2013 - Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)

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2013 Annual Survey of Manufacturing Industries
2013 Annual Survey of Logging Industries
2013 Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
2013 Annual Retail Trade Survey
2013 Annual Non-Store Retail Survey
2013 Annual Survey of Aquaculture Industry
2013 Annual Head Office Survey
2013 Annual Capital and Repair Expenditures Survey: Actual, Preliminary Actual and Intentions

Survey of Service Industries

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Date modified:: 2021-09-22

Section 1 — Facility Profile As Of Noon April 16, 2014
Section 2 — Resident Profile As Of Noon On April 16, 2014
Section 3 — Departures And Turn-aways: Midnight To Noon On April 16, 2014
Section 4 — Services For Non-residents and Ex-residents
Section 5 — Annual Information
Section 6 — Revenues and Expenditures
Section 7 — Issues And Challenges

Please make any corrections to the address label here:

Name of contact person
Name of organization
Postal Address
City
Province/Territory
Postal Code

Authority
Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. While participation in this survey is voluntary, your cooperation is important to ensure that the information collected in this survey is as accurate and as comprehensive as possible.

Objective
This survey collects data used to produce statistics on facilities in Canada providing residential services for abused women and their children. In aggregated form, the information collected is used by researchers, service providers and policymakers in developing programs, policies and services for abused women and their children. Your information may be also used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Confidentiality
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 the information from this survey for statistical purposes.

Record linkages
To enhance the data from this survey and to minimize the reporting burden for respondents, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with other survey or administrative data sources.

Instructions
Please return this questionnaire by May 16, 2014. Questionnaires may be returned by mail:

Correspondence
Statistics Canada
ATTN: Central Reception, SC 0505
150 Tunney's Pasture DRWY
Ottawa ON K1A 0T6
Phone: Toll free 1-800-387-0479
Fax: 1-888-883-7999
E-mail: justice@statcan.gc.ca

Fax or e-mail transmission disclosure
Statistics Canada advises you that there could be a risk of disclosure during facsimile or other electronic transmission. However, upon receipt, Statistics Canada will provide the guaranteed level of protection afforded all information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Data sharing agreements
To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Public Health Agency of Canada, who have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician and returning it with the completed questionnaire. Please specify the organizations with which you do not want to share your data.

PLEASE READ THE ATTACHED GUIDEBOOK FOR INSTRUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS BEFORE COMPLETING THE QUESTIONNAIRE.

Section 1 — Facility Profile As Of Noon April 16, 2014

Facility:

1. Please indicate which best describes your facility (Check only one. If there is more than one facility, for example a transition house and a second stage house, please complete two questionnaires.)

(Refer to Guidebook for definitions)

Transition House
Second Stage Housing
Safe Home Network
Satellite
Women's Emergency Centre
Emergency Shelter
Rural Family Violence Prevention Centres (Alberta only)
Interim Housing (Manitoba only)
Family Resource Centre (Ontario only, residential)
Other (please specify)

2. What is the total number of beds within your facility? (Count each bed, child's bed and crib. Do not count emergency beds [e.g. cots, sofas, sleeping bags, etc.] unless funded or licensed).

Number of beds:

Area:

3. Please indicate the area(s) your facility serves (Check all that apply).
(Refer to Guidebook for definition)

Urban/suburban (1,000 or more people)
Rural/Village (less than 1,000 people)
Reserve

4. Is your facility owned or operated by a band council? (Band council refers to a group of representatives elected by the on-reserve residents of the community.)

Owned by a band council?
- Yes
- No
Operated by a band council?
- Yes
- No

5. Is your facility located on a reserve?
(Refer to Guidebook for definition)

Services:

6. Please indicate all services your facility provides on a regular basis to residents, non-residents and ex-residents. If your facility does not distinguish between non-residents and ex-residents please use the non-resident category. Please indicate all services provided by other agencies to residents of your facility.

(Refer to Guidebook for definitions)

A) Services for Women (Check all services that apply to each: residents, non-residents, ex-residents, and/or provided by other agencies. Select not applicable if none of the other responses are appropriate.)

Individual short-term counselling
Individual long-term counselling
Group counselling
Family counselling programs (includes mother, child(ren) and partner)
Safety planning or protection planning
Addiction counselling (e.g. information or support)
Crisis telephone line (staffed 24 hour line)
Medical services (e.g. information or support)
Mental health services (e.g. information or support)
Legal services (e.g. information or support, paralegal services)
Financial assistance or welfare (e.g. information or support)
Life skills (e.g. banking, groceries, day-to-day management)
Job training or employment search
Parenting skills
Housing referral
Culturally sensitive services for Aboriginal women
Culturally sensitive services for ethno-cultural and visible minority women
Lesbian sensitive services
Services for women with disabilities
Recreation services
Advocacy on behalf of women
Transportation/accompaniment (e.g., transportation to the shelter, to court)
Specialized services for older women (55+)
Other services for women (please specify)

B) Services for Children (Check all services that apply to each: residents, non-residents, ex-residents, and/or provided by other agencies. Select not applicable if none of the other responses are appropriate.)

Individual counselling
Group counselling or support
Programs for child witnesses or victims of abuse (e.g. play therapy)
Culturally sensitive services for Aboriginal children
Culturally sensitive services for ethno-cultural and visible minority children
School classes or tutoring for children
Child protection or family services
Supervising visiting for non-resident parent
Baby-sitting services
Outdoor recreation spaces for children
Indoor recreation spaces for children
Temporary placement of children without parents
Other services for children (please specify)

C) Services for Abusive Partners (Check all services that apply to each: residents, non-residents, ex-residents, and/or provided by other agencies. Select not applicable if none of the other responses are appropriate.)

Treatment or counselling services
Other (please specify)

D) General Services (Check all services that apply to each: residents, non-residents, ex-residents, and/or provided by other agencies. Select not applicable if none of the other responses are appropriate.)

Information
Public education or prevention
Outreach programs
Advocacy
Political or social action (e.g. writing letters to politicians, marches, protesting)
Help with pet accommodation
Food bank
Clothing items
Furniture items
Other (please specify)

7. Are there any services that are currently needed but not offered or not offered at the level required to meet the needs of the residents, former residents or non-residents your facility serves? If so, please indicate the most important of these services (up to 3).

Accessibility:

8. In what languages can your facility provide services? Include languages that staff, volunteers or others who can speak to verbally communicate when providing services. (Check all that apply)

(Refer to Guidebook for definitions)

English
French
Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka)
Cree
Dutch
German
Greek
Inuktitut
Italian
Ojibway
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Spanish
Tagalog (Pilipino)
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
Urdu
Persian (Farsi)
Russian
Hindi
Other languages(s) (please specify):

9. Is at least one of your building entrances wheelchair accessible? (e.g. access ramps, street-level entrances, automatic or easy-to open doors, etc.)

Yes
No (Go to Question 12)

10. Are any bedrooms within your facility wheelchair accessible? (e.g. widened doorways, automatic or easy-to-open doors, etc.)

11. Are any bathrooms within your facility wheelchair accessible? (e.g. widened doorways, grab bars, automatic or easy-to-open doors, etc.)

12. Does your facility have services for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, such as: (answer yes or no for each)

TTY/TDD? (Teletypewriter, Telephone Device for Deaf)
Sign language communication or interpretation?
Other services? (please specify)

13. Does your facility have services for people who are blind or visually impaired, such as: (answer yes or no for each)

Braille reading materials?
Large print reading materials?
Other services? (please specify)

Male Youth:

14. Does your facility admit children and/or youth? (Children and youth are defined as being under 18 and accompanied by a parent or caregiver.)

Yes
No (Go to Question 17)

15. How does your facility handle the admission of male youth? (Check only one)

Male youth are automatically admitted up to an age limit (Go to Question 16)
Male youth may be admitted up to an age limit, but each case is reviewed individually before deciding whether or not to admit. (Go to Question 16)
There is no age limit, but each case is reviewed individually before deciding whether or not to admit. (Go to Question 17)

16. What is the age limit? (years)

17. Does your facility refer male youth elsewhere?

Yes
No (Go to Question 19)

18. To whom or to what type of organization does your facility refer male youth? (Check all that apply)

Youth shelter
Social services or child protection services
Family service centre
Youth centre
Family or friends
Other type of organization (please specify)

Section 2 — Resident Profile As Of Noon On April 16, 2014

The purpose of Section 2 is to obtain a one-day snapshot of the clientele being served on a particular day in the year (i.e., April 16, 2014). Appreciating that a number of residents to whom space has been assigned may be temporarily absent on April 16, 2014, please include all admitted residents when completing the following questions including those who are temporarily absent.

19. For each adult woman residing in your facility as of noon on April 16, 2014, please indicate the reason(s) she came to your facility (number).

Count all the reasons that apply.

For example, a woman suffering physical abuse, financial abuse and threats who is also experiencing mental health problems would be counted once in each of the 4 corresponding categories. Answer with a number for each of the following categories.

Please ensure that only the women are counted.

Do not count the children in this question.

Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Financial abuse
Emotional/Psychological abuse
Threats
Harassment
Human trafficking
Protection of her child(ren):
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Threats
- Psychological abuse
- Neglect
- Witnessing abuse of mother
Other abuse (please specify)
Housing problems
- Housing emergency (e.g. had to leave last home because of eviction or damage caused by fire, flood or natural disaster)
- Unable to find affordable housing
- Short-term housing problem (e.g. on list for subsidized housing or waiting to move but unable to secure housing in the meantime)
Mental health problems
Drug and alcohol addiction
Other (please specify)
Reason unknown/Don't know

Number of residents (women, children, total) as of noon on April 16, 2014.

(Count each woman and child only ONCE).

20. Of the total number of residents in your facility as of noon on April 16, 2014, how many women and accompanying children were there primarily because of ABUSE? (Enter "0" if there were none.)

Women
Children
Total

21. Of the total number of residents in your facility as of noon on April 16, 2014, how many women and accompanying children were there primarily for reasons OTHER THAN ABUSE (e.g. housing problem)? (Enter "0" if there were none.)

Women
Children
Total

22. Please indicate the TOTAL number of women and children who were residing in your facility as of noon April 16, 2014. (Enter "0" if there were none.)

