemination purposes, and examining alternative concepts and categorizations
• discussing the relevance of analytical products designed to inform public debate on immigration, citizenship, religion and the ethnocultural composition of Canada's population.

This committee consist of 10 members from across the country and nominated based on their competencies and experience on the topics of immigration, ethnocultural diversity, social inequalities and inclusion, and religion.

Committee members usually serve for three-year terms, with the possibility of renewal. Members generally meet twice a year, and each meeting is one to two days long. Depending on the topic being covered, special advisors will be invited, on an ad hoc basis, to contribute to the discussions.