Women
Children
Total

23. What were the referral sources for each woman? (Count as many referral sources as apply for each woman)

Self-referred only
Family/friend
Ministry for Children and Families
Ministry of Human Resources
Other Ministry
House resident (current or former)
Hospital, doctor, nurse, other health care practitioner or hospital social worker
Clergy, minister of religion
Police or RCMP
Other Transition House
Aboriginal or First Nations organization or reserve
Other community agency
Other
Don't know/no data
TOTAL

24. Of the women residents in the facility as of noon on April 16, 2014

a) How many had been there before? (If number of repeat residents equals ZERO, go to Question 25).
b) How many women have been there:
- 1 time previously in the last 12 months?
- 2 to 4 times previously in the last 12 months?
- 5 times or more previously in the last 12 months?
How many women have previously stayed in the facility in the last 12 months for an unknown number of times?
How many women have stayed in the facility before, but it has been more than 12 months since their last stay?
Total (Should equal number of women in Question 24 a)

Questions 25 to 27 apply only to people who are residing in your facility as of noon April 16, 2014 and came primarily because of abuse (See Question 20)

Characteristics:

25. As of noon on April 16, 2014, indicate the number of residents from abusive situations in each of the following age groups: (Count each woman and child only once)

A) Age categories of women (number of women for each of the following age categories)

15-19 years
20-24 years
25-29 years
30-34 years
35-44 years
45-54 years
55-64 years
65 years +
Age unknown
Total Women (Should equal total number of women in Question 20).

Age categories of accompanying children (For each of the following: Number of female children; Number of male children):

Under 1 year
1-4 years
5-9 years
10-12 years
13-15 years
16-18 years
19-24 years
25-29 years
Age unknown
Total Children (Should equal total number of children in Question 20).

B) As of noon on April 16, 2014, indicate the number of women

(Refer to Guidebook for definition)

(Count each woman only once)

Who were admitted with their children
Who were admitted without their children
Who have no children or parenting responsibilities
Facility doesn't know if they have children or parenting responsibilities
Total (Should equal total number of women in Question 20)

C) As of noon on April 16, 2014, indicate the number of residents with a disability.

Women
Children
Total residents with a disability (If total residents with a disability equals ZERO, go to Question 26)
Don't know (Go to Question 26)

D) As of noon on April 16, 2014, indicate the number of residents with:

(Count each woman and each child as often as applies, if more than one disability. Include residents with permanent and temporary physical disabilities [e.g., someone on crutches due to a broken leg])

(Answer in number for women and children)

Mobility disabilities
Visual disabilities
Hearing disabilities
Other disabilities (please specify):
Don't know

Relationship to abuser:

26. As of noon on April 16, 2014, please indicate the number of women residents by the relationship with their abuser. (Count each woman only once. Do not include children)

Spouse (legally married)
Common-law partner
Ex-spouse
Ex-common-law partner
Dating relationship (couples who do not live together)
Ex-dating relationship
Relative (parent, child, other)
Friend or acquaintance
Caregiver (a non-relative responsible for taking care of the victim full or part-time. Caregivers who are also relatives should be categorized as "relative")
Authority figure (teacher, professor, employer, person in a position of trust)
Other (please specify)
Don't know
Total (Should equal total number of women in Question 20)

Involvement of the criminal justice system in the most recent abusive situation:

This question refers to the most recent abusive situation for which the woman was admitted to your facility. It DOES NOT refer to previous incidents of abuse for which the police may have been involved.

27. As of noon on April 16, 2014, please answer the following questions in relation to the involvement of the criminal justice system for the most recent abusive situation of each woman (Enter "0" if there were none.)

In how many cases: (answer in numbers for: Yes, No, Don't know and Total [Should equal total number of women in Question 20])

was the incident reported to police?
were charges laid against the abuser (e.g. by the woman, police or Crown)?
was an order obtained for the abuser to stay away (peace bond, restraining order, undertaking to keep the peace and have good conduct, conditions of probation, emergency intervention order, emergency protection order, victim's assistance order, order to abstain from persistently following a person about from place to place, etc.)?

Section 3 – Departures and Turn-aways: Midnight To Noon On April 16, 2014

Questions 28 to 31 apply to Departures and Turnaways that occurred between midnight and noon on April 16, 2014.

Departures (Refer to Guidebook for definitions)

28. How many women and children (number) departed from your facility between midnight and noon on April 16, 2014?

Women
Children
Total Departures (If total departures equal ZERO, Go to Question 30)

29. Upon departure where did the women go? This question refers to departures (number) between midnight and noon on April 16, 2014 (Count each woman only once. Do not count the children in this question).

Returned to spouse/common-law partner
Returned home without spouse/common-law partner
Second stage housing
Another emergency shelter
Out of province/territory shelter
New accommodation without spouse/common-law partner
Living with friends or relatives
Hospital
Residential services (e.g. group home, hostel, detox centre, addictions rehabilitation centre or other adult care facility)
Other (please specify):
Unknown
Total(Should equal number of women in Question 28)

Turn-aways:

30. How many women and children (number) were turned away from your facility between midnight and noon on April 16, 2014?

Women
Children
Total Turn-aways (If total turn-aways equals ZERO, Go to Question 32)

31. Please list the reason(s) women and children were turned away. (Check all that apply)

Shelter was full
Alcohol and drug issues
Mental health issues
Transportation issue (e.g., no transportation to get to facility)
Accessibility issues (e.g., not wheelchair accessible)
Language barrier
Under age without parent
Non-admit or caution list
Other (please specify)

Section 4 — Services for Non-residents and Ex-residents

The purpose of Section 4 is to obtain information on contacts for assistance from non-residents and ex-residents. Question 32 deals with contacts on the day of April 16, 2014 and contacts for an average month.

(For the following categories: Contacts on (date); Contacts for an average month)

32. Please report the number of phone, letter, e-mail, fax, walk-in or other contacts received from non-residents and ex-residents for housing related and non-housing related needs. This includes outreach services. (Enter "0" if there were none. Count each contact for assistance) (Refer to Guidebook for definitions)

(For the following categories: Contacts on (date); Contacts for an average month)

Housing related (e.g. crisis, needs housing because of abuse; housing problem; non-abuse; etc.)
Other (non-housing related) (e.g. crisis, needs medical help; general information; emotional support; etc.)
TOTAL

Outreach work: (Refer To Guidebook For Definitions)

33. How many hours per week are dedicated to doing outreach? (Please note, if there are 3 staff each doing 20 hours of outreach work per week this would equal 60 hours. Include paid staff, volunteers and others.)

Number of hours per week

Section 5 — Annual Information

The purpose of Section 5 is to obtain annual information on admissions and physical repairs and improvements for your residential facility. This information is to be provided for a 12-month fiscal period, for example, April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014.

A. Reference Period: Please specify the 12-month period used in providing information for Section 5 (format DD / MM / YYYY).

From:
To:

34. Please indicate the total number of admissions during the reference period.

Please count admissions to residential programs only.

Please count each woman and child each time they were admitted (include repeat admissions).

(Refer to Guidebook for definitions.)

Number of women
Number of children
Total admissions

B. Adult Males:

Questions 35 to 39 refer to adult men, 15 years of age and over, who were admitted to a facility with or without their dependent children. (DO NOT include adult men who were admitted with a parent.)

35. Does your facility have a policy on admitting adult men (15 years and over) with or without children? (Check only one)

Policy allows adult men to be admitted
Policy does not allow adult men to be admitted (Go to Part C- Physical repairs or improvements).
There is no facility policy on admitting adult men

36. During the reference period (for example, between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014), how many adult men were admitted to your facility? (If no men were admitted, enter "0" and go to Part C- Physical repairs or improvements)

Number of men

37. During the reference period, were any adult men admitted for reasons of abuse?

Yes
No (Go to Part C- Physical repairs or improvements)

38. During the reference period, how many adult men (number) were admitted to your facility for reasons of abuse? (If no men were admitted, enter "0" and go to Part C. Physical repairs or improvements)

Number of men

39. During the reference period, of those adult men admitted for reasons of abuse, how many (number) were victims of spousal violence? (If no men were admitted, enter "0")

Number of men

C. Physical repairs or improvements:

The purpose of Questions 40 to 43 is to collect information on physical repairs or improvements that have been made to your facility during the reference period (for example, between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014 or during your own 12-month fiscal period if March 31, 2014 is not your fiscal year end).

In this section, do not include funds received from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for the construction of new units.

DO NOT INCLUDE REGULAR MAINTENANCE WHEN RESPONDING TO THESE QUESTIONS.

Regular maintenance refers to painting, repairing leaky faucets, furnace cleaning, etc.

40. Have any physical repairs or improvements (e.g., new roof, flooring, windows, floor tiles, plumbing fixtures) been made to your facility during the reference period?

Yes
No (Go to Question 44)

41. What types of physical repairs or improvements have been made to your facility during the reference period? (Check all that apply)

Major physical repairs or improvements refers to defective plumbing or electrical wiring, structural repairs to walls, floors or ceilings, etc. In other words, there is a legal necessity to make these repairs so that your facility is in accordance with municipal building codes. These repairs are deemed essential for safety reasons and for meeting municipal standards.

Minor physical repairs or improvements refers to missing or loose floor tiles, bricks or shingles, defective steps, railing or siding, etc.

Structural improvements refers to improvements not required for safety reasons or meeting municipal standards, such as making rooms wheelchair accessible, adding a new security system, adding ramps, adding an outside play area for children, creating a ventilated inside smoking area.

Major
Minor
Structural Improvements

42. How were the physical repairs or improvements made during the reference period funded? (Check all that apply)

Shelter enhancement program (CMHC)
Other federal department funding
Provincial or Territorial government funding
Joint Federal/Provincial/Territorial agreement funding
Regional/Municipal government funding
Fundraising
Donations
Other (please specify)
Don't know

43. How much did the physical repairs or improvements made during the reference period cost? (Indicate cost in dollars.)

(If the exact cost is not available please provide an accurate estimate.)

Exact
Estimate
Don't know

44. Within the next five years, do you anticipate necessary physical repairs or improvements to your facility? (Check all that apply)

Minor physical repairs or improvements refers to missing or loose floor tiles, bricks or shingles, defective steps, railing or siding, etc.

Major
Minor
Structural Improvements

45. Within the next five years, from which of the following do you anticipate funding for these necessary physical repairs or improvements? (Check all that apply)

Shelter enhancement program (CMHC)
Other federal department funding
Provincial or Territorial government funding
Joint Federal/Provincial/Territorial agreement funding
Regional/Municipal government funding
Fundraising
Donations
Other (please specify)
Don't know

Section 6 – Revenues and Expenditures

The purpose of Section 6 is to collect information on the revenues and expenditures of your facility for the reference period.

Revenues

46. Please report the dollar amounts received from each of the following sources of funding and the total revenue for your facility. (You can provide either estimated or audited year end figures. Please round figures to the nearest dollar [e.g. $457 rather than $457.25].)

Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Other federal departments
Provincial / Territorial government – Housing
Provincial / Territorial government – Social Services
Other provincial/territorial departments
Municipal government
Regional Authority
Foundations
Loans or grants for major repairs or improvements
United Way
Indian Bands
Resident fees
Provincial / Territorial lotteries (includes the Associated Entities Fund in Saskatchewan, Bingos, Nevada tickets)
Donations (money only)
Fundraising
Other (please specify):
Total annual facility revenues

Expenditures

47. Please report the total annual expenditures for your facility and the dollar amount of your total annual expenditures spent on the following: (You can provide either estimated or audited year end figures. Please round figures to the nearest dollar [e.g. $457 rather than $457.25].)

Salary costs (all salary and benefits, includes casuals and fee for service costs)
Rent (e.g. outreach offices)
Mortgage and taxes
Regular maintenance
Major repairs or improvements
Other housing costs (house insurance, utilities, furniture, etc.)
Administrative costs (e.g. staff and board insurance)
Staff training (includes conferences)
Office costs (office supplies, postage, etc.)
Direct client costs (food, supplies, transportation, and disbursements to residents)
Contributions to reserve fund (as required by CMHC)
Other (please specify):
Total annual facility expenditures

48. Are the revenue and expenditure figures that were provided in questions 46 and 47 based on (Check only one):

Estimated data
Audited financial data
Don't know

Section 7 – Issues and Challenges

A) What would you identify as the top three issues or challenges facing your facility in the upcoming year? (Refer to Guidebook for definition)
B) What would you identify as the top three issues or challenges for the women and children using your facility in the upcoming year? (Refer to Guidebook for definition).

Interdepartmental Agreements

In order to reduce response burden and to provide consistent statistics, Statistics Canada has entered into data sharing agreements under Section 12 of the Statistics Act with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The information we provide to these agencies will be kept confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Under Section 12 of the Statistics Act, you may refuse to share your information with the agencies listed above by writing to the Chief Statistician and returning your letter of objection along with the completed questionnaire in the enclosed return envelope.

Questionnaire completed by:

Questionnaire completed by (block letters):
Date:
Telephone number: (please indicate area code)

Comments

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Please keep a copy of the completed questionnaire in the event that Statistics Canada contacts you for clarification of information given. It is hoped that the information will assist us in better understanding the services available within the community to address the needs of victims of abuse. Should you have any comments or questions regarding the questionnaire or the survey itself, please do not hesitate to contact us at 1-800-387-0479. The following space is provided for those of you who would prefer to write down your comments. Please print carefully.

The Ontario Social Assistance Database (OSAD)

Description

The Ontario Social Assistance Database (OSAD) contains client-level administrative data that supports the administration of the two social assistance programs in Ontario—the Ontario Works program and the Ontario Disability Support Program. The OSAD is a comprehensive source of income support data on the Ontario social assistance client population and contains information used to determine eligibility for social assistance, benefits amounts, duration on social assistance as well as characteristics of this client population. The database is managed by Statistics Canada on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.

The OSAD was created as part of a pilot project that is in line with the Ontario Open Government initiative that is working towards creating an open and transparent government; in particular, supports efforts to:

explore opportunities to improve access to Ontario social assistance data by the research and academic community;
obtain relevant research to support evidence-based policy decisions and program development; and,
improve engagement with the academic community.

The OSAD will enable conducting a broad range of analyses including understanding of disability, incentives to work and employment outcomes, understanding potential effects of social assistance on various demographic sub-groups as well as examining long-term dependency on social assistance.

Reference period: Monthly data (January 2003 – December 2019)

Collection period: January 2003 – December 2019

Subjects

Welfare programs
Population and demography
Labour market and income
Education, training and skills

A new longitudinal analytical file is available featuring information on OSAD recipients and various annual income, tax and benefit data.

The available microdata contain de-identified client-level administrative information from the social assistance programs: Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for the period January 2003 to December 2019. The following tax-derived files are also available for the recipient population:

T1 Family File subset (1998 to 2019),
T4 Statement of Remuneration (1998 to 2019),
T4E Statement of Employment Insurance and Other Benefits (1998 to 2019), and
T5007 Statement of Benefits (1998 to 2019).

If required for approved analytical projects, subsequent linkage keys would allow mapping of the Ontario IA tax analytical file as described above to one other type of data source at a time among the following:

Census: 2016 Census of Population Long form
Employment: Record of Employment, Employment Insurance Status Vector
Immigration: Longitudinal Immigration Database
Health: Discharge Abstract Database, National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, Canadian Cancer Registry, Ontario Mental Health Reporting System Database, Vital Statistics – Death Database
Education: Postsecondary Student Information System, Registered Apprenticeship Information System

Report a problem or mistake on this page

Date modified:: 2022-12-01

Mitigation of Risk to Respondents of Statistics Canada’s Surveys

Research Data Centres Program
Statistics Canada
June 2010

Statutory Protection:

The Statistics Act (1985) prescribes the mandate of the Agency, its role in the federal government, its powers and responsibilities, and its operating structure. Central to the Act's provisions is an implicit social contract with respondents under which the Agency may burden respondents with requests for information, and in some cases demand response, in order to provide information that is clearly of broad public benefit, but with an absolute undertaking to protect the confidentiality of identifiable individual responses.

Any disclosure of information that identifies an individual, business or organization is a punishable offense.

The confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act are not affected by either the Access to Information Act or any other Legislation.

Consent:

The Privacy Act (1983) applies not only to the activities of Statistics Canada but to all federal government organizations. The Privacy Act requires that personal information must only be collected if it “relates to an operating program or activity of the institution”. In the case of Statistics Canada, this would include surveys collected under the provisions of the Statistics Act. The Privacy Act requires that the individual be informed of the purpose for which the personal information is being collected. It includes the right for an individual to know of, and have access to, their personal information. Informed consent is not a component of the Privacy Act.

However, informed consent is utilized by Statistics Canada as part of certain activities. With the exception of the Census of Population and the Labour Force Survey, all Statistics Canada household surveys are voluntary. Implicitly, participation in a voluntary survey requires consent. Respondents are informed of the voluntary nature of the survey through a notice prior to the start of the data collection, such as the one below. Interviewers are also instructed to permit respondents to refuse to answer any question or to terminate an interview at any time.

Your answers will be kept strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes. While participation is voluntary, your cooperation is important to ensure that the information collected in this survey is as accurate and as comprehensive as possible.

Measures to protect the identity of respondents:

Data collection and nature of data files available for access:

The majority of the data collected by Statistics Canada use sampling frames in which households are randomly sampled. Within selected households, sometimes all persons are requested to participate in the survey. In many cases, a random selection of a person within the household is done by the interviewer. The Census of Population and the Labour Force Survey are the only mandatory surveys due to the key role they play in the informing political and business decisions in the country.
Background survey material explaining the data to be collected and the reasons for the data collection is provided to survey participants.
Any microdata accessed by a researcher will have all personal identifiers, such as name, address, SIN, and personal health number removed from the record.
Researchers may only access those data that are required for their particular project.

Procedures to access data:

As required by the Policy on Government Security, researchers must obtain Reliability Status from the STC Departmental Security before having access to the data in the RDC. Security checks are conducted by the RCMP for each researcher accessing data in the RDC.
As required by the Statistics Act, each researcher accessing data in the RDCs has deemed employee status and swears a legally binding oath to protect the confidentiality of Statistics Canada data utilized in the RDC. This oath is binding for life.
Each researcher is required to attend an orientation session during which a RDC Analyst explains the researchers’ legal responsibilities to protect the confidentiality and all the
security measures in place within the RDC.
There is a Statistics Canada employee on site to ensure the above measures are clearly understood and adhered to by all researchers participating in the RDC program.

Physical protection of data:

Each RDC is a secure physical environment where the only people permitted entry are researchers working on active approved projects and Statistics Canada staff.
Doors to the facility are opened with secure swipe cards assigned to each researcher.
Researchers are prohibited from operating any electronic communication and storage devices, such as laptops, tablets, E‐readers, PDAs or cell phones in the vicinity of (secure) computer workstations.
The computing environment inside a RDC cannot be linked externally, in particular to the internet.
The file structures and permissions are created to ensure that researchers have access only to the data for which they have received permission to use.

Control of released results:

The RDC Analyst is the only person who can release analytical output from a RDC.
All analytical output, including programs and compiled results, are vetted for confidentiality using rules developed by Statistics Canada methodologists.

Where confidentiality is at risk, the researcher and Analyst work together to eliminate the risk of disclosure and release the necessary information to answer the research question but at the same time, protect the confidentiality of respondent data.

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Date modified:: 2021-06-15

The Integrated Business Statistics Program

Statistics Canada

June 17, 2015

In 2010, Statistics Canada launched the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP) to provide a more efficient model for producing economic statistics. The main objective was to enhance the economic statistics program so that it remains as robust and flexible as possible while reducing the burden on business respondents.

The IBSP encompasses around 60 surveys covering four major sectors: manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, services (including culture) and capital expenditures. By 2019/2020, the IBSP will include roughly 150 economic surveys covering all sectors of economic statistics.

The program changes ensure that Statistics Canada will continue to produce a consistent and coherent set of economic statistics. As well, data users and researchers can more easily combine economic data with information from other sources to undertake their analyses.

The IBSP uses a standardized approach for economic surveys conducted at Statistics Canada. This framework involves:

using a common Business Register as the unique frame
maximizing the use of administrative information to reduce business response burden
using electronic questionnaires as the principal mode of collection
harmonizing concepts and questionnaire content
adopting common sampling, collection and processing methodologies.

What are some of the more significant changes?

A new approach to sampling ensures businesses will only be asked those questions that are pertinent to their operations. This creates a win-win situation for Statistics Canada and respondents. Statistics Canada reduces the collection effort and has a greater likelihood of collecting the information it requires to produce official statistics relevant to Canadians. It also reduces the time needed by respondents to complete their business surveys.
Increased use of administrative data reduces business response burden. Administrative data files (such as corporate income tax files) have been used extensively as a direct substitute for a sub-set of sampled units and for imputation of non-response. In the transition to the IBSP model, imputation methods were adapted to take full advantage of the availability of administrative data. This resulted in additional response burden reductions across survey programs. The majority of sampled businesses are no longer required to provide data for revenue and expense information that is available from tax data. The IBSP questionnaires are designed to collect information that is not available from administrative data files, such as commodities produced and business practices.
A new coherent approach to developing provincial/territorial estimates uses existing information on Statistics Canada's business register to determine provincial/territorial shares of revenues, expenses and value added. This ensures a coherent and standardized approach that is consistent across all IBSP surveys. Previously, these data were collected directly from each respondent, contributing to response burden.
Electronic questionnaires are now the primary mode to collect data from business respondents. Businesses complete surveys using a secure online application. The result is a more efficient and higher quality collection process. In addition, the quality of survey statistics may improve because electronic questionnaires have built-in checks designed to limit reporting errors that can occur with paper-based questionnaires.
Increased coverage of the business population results in a more comprehensive set of business statistics. Beginning in reference year 2013, the population covered by the suite of annual economic survey programs increased to include all firms regardless of their size. In previous years, relatively small businesses (based on their sales) were not included in Statistics Canada's central business frame. However, with new self-coding technology, it became possible to classify all businesses operating in the Canadian economy onto the central business frame, regardless of the sales of the firm. As a result, with improved coverage of the population, the IBSP-based estimates better reflect the population of businesses operating in Canada.
Questionnaires have been updated to reflect the latest business terminology and accounting practices of Canadian businesses. In addition the questionnaires apply the latest standard classifications used by Statistics Canada, such as the North American Industry Classification System and the North American Product Classification System.

Does this impact the comparability of data through time?

The extent of the changes in the business statistics program introduced by the IBSP means that some series may no longer be consistent with estimates from previous periods. For example, the increase in the business population alone means that the estimates will tend to be higher than those previously published.

For some series, the 2013 changes will be small and comparisons with estimates for 2012 will be consistent. In other cases, the impacts can be significant, leading to breaks in the 2013 estimates data when compared to 2012.

Recognizing the importance of data continuity, Statistics Canada analyzed the 2013 estimates in comparison with 2012 data to determine whether a break in series occurred. Assessment techniques included:

evaluating survey estimates at all levels of detail (national, sub-national, NAICS)
comparing estimates obtained from sub-annual surveys (where applicable)
comparing tax information
analysing the results for common respondents in 2012 and 2013
comparing historical movements by respondent and by the industry in general.

A break in series from 2012 to 2013 was identified when the direction and magnitude of the change for a given variable/province or territory/industry fell outside a survey's specific tolerance limit. The tolerance limit is defined in part as the bound between the largest increase and largest decrease using a forecast model. The tolerance limit could be further influenced by comparisons with auxiliary confrontation data, such as those noted above.

The determination of a series break focuses on the main aggregate variables only. These variables include Total Revenue, Total Operating Revenue, Total Expenses, Total Operating Expenses, Salaries and Wages, and Depreciation. Given the nature and scope of the changes to the survey program, series breaks for more detailed variables are inevitable and will not be analyzed by the agency.

In all cases, users are aware that breaks can exist and that any comparisons with the 2012 data should be made at their own discretion.

Once the estimates for the reference year 2014 are available, revisions will be made to the 2013 data as is normally the case. At that time, the 2012 estimates may also be revised due to the additional information available.

Who will use the new IBSP estimates?

Businesses use the estimates to better understand their performance within their given industry relative to the industry average.
Industry analysts use the IBSP estimates to analyze the performance of given industries in the Canadian economy both nationally and regionally.

The IBSP data are a main input in the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts. They are first adjusted to macroeconomic accounting concepts and definitions and are then integrated into the macroeconomic accounting frameworks. This integration involves adjusting the data to adhere to the macroeconomic accounting identities as well as ensuring consistency through time. These data are the building blocks for Statistics Canada's benchmark measure of gross domestic product and a key input into the estimates used to determine equalization payments and the allocation of harmonized sales tax revenue.

Periodically, Statistics Canada undertakes large scale changes as part of its survey renewal process. The new IBSP data will be integrated into the Macroeconomic Accounts. Although the new data may lead to some changes/revisions to the national accounts, the System of National Accounts framework ensures that the national account estimates are robust and coherent.

Release Schedule

To implement this important initiative, Statistics Canada is taking all the necessary steps to complete the final data and system verifications. The annual economic statistics are usually available approximately 15 months after the reference period, but the major transformation produced by the IBSP made it impossible to maintain this release schedule. Statistics Canada is committed to releasing the data as soon as possible, once all quality assurance and confidentiality checks have been completed.

It is expected that starting with reference year 2014, the release schedule will revert to respecting the 15 month timeliness objective.

Further Information

For a more detailed explanation of the changes, please consult the Integrated Business Statistics Program Overview on the Statistics Canada website.

More information on the technical aspects on sampling and estimation is available upon request.

For more information, contact Media Relations (613-951-4636); work.wcms.statcan.ca/eng/node/17725/edit .

The Integrated Business Statistics Program

Statistics Canada

June 17, 2015

The IBSP uses a standardized approach for economic surveys conducted at Statistics Canada. This framework involves:

using a common Business Register as the unique frame
maximizing the use of administrative information to reduce business response burden
using electronic questionnaires as the principal mode of collection
harmonizing concepts and questionnaire content
adopting common sampling, collection and processing methodologies.

What are some of the more significant changes?

A new approach to sampling ensures businesses will only be asked those questions that are pertinent to their operations. This creates a win-win situation for Statistics Canada and respondents. Statistics Canada reduces the collection effort and has a greater likelihood of collecting the information it requires to produce official statistics relevant to Canadians. It also reduces the time needed by respondents to complete their business surveys.
Increased use of administrative data reduces business response burden. Administrative data files (such as corporate income tax files) have been used extensively as a direct substitute for a sub-set of sampled units and for imputation of non-response. In the transition to the IBSP model, imputation methods were adapted to take full advantage of the availability of administrative data. This resulted in additional response burden reductions across survey programs. The majority of sampled businesses are no longer required to provide data for revenue and expense information that is available from tax data. The IBSP questionnaires are designed to collect information that is not available from administrative data files, such as commodities produced and business practices.
A new coherent approach to developing provincial/territorial estimates uses existing information on Statistics Canada's business register to determine provincial/territorial shares of revenues, expenses and value added. This ensures a coherent and standardized approach that is consistent across all IBSP surveys. Previously, these data were collected directly from each respondent, contributing to response burden.
Electronic questionnaires are now the primary mode to collect data from business respondents. Businesses complete surveys using a secure online application. The result is a more efficient and higher quality collection process. In addition, the quality of survey statistics may improve because electronic questionnaires have built-in checks designed to limit reporting errors that can occur with paper-based questionnaires.
Increased coverage of the business population results in a more comprehensive set of business statistics. Beginning in reference year 2013, the population covered by the suite of annual economic survey programs increased to include all firms regardless of their size. In previous years, relatively small businesses (based on their sales) were not included in Statistics Canada's central business frame. However, with new self-coding technology, it became possible to classify all businesses operating in the Canadian economy onto the central business frame, regardless of the sales of the firm. As a result, with improved coverage of the population, the IBSP-based estimates better reflect the population of businesses operating in Canada.
Questionnaires have been updated to reflect the latest business terminology and accounting practices of Canadian businesses. In addition the questionnaires apply the latest standard classifications used by Statistics Canada, such as the North American Industry Classification System and the North American Product Classification System.

Does this impact the comparability of data through time?

evaluating survey estimates at all levels of detail (national, sub-national, NAICS)
comparing estimates obtained from sub-annual surveys (where applicable)
comparing tax information
analysing the results for common respondents in 2012 and 2013
comparing historical movements by respondent and by the industry in general.

In all cases, users are aware that breaks can exist and that any comparisons with the 2012 data should be made at their own discretion.

Who will use the new IBSP estimates?

Businesses use the estimates to better understand their performance within their given industry relative to the industry average.
Industry analysts use the IBSP estimates to analyze the performance of given industries in the Canadian economy both nationally and regionally.

Release Schedule

It is expected that starting with reference year 2014, the release schedule will revert to respecting the 15 month timeliness objective.

Further Information

For a more detailed explanation of the changes, please consult the Integrated Business Statistics Program Overview on the Statistics Canada website.

More information on the technical aspects on sampling and estimation is available upon request.

For more information, contact Media Relations at 613-951-4636 or statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.

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Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics

Archived information

Consultation objectives

In June 2015, Statistics Canada will be consulting with key data users of the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics Programs to obtain feedback about data, products and services; identify possible data gaps and/or deficiencies; highlight new and emerging needs; and uncover potential opportunities for future collaboration. This valuable input will help to guide the future direction and development of these programs and ensure that they continue to meet the needs of users.

How to get involved

Individuals who wish to obtain more information or to take part in this consultation may contact Statistics Canada by sending an email to joanne.moreau@statcan.gc.ca or peter.rosborough@statcan.gc.ca.

For additional information about the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics Programs and this consultation, a background document is also available.

Please note that Statistics Canada selects participants for each consultation to ensure feedback is sought from a representative sample of the target population for the study. Not all applicants will be asked to participate in a given consultation.

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of consultation participants. All personal information created, held or collected by the Agency is protected by the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada's privacy policies, please consult the Privacy notice.

Results

Results of the client satisfaction evaluation are now available.

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Date modified:: 2023-01-09

Stakeholder Consultations:
Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics

Background

In Canada, manufacturing and wholesale trade are two of the larger economic sectors. They account for approximately 16% of the Canadian economy, $1.2 trillion in annual sales and over 2.2 million jobs.

At Statistics Canada (StatCan), activity in these sectors is monitored by the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division (MWTD), which compiles data on both a monthly and annual basis for the manufacturing and wholesale trade industries. The monthly programs focus on providing sales, orders and inventory data for both sectors. The annual programs provide more detailed information including profits, expenses, salaries and wages. Data are available at both the national and provincial level, broken down by industry and sub-industry within the sector according to the North American Industry Classification System.

MWTD data are used by stakeholders across the country. At StatCan, these data serve as important inputs for many key economic indicators, such as the GDP. Finance Canada and the Bank of Canada use manufacturing and wholesale trade data to help determine taxation, fiscal, and monetary policy. Public and private institutions use them to study the Canadian economy, while the private sector uses MWTD data to conduct market research and calculate industry sizes within the sectors.

To ensure the ongoing relevance and utility of MWTD programs, Statistics Canada is consulting with key data users to obtain feedback about MWTD data, products and services; identify possible data gaps and/or deficiencies; highlight new and emerging needs; and uncover potential opportunities for future collaboration. This valuable input will help to guide the future direction and development of these programs.

These consultations will ensure that StatCan programs remain useful and up-to-date. It is important that we understand how StatCan data are used, and the questions that researchers have about the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors. The consultations will also provide us with the opportunity to gather the input that we need to make decisions about the strategic planning of our programs—how our programs will look in the future, in terms of the data collected, outputs produced and services provided. This will ensure that StatCan continues to collect the right data for its clients, and we collect them in an efficient and effective way.

Discussion Questions

Tell us about the nature of the work that you do.
In the conduct of your work, how do you use manufacturing and wholesale trade data? Can you provide examples? What data do you use? Where do you get them from? How do you get them?
Are the manufacturing and wholesale trade programs useful for you?
When you have data needs, is StatCan your primary source? Why or why not?
Are there gaps or deficiencies in the current data that are collected? What else would you like to have?
Are there other products and services that you require? (e.g., special tabulations, data sharing agreements, workshops about available data).
What are the key policy issues and questions in the manufacturing and wholesale sectors that you foresee being asked to address over the next five years?
What would you say are the three most important issues that should be addressed by the manufacturing and wholesale trade statistics programs? If you could pick three areas to focus on, what would you do/fix/add?

Appendix 1: Manufacturing Statistics Key Variables and Industries

Manufacturing Key Variables
Variable	Variable Type	Frequency	Geography
Note: Monthly data are also available seasonally adjusted.
Total revenue	Revenue	Annual	National / Provincial
Revenue from goods manufactured / Sales of goods manufactured (shipments)	Revenue	Annual/Monthly	National / Provincial
Total expenses	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Total salaries and wages, direct and indirect labour	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Total cost of energy, water utility and vehicle fuel	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Cost of energy and water utility	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Cost of vehicle fuel	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Cost of materials and supplies	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Total opening inventories	Inventories	Annual	National / Provincial
Opening inventories, goods or work in process	Inventories	Annual	National / Provincial
Opening inventories, finished goods manufactured	Inventories	Annual	National / Provincial
Total closing inventories	Inventories	Annual/Monthly (National Only)	National / Provincial
Closing inventories, goods or work in process	Inventories	Annual/Monthly (National Only)	National / Provincial
Closing inventories, finished goods manufactured	Inventories	Annual/Monthly (National Only)	National / Provincial
Manufacturing value added	Inventories	Annual	National / Provincial
New orders, estimated values of orders received during month	Revenue	Monthly	National
Unfilled orders, estimated values of orders at end of month	Revenue	Monthly	National
Raw materials, fuel, supplies, components, estimated values at end of month	Inventories	Monthly	National
Ratio of total inventory to sales	Ratio	Monthly	National
Ratio of finished goods to sales	Ratio	Monthly	National

Manufacturing Industries
NAICS	Subsector
31-33	Manufacturing
311	Food manufacturing
312	Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing
313	Textile mills
314	Textile product mills
315	Clothing manufacturing
316	Leather and allied product manufacturing
321	Wood product manufacturing
322	Paper manufacturing
323	Printing and related support activities
324	Petroleum and coal product manufacturing
325	Chemical manufacturing
326	Plastics and rubber products manufacturing
327	Non-metallic mineral product manufacturing
331	Primary metal manufacturing
332	Fabricated metal product manufacturing
333	Machinery manufacturing
334	Computer and electronic product manufacturing
335	Electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing
336	Transportation equipment manufacturing
337	Furniture and related product manufacturing
339	Miscellaneous manufacturing

In addition to financial variables, manufacturing data on raw material purchases and sales of goods manufactured by type of product are also produced. These products are classified using the North American Product Classification System.

North American Product Classification System
Variable by produce	Variable Type	Frequency	Geography
Purchases of raw materials	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Sales of manufactured products	Revenues	Annual	National / Provincial

Statistics Canada also produces statistics on the quantity of products produced for several commodities produced in Canada.

Commodities produced in Canada
Commodity	Variables	Frequency	Geography
Note: Monthly data are not available seasonally adjusted for these commodities
Asphalt	Production and shipments	Monthly	National / Provincial
Cement	Production and shipments	Monthly	National / Provincial
Chemicals	Production	Annual	National
Sawmills	Production and shipments	Monthly	National / Provincial
Tobacco	Production and Sales	Monthly	National

Appendix 2: Wholesale Statistics Key Variables and Industries

Wholesale Key Variables
Variable	Variable Type	Frequency	Geography
Sales 2007 Chained	Revenue	Monthly	National
Sales 2007 Chained Fisher fixed	Revenue	Monthly	National
Fisher fixed price Index	Price Index	Monthly	National
Paasche current weighted	Price Index	Monthly	National
Sales 2007 constant prices Laspeyres fixed weight	Price Index	Monthly	National
Sales	Revenue	Monthly	National / Provincial
Inventories	Inventories	Monthly	National
Sale of all goods purchased for resale	Revenue	Annual	National / Provincial
Commission revenue	Revenue	Annual	National / Provincial
Total operating revenue	Revenue	Annual	National / Provincial
Purchases of goods for resale	Revenue	Annual	National / Provincial
Goods purchased for resale, opening inventory	Inventories	Annual	National / Provincial
Goods purchased for resale, closing inventory	Inventories	Annual	National / Provincial
Cost of goods sold	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Total labour remuneration	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Total operating expenses	Expenses	Annual	National / Provincial
Gross margin (percent)	Ratio	Annual	National / Provincial
Operating profit (percent)	Ratio	Annual	National / Provincial

Wholesale Industries
NAICS	Subsector
411	Farm product merchant wholesalers
412	Petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers
413	Food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers
414	Personal and household goods merchant wholesalers
415	Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories merchant wholesalers
416	Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers
417	Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers
418	Miscellaneous merchant wholesalers
419	Business-to-business electronic markets, and agents and brokers

Appendix 3: List of surveys and corresponding CANSIM data tables

List of surveys and corresponding CANSIM data tables
Survey	Sample Size	CANSIM Tables
Note: Monthly data are also available seasonally adjusted.
Manufacturing Surveys
Annual Survey of Manufactures and Logging	Approx. 9,960 enterprises	301-0006 and 301-0007
Asphalt Roofing	Census of large enterprises	303-0052
Cement Survey	Census of large enterprises	303-0060 and 303-0061
Industrial Chemicals and Synthetic Resins	Census of large enterprises	303-0053
Monthly Survey of Manufacturing	Approx. 10,500 Establishments	304-0014, 304-0015 and 377-0009
Sawmills	Approx. 215 establishments	303-0064 and 303-0065
Wholesale Surveys
Annual Wholesale Trade Survey	15,100 establishments	081-0014
Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey	7,500 Groups of establishments	081-0011, 081-0012 and 081-0015

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Date modified:: 2023-01-09

Evaluation of the Demography, Aboriginal and Other Social Statistics Program
2010-2011 to 2012-2013

Executive Summary and Management Response and Action plan

November 2014

Executive summary
Management response and action plan

Executive Summary

This report presents the results of the evaluation of the Demography, Aboriginal and Social Statistics (DAOSS) Program. It covers three fiscal years, from 2010/2011 to 2012/2013. The evaluation was undertaken by the Evaluation and Performance Measurement Division.

This report was approved by the Departmental Evaluation Committee and the Chief Statistician on November 26, 2014.

Statistics Canada also shared this report with its program delivery partners and key stakeholders, including the National Statistics Council.

Evaluation scope, purpose and methodology

The evaluation covers the DAOSS Program, with a particular focus on the Population Estimates and Projections (PE&P), the General Social Survey (GSS) and the Aboriginal Statistics components. It addresses a number of questions related to the continued need for the program, its alignment with government priorities, its consistency with federal roles and responsibilities, the achievement of its expected outcomes, and the extent to which it demonstrates efficiency and economy. It was included in the Departmental Risk-based Audit and Evaluation Plan for 2012/2013 to 2016/2017, which was approved by the Departmental Evaluation Committee in March 2013.

In accordance with the Government of Canada's Policy on Evaluation, the purpose of the DAOSS evaluation is to provide an evidence-based, neutral assessment of its value for money, and more specifically, its relevance and performance. In addition, the evaluation design has incorporated all components of the Standard on Evaluation for the Government of Canada to ensure quality, neutrality and utility. The list of questions addressed in this evaluation incorporates all core issues identified in the Government of Canada's Directive on the Evaluation Function.

Information from multiple sources was used to address the evaluation questions, including document and literature reviews; a review of financial and administrative data; a series of key informant interviews with program representatives, internal and external stakeholders; a survey of data users; and a bibliometric and webometric analysis. The study was calibrated to capture the horizontal aspects of the relevance and the efficiency/economy at the DAOSS Program level, and to explore in depth the aspects of performance that are specific to each of the three focus components, namely, the PE&P, the GSS and the Aboriginal Statistics components. The presentation structure of the findings and conclusions is aligned with the calibration approach.

Demography, Aboriginal and Other Social Statistics (DAOSS) Program

Relevance

The DAOSS Program contributes significantly to multiple areas of public interest and society's well-being and plays a strategic role in informing public debate on socioeconomic issues, in supporting social policy development and in guiding public and private decision making. The three focus components respond to needs that are specific to their subject-matter orientation and are relevant to the work of all levels of government and of many national and international groups and initiatives.

Overall, the DAOSS Program is in a good position to maintain its relevance; however, some areas of particular risks, challenges or gaps exist and need to be addressed. The need for consistent data disaggregated at a smaller geographical level (i.e. municipalities, on-reserve communities) or sub-groups level (i.e. Aboriginal groups, visible minorities) appears to be prominent. The improvement of the measures of interprovincial-territorial migration are linked to a growing area of interest of significant impact, hence, the Demography Division's efforts in this direction need to continue. In the scope of the GSS, the need for more analytical products related to historical series, to social trends occurring over time or to emerging social issues has been identified. In the field of statistics on Aboriginal people, the limited information for the on-reserve population is a gap that requires attention. Furthermore, there are concerns regarding the coherence, comparability and representativeness of the available data, which reduce the analytical power of the existing information on Aboriginal people.

The evaluation findings confirmed that the DAOSS Program is in line with the current federal government priorities and commitments as it supports multiple federal initiatives including legal and contractual obligations. It is also in line with the priorities and the role of Statistics Canada—not only because of its clear link to the agency's strategic outcomes, but also because each of the focus components is interrelated with other statistical programs and is a part of the entire national statistical structure. Further, the federal government appears to be in the best position to deliver the program as there is no other organization that has the capacity, the reputation, and the public trust to collect and process statistical information with comparable scope and quality. Other similar activities conducted by parties external to Statistics Canada are considered to be complementary rather than viewed as an alternative to the DAOSS Program.

Performance (efficiency and economy)

The evaluation findings confirm that the DAOSS Program has made significant investments (effort and reorganization) in efficiency-generating projects oriented toward: (1) reducing response burden by increasing the use of alternative data sources; (2) streamlining and consolidating the operations by using common tools^{Footnote 1}, and (3) incorporating new technologies in operations (e.g., e-questionnaire, interactive website, social media). The program is making progress in adopting a results-based culture; however, it is still too early to assess its implementation. Given the limitations of the financial system, it was not possible in this context to assess the cost of the inputs and whether optimization was reached. However, financial figures for the DAOSS Program as a whole provided some evidence that all variances between the planned budget and actual expenditures have not exceeded 4%, which indicates a good management of resources in general.

Population Estimates and Projections

Effectiveness

Overall, statistical products on population estimates and projections are accessible, although some concerns were expressed with the transition to the new format of CANSIM tables that resulted in inconsistencies and fewer content details in some sets, and that the search engine is not efficient enough to locate some specific information. The evaluation found that the population estimates and projections were released in a timely manner. The program has met the delivery dates and standards, and has improved its responsiveness to the increased demand of more frequent population projections by enhancing its microsimulation activities.

Evaluation findings suggest that the demographic statistical information empowers users by increasing their demography-related knowledge and capacity. A closer look at the interpretability, coherency and accuracy reveals that overall the population estimates and projections are coherent and accurate. The Demography Division has undertaken many initiatives to improve the coherency and accuracy of its data, including the harmonization of the administrative data and statistical products with other Statistics Canada divisions. Currently, the PE&P is the single internal provider of most demographic estimates. The division is also working on initiatives to address challenges around the coherency and accuracy of indicators for internal migration. This is a well-known issue in the domain of demography and is not unique to Canada. In terms of interpretability, findings suggest that there is some room for improvement. Some users are dissatisfied with the public availability and comprehension of up-to-date technical papers, metadata analysis and methodology papers, as well as accessibility through the website interface and availability of written explanations of the concepts in a format and language that a non-statistician could understand.

All lines of evidence confirm that the statistical information on population estimates and projections is widely used by governments, public institutions, academic researchers, private sector, and Canadians. Multiple examples of use were found in documents, and were provided by key informants and survey respondents. The bibliometric and webometric analysis confirmed that the information has been used in the domain of social sciences and humanities, and the natural sciences and engineering for academic research.

Efficiency

The PE&P is currently working on initiatives intended to improve its efficiency, such as the harmonization of the demographic content, improved documentation practices, the incorporation of new technology for dissemination and microsimulation, and the identification of new sources of administrative data. Efforts to increase the use of administrative data must continue. It is worth mentioning that population projections' projects contribute significantly to the revenue of the component (almost 50%), and the Demosim microsimulation activities alone generated 24% of the annual revenue in 2013/2014.

General Social Survey (GSS)

Effectiveness

Overall, the review found that the GSS statistical information is accessible. A wide range of GSS products are available to key stakeholders, the general public and researchers, through a variety of channels (e.g., the web, RDCs or customized services). The major GSS outputs are released in a timely manner, according to the planned schedules and deadlines. Areas of improvement identified are linked to the need to make the website more user-friendly to better acquire the information, and reviewing the frequency of cycles for some themes so that appropriate adjustments could be made in the future with the new GSS redesign.

By providing accurate, interpretable and coherent statistical information, the GSS is seen as a trusted source of social data and products which contribute to the enhancement of the knowledge in the social domain. While the efforts of the program toward achieving better results were acknowledged, there is still room for improvement in terms of interpretability (e.g., providing more methodological papers and explanations around the GSS changes) and coherency (e.g., harmonizing the content through cycles over time to ensure comparability and to allow the establishment of trends over time for some specific variables). Concerns were also expressed with regard to the challenges that the GSS is facing with declining response rates that may have quality implications.

Evaluation evidence provides strong confirmation of the fact that GSS statistical information is widely used, to inform a multitude of diverse activities carried out by clients such as policy-makers, governments, private and public institutions, academic institutions and social researchers, not-for-profit organizations, etc. The GSS information is also used by other statistical surveys, for comparability and validation, and to supplement the information.

Efficiency

Many initiatives were put in place to generate efficiencies and cost savings. For example, the implementation of e-questionnaires for data collection is expected to stabilize or increase response rates and improve the quality of data. However, it is still too early to analyze the real effect of this change on efficiency. The exploration of opportunities for the use of more administrative data sources in lieu of primary data is seen as a potential option for cost saving as well as for improving the quality and coherence of the data. It is also believed that an interdepartmental forum, which oversees horizontal social areas of statistical interest at the strategic level, is a much needed component of the governance structure of social statistics, in order to better identify priorities, avoid duplication, fill information gaps, and create synergies across policy departments.

Aboriginal Statistics component

Effectiveness

Overall, the statistical information on Aboriginal people is accessible. There are some concerns and uncertainties about the accessibility of on-reserve data collected by the First Nations Information Governance Centre. Statistical information on Aboriginal people is being released in a timely manner. Some preferences for more frequent collection and some issues with data being outdated have been expressed.

While the statistical information on Aboriginal people from the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) is of good quality, a number of challenges and potential risks to maintaining the accuracy were identified. To mitigate the situation, the program is working towards increasing the use of administrative data. There are still concerns about the comparability and coherence of off-reserve/on-reserve data, data over time, and the comparability of statistical information on Aboriginal people with general population information. The interpretability of the statistics on Aboriginal people is good because metadata is available and Statistics Canada provides good support and response to custom tabulations and special analyses.

In the public sector, statistics on Aboriginal people are used for planning, policy development, decision making, reporting and funding allocation. The main key users are federal partners. The data also support the activities of National Aboriginal organizations and Aboriginal governments and communities. Some limitations to data use are a result of aggregating the data at a national level, which results in blending the specifics of the different Aboriginal groups, and restricts the analysis of smaller subgroups of the Aboriginal population. Despite some issues linked to the insufficient liaison capacity and the scope of training activities, evidence suggests that these program components are very much needed and useful, and they could create leverage for both Statistics Canada and the Aboriginal communities if their full potential is explored.

Efficiency

Between 61% and 80% of the activities of the Aboriginal Statistics component are cost-recovery funded. Consequently, the efficiency of statistics on Aboriginal people is highly influenced by factors that are beyond its direct control. The elimination of the training program in 2012 limited the opportunities for Statistics Canada to communicate with the Aboriginal communities. This might have an impact (yet unknown) on the quality of the data in the future, and in turn, on the effectiveness of the program. The internal governance mechanisms are solid and are working well; however, potential for improvement regarding coordination with the National Aboriginal Organizations and a need for a better definition of the roles and responsibilities with federal partners have been identified.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1 (DAOSS Program):

To maintain the continued relevance of data products to the needs of its clients, the DAOSS Program should establish a structured process for documenting, analyzing and responding to constructive feedback from the full range of its users. The process should include a systematic tracking and documentation of available information on these users.

Recommendation 2 (DAOSS Program):

The DAOSS Program in collaboration with Dissemination Division should consider actions to strengthen the analytical capacity of its data and products, and to increase their value to the users. To the extent possible:

the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division should look at appropriate alternatives, to increase the availability of disaggregated data for the General Social Survey and the Aboriginal Statistics components;
the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division and the Demography Division should ensure that metadata are comprehensive and interpretable by users with varied statistical proficiency, for the General Social Survey, the Aboriginal Statistics and the Population Estimates and Projections components; and
the Dissemination Division should ensure that the implementation of Statistics Canada's New Dissemination Model will provide users with varied statistical proficiency effective search tools and streamlined access to products.

Recommendation 3 (General Social Survey):

The General Social Survey component should consider actions to strengthen its data and products and increase the value of the survey to users. To the extent possible, efforts should be focused on:

expansion of the scope and the variety of analytical products, including both products that involve re-packaging and utilization of existing data, and products that address themes of emerging importance and interest to key users;
revision of the frequency of the survey themes; and
revision of existing fora and interdepartmental consultation mechanisms to identify potential horizontal social statistical interest.

Recommendation 4 (Population Estimates and Projections):

The Demography Division should continue its efforts in providing relevant demographic data particularly by focusing its developmental and research work on the increased use of administrative data to improve the estimations of different components of population change (e.g. interprovincial migration), and by exploring ways to effectively address users needs for population projections.

Management response and action plan

Recommendation 1

Focus: DAOSS Program

To maintain the continued relevance of data products to the needs of its clients, the DAOSS Program should establish a structured process for documenting, analyzing, and responding to constructive feedback from the full range of its users. The process should include a systematic tracking and documentation of available information on these users.

Statement of Agreement /Disagreement

Agree

Management Response

There are several processes by which the DAOSS Program systematically collects feedback from its various and varied users such as the Federal Provincial and Territorial statistical focal points, interdepartmental federal committees, bilateral and multilateral user consultations, cost-recovery clients, and advisory committees. The PE&P Program has also recently established a data user group composed of representatives of internal users at Statistics Canada including representatives from consultative services of Regional Offices who are at the forefront responding to data requests and users.

To that effect, the DAOSS Program intends to pursue its current efforts to maintain the relevance of its program and to collect information to identify gaps and emerging needs. The DAOSS Program will establish a central depository for the Branch in which all documentation and feedback received from key partners and data users will be stored and analyzed in terms of the ongoing relevance of the statistical programs and products. This information will serve the various statistical programs in the Branch, and be evaluated by the management team via an annual review as well as feed into field strategic long-term planning.

Table 1 Recommendation 1
Timeline	Deliverable(s)	Responsible Party
Establish the Branch Depository - December 2015 Review by Branch management – March 2016 and ongoing	Establish a Branch Depository of documentation and feedback received from data users; with annual or biannual review by Branch management team.	Directors of Demography Division and Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division (SASD), and DG of Census Subject Matter, Social and Demographic Statistics Branch (CSMSDSB)

Recommendation 2

Focus: DAOSS Program

The DAOSS Program in collaboration with Dissemination Division should consider actions to strengthen its data and products, and to increase their value to the users. To the extent possible:

the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division should look at appropriate alternatives, to increase the availability of disaggregated data for the General Social Survey and the Aboriginal Statistics components;
the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division and the Demography Division should ensure that metadata are comprehensive and interpretable by users with varied statistical proficiency, for the General Social Survey, the Aboriginal Statistics and the Population Estimates and Projections components; and
the Dissemination Division should ensure that the implementation of Statistics Canada's New Dissemination Model will provide users with varied statistical proficiency effective search tools and streamlined access to products.

Statement of Agreement /Disagreement

Agree

Management Response

Recommendation 2 (a): Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division (SASD) has begun to release more tables through CANSIM from the GSS Program, and will continue to release more products as the common tools such as GTAB and GEXPORT are implemented and adopted.

Recommendation 2 (b): SASD and the Demography Division provide a large amount of metadata with its released products. SASD will review the metadata currently provided in order to identify any inaccuracies and will make the appropriate updates. SASD will also review the user comments to identify the specific metadata needs, and assess the feasibility of expanding the metadata for its programs.

Demography Division recently completed the implementation of a set of recommendations made following an internal Audit on the Population Estimation Program which included the production of documentation on the systems and outputs. Demography Division will undertake the review of comments made on the state of metadata for its program and assess the feasibility and cost of expanding their metadata products if need be.

Recommendation 2 (c):

Statistics Canada is currently actively working to improve its dissemination strategy. It is seeking to modernize the way in which it organizes and publishes its statistical output. The objective of this "New Dissemination Model" project is to ensure relevant, user-friendly output which will meet the needs of a broad range of data consumers. It will feature a single output data repository to drive dynamically generated data tables, a simplified product line to ensure consistency in product availability, and a revised navigation strategy to make sure that Statistics Canada's information is easy to find. The model will also include an automated feed of official statistics to the Federal Government Open Data environment and Web Data Services will be introduced to allow for the retrieval of data directly from Statistics Canada output database. Dissemination Division and SASD will work together to integrate data and products into the New Dissemination Model.

Table 2 Recommendation 2
Timeline	Deliverable(s)	Responsible Party
2a) 2013 and continued with each data releases Review by Branch management – March 2016	CANSIM tables for APS and GSS	Director, SASD
2b) March 31, 2016	Feasibility report on expanded metadata; update of existing metadata	Director, SASD ; Director of Demography Division
2c) March 31, 2015	New Dissemination Model	Dissemination Division

Recommendation 3

Focus: General Social Survey

The General Social Survey component should consider actions to strengthen its data and products and increase the value of the survey to the users. To the extent possible, efforts should be focused on:

Expansion of the scope and the variety of analytical products, including both products that involve re-packaging and utilization of existing data, and products that address themes of emerging importance and interest to key users;
Revision of the frequency of the survey themes; and
Review existing fora and interdepartmental consultation mechanisms to identify potential horizontal social statistical interest.

Statement of Agreement / Disagreement

Agree

Management Response

GSS has begun the process of expanding analytical products over the past year, and brought in a full-time analyst to accomplish this. Analytical reports have been released in "Insights on Canadian Society" and for the new "Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the GSS" series which is specifically for GSS, and more are planned over the next year. In addition, GSS is producing Fact sheets and CANSIM tables, and plans to add infographics. In collaboration with key stakeholders, SASD will continue to work on developing an analytical plan for each GSS cycle to define the depth and breadth of analytical products and ensure their relevance.
The survey themes were reviewed over the last year; this review was triggered because of two themes (Giving, volunteering and participating (GVP) and social identity (SI)) taking place in the same year (2013), and the recognition that there was an opportunity to introduce a new theme in 2016. The review of themes is intended to be a regular activity, in order to schedule the themes appropriately (since it is no longer possible to have all themes on a 5-year cycle) and to ensure that the content is relevant and gaps are being addressed. This review will take place with appropriate external consultation, considering stakeholder needs, operational capacity, and ability to monitor key social trends, level of effort to implement the next iteration of a theme, and implementation status for multimode. As a result of this review, a cycle topic plan until 2022 will be presented to the key stakeholders.
The GSS Program has an extensive consultation process (bilateral and multilateral) with key stakeholders and user groups for each survey cycle. In addition, there is a GSS Steering Committee (cross-section of key departments), the Advisory Committee on Social Conditions, and the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Social Statistics, all of which provide input to the GSS Program. SASD will review and assess this governance structure, with the objective to define the mechanisms that should be put in place in order to advise the GSS program on horizontal and strategic issues. Possible elements of the plan include the establishment of objectives, the terms of reference and the best mechanisms to consult (for example, better use of existing forums or the creation of a new group).

Table 3 Recommendation 3
Timeline	Deliverable(s)	Responsible Party
December 31, 2015	Feasibility plan to increase scope and variety of analytical products;	Director, SASD
June 30, 2015	Development of the Plan for GSS theme or topic until 2022;	Director, SASD
March 31, 2016	Governance forum plan	Director, SASD

Recommendation 4

Focus: Population Estimates and Projections

Statement of Agreement / Disagreement

Agree

Management Response

Demography Division in 2015-16 will work on a research and developmental plan to find ways to improve the components of population change, in particular focusing on ways to improve the estimates of inter provincial migration and emigration. The PE&P submitted a 10 year plan (Continuity and Quality Maintenance (CQM)) to fund the acceleration of the work pertaining to the increased use of administrative data and the use of the Canadian Statistical Demographic Database (CSDD) research results in the PE&P development work. The plan would consist of conducting research on the use of current and new administrative data to improve the quality of the estimation of the demographic component and therefore reduce the error of closure. This work would also build on the efforts of other partner divisions, namely the Administrative Data Division which conducts the CSDD and that of the Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division (TCESD) which is currently looking at ways of accessing Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) exit and entry data. The PE&P will also be launching a series of workshops with the provinces and territories in 2015-2016 to explore how the PE&P and the provinces and the territories can work together to improve the estimation of intra-provincial data and interprovincial migration. This latter set of activities would launch the second phase of the CQM plan to improve the quality of population estimates.

The proposed plan will consist of multiple activities occurring over the next 10 years. Activities listed below are the ones taking place in the short-term. Pending the outcomes of these activities, other specific and relevant activities will be proposed.

Table 4 Recommendation 4
Timeline	Deliverable(s)	Responsible Party
January - December 2015	Develop a long-term strategy for developmental and research work for Demosim and PE&P Programs	Director Demography
Spring/Fall 2015	Initiation of workshops with provinces and territories, to seek input regarding future research plans	Director Demography
March 2016	Propose implementation alternatives for the PE&P Program according to the level of funding in place.	Director Demography
December 2015	Assist TCESD and ADD in negotiating access to CBSA data (completion by December 2015)	Directors of TCESD, ADD and Demography Division

The full report is available upon request. Please contact: AEB-Professional-Practices@statcan.gc.ca

Notes:

Footnote 1

The program has made the transition to common tools for collection and dissemination, harmonizing content and eliminating duplication, or enhancing quality assurance.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Evaluation of the Labour, Education, Income and Tourism Programs
2010-2011 to 2012-2013

Executive Summary and Management Response and Action plan

December 2014

Executive summary
Management response and action plan

Executive Summary

This report presents the results of the evaluation of Statistics Canada's Labour, Education, Income and Tourism Programs (LEIT). It covers three fiscal years, from 2010-2011 to 2012-2013. The evaluation was undertaken by the Evaluation and Performance Measurement Division. The evaluation study was conducted over the period June 2013 to August 2014.

This report was approved by the Departmental Evaluation Committee and the Chief Statistician on December 17, 2014.

In accordance with the accountability requirements in the Treasury Board 2009 Policy on Evaluation and its Directive, this report is available to the public with the Executive Summary and Management Response and Action Plan being posted on the departmental website in both official languages. Statistics Canada also shared this report with its program delivery partners and key stakeholders, including the National Statistical Council.

Evaluation scope, purpose and methodology

This evaluation covers all four LEIT Programs with a particular focus on two programs: income statistics and tourism statistics. The programs were identified based on consultation with LEIT representatives during the planning phase, as well as additional planning criteria, such as the different constraints that the evaluation faced, and the complexity and the structure of LEIT.

In accordance with the Government of Canada's Policy on Evaluation, the purpose of the evaluation is to provide an evidence-based, neutral assessment of its value for money, and more specifically its relevance and performance. It addresses a number of questions related to the continued need for the programs, their alignment with government priorities, their consistency with federal roles and responsibilities, the achievement of their expected outcomes, and the extent to which they demonstrates efficiency and economy. It was included in the Departmental Risk-based Audit and Evaluation Plan for 2012/2013 to 2016/2017, which was approved by the Departmental Evaluation Committee in March, 2013.

Overall Conclusions about LEIT

The evaluation found, overall, that all four LEIT Programs are relevant. Each one responds to specific legislative obligations and/or international commitments, they provide important statistics about Canada on a national level, and their activities are consistent with the federal government's roles and responsibilities. Each of the four LEIT programs is important to Canada for different reasons, and there will continue to be a demand for national statistics in all four areas.

Even though some opportunities for improving performance were identified, LEIT's income, labour and education programs are achieving their intended outcomes in terms of accessibility, timeliness, accuracy, interpretability, and coherence of data. The quality of international tourism data is an issue due to low return rates to surveys, and domestic tourism statistics are at risk of losing cost-recovery partners. As a result, the sustainability of the Tourism Statistics Program is at risk.

The evaluation examined the efficiency and economy of the income and tourism components and found that steps have been taken to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Income Statistics Program (ISP)

Relevance

Statistical information produced by ISP responds to legislative and policy requirements for information to support, among others, the national macroeconomic accounts, the Consumer Price Index calculations, and calculations of provincial transfers. These are used by federal government and external stakeholders as a basis for research; policy development; design and assessment of programs; and to fulfill national and international commitments. ISP responds to the Government of Canada's needs by providing information on income, pensions, and wealth. Information on what Canadians earn, spend and save is used to inform policy development, and to conduct research on the social and economic conditions of families and individuals. No other organization provides income statistics of the same scope, level of detail, and quality as does Statistics Canada.

Given the importance of income statistics in social and economic policy-making and business decision-making, there will continue to be an interest in conducting research that uses income statistics. Demographic changes in the Canadian population, specifically the aging population will drive interest in certain types of data and analyses, for example, pensions. Economic cycles also create interest in certain types of data, for example, income distribution during recession and post-recession periods. In addition to those topics, there are several areas of future research interest, such as: growing income disparities, debt, and the economic performance of Canadian companies in global markets. All these factors support the conclusion that there is a strong continued need for ISP.

Performance (Achievement of Outcomes)

Overall, accessibility and timeliness are satisfactory among users. There may be opportunities to improve the timeliness of periodic/one-time surveys and accessibility issues related to Personal Income Tax data were noted. It should be noted that in 2013-14, the Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD) was placed in the Federal Research Data Centre as a pilot project to assess the feasibility of allowing access to RDC researchers. The LAD consists of a 20% longitudinal sample of Canadian tax filers and provides researchers and analysts with a tool for studying the changes in income experienced by individuals and their families. The pilot project is currently being evaluated and the next phase will be to extend the pilot to another RDC.

A strong majority of users are satisfied with the accuracy, coherence and interpretability of the program's statistical information. There are concerns raised by users. These relate to information on changes to methodologies and the loss of longitudinal surveys. These concerns could be addressed through more communication between ISP and certain of its product users.

Income statistics have been used extensively to inform debate, research and decision-making. Users, which include provinces and territories, non-government organizations, policy think tanks, financial institutions, researchers, and academics, use ISP information for research purposes. Examples of research include: income disparities (including gender disparities), poverty analyses, and determinants of personal income.

Performance (Efficiency and Economy)

ISP has increased the economy and efficiency of its operations. A number of initiatives have been undertaken to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

ISP continually investigates new data sources to support the program. Users indicated that these new directions should continue to be examined.

Tourism Statistics Program (TSP)

Relevance

Tourism is an important sector in supporting the Canadian economy, and tourism statistics contribute to several important travel market analyses and provide key information on this industry to the National Accounts. In 2010, tourism was responsible for $73.4 billion in revenues and represented approximately 2 percent of Canada's overall gross domestic product. It is a dynamic and complex sector, characterized by multiple modes of transportation, multiple points of entry, many geographical areas covered, many activities, and many users. Tourism data are important to users such as academics and businesses to conduct comparative analyses across Canadian jurisdictions and other travel destinations markets. The relevance of tourism statistics is reinforced by the fact that the TSP receives additional requests, on a cost-recovery basis.

While there are other sources of tourism statistics, their products would not meet all the needs of TSP users and, in particular, TSP's internal Statistics Canada users.

The complexity of tourism and the considerable economic impact of the tourism industry suggest that there will be a continued need for these statistics by a wide range of users, including the Government of Canada.

Performance (Achievement of Outcomes)

Accessibility of tourism data is satisfactory. Timeliness has been an issue, although improvements have been noted in this area. TSP's products are indeed contributing some level of knowledge.

Evaluation findings indicate that TPS has been challenged with data quality issues, primarily due to low return rates to its international travel survey. Funding reductions at one of TSP's primary clients in 2012 led to a significant reduction in the funding it provides to TSP. This revenue reduction led to a 50% reduction in sampling for the domestic tourism survey by TSP. As a consequence, the remaining funding partners for the domestic survey are now dissatisfied, which could lead to further funding withdrawals and further sampling reduction. Under the current resourcing model, if partners withdraw their funding, the TSP will no longer have the resources necessary to collect the national tourism data that it needs for the federal government's and Statistics Canada's purposes.

Performance (Efficiency and Economy)

There is evidence of efficient and economical elements within the program. The program has strived to increase economy by relying on other organizations to collect data. Funding received from cost-recovered activities also helps meet the needs of its internal users by funding the provision of data to internal clients. This approach demonstrates economy. However, it increases the risk to Statistics Canada, since TSP's ability to perform core activities depends on its success at finding external funding sources and meeting the needs of cost-recovery clients.

Labour Statistics Program (LSP)

Relevance

Data from the Labour Statistics Program are important sources of information for assessing the economic health of the nation. LSP data are important for organizations such as the Bank of Canada and programs such as Employment Insurance. These data are used to meet legal requirements and international obligations. LSP outputs are an important contributor to the federal government's statutory obligations and policy framework, and to Canada's ability to conduct economic analyses. Because of the government's and country's need for high quality statistics in these topic areas, LSP's involvement in producing these data is fully consistent with federal roles and responsibilities. There will continue to be a demand for labour statistics on the part of governments, the private sector, academia, the not-for-profit sector, and Canadians interested in the economy. Continued interest in the state of the nation's economic health and the high rate of use of LSP data indicate that LSP's products will continue to make an important contribution.

Performance (Achievement of Outcomes)

LSP is achieving its outcomes. Labour statistics were considered to be accessible and timely. The quality of labour statistics data is high. A large majority of users are satisfied with the accuracy, interpretability and coherence of the data. LSP statistics are used to inform debate, research, and decision-making. Its information has been and continues to be used for purposes as varied as economic monitoring and forecasting, program delivery and monitoring, wage settlement, contract escalation, as well as to inform the general public.

Education Statistics Program (ESP)

Relevance

ESP provides information related to education, training and learning as well as a number of national indicators and some internationally comparable pan-Canadian education indicators. It also provides information that contributes to other Statistics Canada programs and fulfils international obligations. ESP plays a key role by aggregating and harmonizing information, thereby making inter-jurisdictional and international comparisons possible. Internationally, organization like the OECD and United Nations Statistics Division rely on data produced by ESP. Given the importance of education internationally, the demand for information on education statistics is expected to continue. Also, factors such as low population growth, an aging labour force, and rising demand for skilled workers will likely drive continued research into educational matters, furthering the demand for these statistics.

Performance (Achievement of Outcomes)

Users are satisfied to a large extent with the accessibility and timeliness of Education Statistics Program data. They are also satisfied with the accuracy, interpretability and coherence of the data. ESP data are useful to a range of organizations domestically and internationally. Thousands of pages on the Web and documents in scientific literature have cited ESP products.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1 (Income Statistics Program):

The Income Statistics Program should increase its communication with certain of its user groups, to address concerns related to information on changes to methodologies and quality of some data, and resolve issues to the extent possible. This communication could be achieved using existing committee structures, memoranda of understanding, service-level agreements, and other suitable mechanisms.

Recommendation 2 (Tourism Statistics Program):

In light of a low response rate for the International Travel Survey, the program should address issues related to methodologies and collection approaches to the Travel Statistics Program.
Considering the relative importance of cost recovery revenues for the Tourism Statistics Program, it is important to ensure that a reduction in cost recovery does not prevent the program from producing the statistics needed by Statistics Canada. LEIT management should develop a contingency plan for action if it were to lose a significant volume of revenue-generating clients. The plan could include steps such as the reallocation of resources and working with internal clients to prioritize the statistical inputs required to support Statistics Canada programs.

Management Response and Action Plan

Recommendation 1

Focus: Income Statistics Program:

The Income Statistics Program should increase its communication with certain of its main user groups, to address concerns related to information on changes to methodologies and quality of some data, and resolve issues to the extent possible. This communication could be achieved using existing committee structures, memoranda of understanding, service-level agreements, and other suitable mechanisms.

Statement of Agreement / Disagreement

Management agrees with the proposed recommendation.

Management Response

Work is currently underway to consult more widely with user groups for particular surveys for which ISD is responsible. For example, a steering committee for key Statistics Canada users of the Survey of Household Spending (SHS) has been established and meets approximately every 3 to 4 months to discuss SHS survey results and design questions. In addition, a number of bi-lateral meetings have taken place with key internal SHS stakeholders to discuss and prioritize changes to the survey design. Further, external consultations have also taken place with key external SHS users to discuss the SHS design (e.g., Finance Canada, Bank of Canada (upcoming), System of National Accounts and Consumer Price Index external advisory committees (upcoming)), and will continue in the future.

For other surveys within ISD, steering committees (e.g., for the Longitudinal and International Study of Adults), as well as other forms of communication with clients, stakeholders and key users will continue as required. Should a major survey redesign be undertaken, a consultation process, where applicable, will be conducted.

Table 1 Recomendation 1
Timeline	Deliverable(s)	Responsible Party
September 2015	A review of the ISP steering committee structure/survey consultation process (both internal and external) will be conducted in 2015 to ensure the proper governance mechanisms are in place for the division.	Director General, ELISB Director, Income Statistics Division

Recommendation 2

Focus: Tourism Statistics Program:

In light of a low response rate for the International Travel Survey, the program should address issues related to methodologies and collection approaches to the Travel Statistics Program.
Considering the relative importance of cost recovery revenues for the Tourism Statistics Program, it is important to ensure that a reduction in cost recovery does not prevent the program from producing the statistics needed by Statistics Canada. LEIT management should develop a contingency plan for action if it were to lose a significant volume of revenue-generating clients. The plan could include steps such as the reallocation of resources and working with internal clients to prioritize the statistical inputs required to support Statistics Canada programs.

Statement of Agreement / Disagreement

Management agrees with the proposed recommendation.

Management Response

Various initiatives have been initiated in 2014-2015 to mitigate risks associated with the potential loss of additional funding partners, but also to seek out alternative methodologies and collection approaches to the Travel Statistics Program.

Three-year funding was received from Statistics Canada's planning process to examine alternate collection approaches to tourism statistics including identification of key data needs for internal purposes and feasibility of merging survey tools for international and domestic travel by Canadians.
The process flow for the capture and processing of border clearance cards (E-311) from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) is being examined to identify opportunities for streamlining in partnership with CBSA.
The process flow of the monthly frontier counts component for the International Travel Program is being examined to identify potential automation.

Table 2 Recomendation 2
Timeline	Deliverable(s)	Responsible Party
June 2015	Feasibility study for the merging of the International Travel Survey (ITS - Canadian travellers) and the Travel Survey of Residents to Canada (TSRC)	Director General – ELISB / Director TCESD / Chief, Tourism Statistics Program
August 2015	New contract for the capture and processing of the border clearance cards taking into account revised requirements	Director General – ELISB / Director TCESD/ Chief, Tourism Statistics Program in collaboration with CBSA and Services Canada
April 2017	Collection and processing tools development of the new combined survey completed Automation of the monthly frontier counts process	Director General – ELISB / Director TCESD/ Chief, Tourism Statistics Program
December 2017	Testing of the new household tourism survey completed including a 3-month field test	Director General – ELISB / Director TCESD/ Chief, Tourism Statistics Program

The full report is available upon request. Please contact: AEB-Professional-Practices@statcan.gc.ca

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Date modified:: 2024-11-29

2013 - Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)

Archived information

Product name

Survey of Service Industries

Table of contents

Section 1 — Facility Profile As Of Noon April 16, 2014

Facility:

Area:

Services:

Accessibility:

Male Youth:

Section 2 — Resident Profile As Of Noon On April 16, 2014

Characteristics:

Relationship to abuser:

Involvement of the criminal justice system in the most recent abusive situation:

Section 3 – Departures and Turn-aways: Midnight To Noon On April 16, 2014

Departures (Refer to Guidebook for definitions)

Turn-aways:

Section 4 — Services for Non-residents and Ex-residents

Section 5 — Annual Information

B. Adult Males:

C. Physical repairs or improvements:

Section 6 – Revenues and Expenditures

Section 7 – Issues and Challenges

Interdepartmental Agreements

Questionnaire completed by:

Comments

The Ontario Social Assistance Database (OSAD)

Description

Subjects

Mitigation of Risk to Respondents of Statistics Canada’s Surveys

Statutory Protection:

Consent:

Measures to protect the identity of respondents:

Data collection and nature of data files available for access:

Procedures to access data:

Physical protection of data:

Control of released results:

The Integrated Business Statistics Program

Statistics Canada

What are some of the more significant changes?

Does this impact the comparability of data through time?

Who will use the new IBSP estimates?

Release Schedule

Further Information

The Integrated Business Statistics Program

Statistics Canada

What are some of the more significant changes?

Does this impact the comparability of data through time?

Who will use the new IBSP estimates?

Release Schedule

Further Information

Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics

Archived information

Consultation objectives

How to get involved

Results

Stakeholder Consultations:Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics

Background

Discussion Questions

Appendix 1: Manufacturing Statistics Key Variables and Industries

Appendix 2: Wholesale Statistics Key Variables and Industries

Appendix 3: List of surveys and corresponding CANSIM data tables

Evaluation of the Demography, Aboriginal and Other Social Statistics Program2010-2011 to 2012-2013

Executive Summary and Management Response and Action plan

Executive Summary

Evaluation scope, purpose and methodology

Demography, Aboriginal and Other Social Statistics (DAOSS) Program

Relevance

Performance (efficiency and economy)

Population Estimates and Projections

Effectiveness

Efficiency

General Social Survey (GSS)

Effectiveness

Efficiency

Aboriginal Statistics component

Effectiveness

Efficiency

Recommendations

Stakeholder Consultations:
Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Statistics

Evaluation of the Demography, Aboriginal and Other Social Statistics Program
2010-2011 to 2012-2013

Evaluation of the Labour, Education, Income and Tourism Programs
2010-2011 to 2012-2013