Introduction

In Canada, the Constitution Act of 1867 and the Statistics Act of 1971 provide the legal mandate for the conduct of a census every five years. The census has historically been the only comprehensive source of benchmark information available at the national, provincial and local level. It provides a snapshot of the population: its size and geographic distribution and selected demographic characteristics. The data produced are used widely by all levels of government for policy planning and program administration. Many statutes and regulations refer to the Census of Population as a basis for the administration of their programs. The Census is essential in anchoring population estimates that govern the annual allocation of billions of dollars in health and social transfers and equalization payments to provinces and territories (approximately $60 billion in fiscal year 2009-2010), as well as in determining electoral boundaries for democratic representation and reform, and other federal legislative needs. Census data are also often used by the private sector to make critical business decisions and by Canadians in general in understanding the demographic makeup of their communities and their society in general.

Historically, the Census has collected “basic” data to permit the re-calibration of population estimates, and more “comprehensive” data to provide information on a range of socio-economic characteristics such as income, education, labour, disability, mobility and housing. The basic demographic data have been collected from all households in Canada and the more comprehensive set of data from only 20% of households.

Pursuant to Cabinet decisions in June of 2010, Statistics Canada will conduct the National Household Survey to collect the data that had been proposed to form the comprehensive portion of the 2011 Census. The survey will be collected on a voluntary basis with a sample size of approximately 33% of households in Canada as compared to 20% of households previously planned. The 2011 “short-form” Census will now be distributed to all households, as compared to 80% of households in previous censuses.

Objectives

In 2009, a privacy impact assessment for the 2011 Census of Population was conducted focusing on the areas where a modification of procedures was adopted as compared to the 2006 Census. These modifications consist of the wave methodology for collection, the increased use of the internet response channel, the use of telephone broadcast messaging for non-responding dwellings, the automated questionnaire request system, the use of a Census Field Management System, as well as the reduced contracted services for systems development. This assessment addressed any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the modifications, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

There has been a revised privacy impact assessment that updates any changes that have taken place since the earlier assessment and that incorporates issues specific to the National Household Survey.

Conclusion

This new assessment of the 2011 Census of Population and National Household Survey did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

• Economic Impacts Analysis of Public Research and Development Performers and Programs in Canada
• Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study, 1972 to 2009
• Origins of International Child and Spousal Support Cases Enrolled in Canadian Maintenance Enforcement Programs, 2005-2006 to 2009-2010
• 2011 Census of Agriculture to 2011 National Household Survey linkage
• Creation of a Client File and separate Key Registry: Amendment to Linkage for Purposes of the Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data Initiative

Economic Impacts Analysis of Public Research and Development Performers and Programs in Canada

Purpose: To measure the socio-economic impact of National Research Council (NRC) science and technology (S&T) programs on participating firms. Changes over time in the employment, research and development expenditures, export patterns and other performance indicators of NRC program participants will be compared to those of a sample of similar firms who were not program participants, in order to evaluate the impact of NRC S&T programs.

Description: The NRC S&T client list will include firms that participated in these programs from 2001 to 2006 inclusively. Statistics Canada will link, at the enterprise level, the Business Register (BR), the Longitudinal Employment Analysis Program (LEAP), the Research and Development in Canadian Industry (RDCI) Survey, the Exporter Register and the General Index of Financial Information (GIFI) (tax) databases for reference years 2000 to 2006, to the S&T program participant file provided by NRC. The names and addresses of enterprises that were NRC S&T program participants will be used as key identifiers. A cohort of non-participating firms with similar characteristics to the NRC client firms will be selected for comparative analysis from the linked Statistics Canada files.

The linkage and analysis will be conducted in Statistics Canada’s offices. The linked files will not be available outside Statistics Canada.

Output: Only aggregate tabular statistics and modeled econometric outputs that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The linked analysis database and linkage key file will be retained for at least five years, that is, until December 31, 2014, to support on-going analysis; once the file is no longer required, it will be destroyed. Access to the linked analysis database and linkage key file will be restricted to Statistics Canada employees whose work activities require such access.

Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study, 1972 to 2009

Purpose: To measure cancer and mortality risks of current and former Canadian Forces (CF) members related to their occupational exposures. This information will assist the Department of National Defence (DND) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) to develop and enhance:

• DND health promotion and health protection policies and programs for serving personnel;
• decision-making processes used to assess eligibility for access to VAC service programs and benefits; and
• services to care for veterans and their families after members leave military service.

The Canadian Forces (CF) is tasked with protecting Canada and its citizens from threats to security. CF members may be involved in combat, peace-keeping and observer missions, post-conflict peace building and humanitarian assistance. The very nature of these operations can pose unusual and uncommon exposures with known and unknown risks to CF personnel. Adverse outcomes, including death, may be immediate or delayed. In order to identify risks, DND and VAC must be able to conduct on-going analysis and interpretation of health information for CF personnel during and after their military service period.

DND and VAC do not have access to complete information on mortality and cancer outcomes of serving and retired CF personnel. Statistics Canada will undertake the Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study to address these health information gaps.

Description: DND will provide Statistics Canada with a list of approximately 312,500 personnel who enrolled on or after January 1, 1972 and have served or are still serving with the Canadian Forces at any point in the period from January 1, 1972 to December 31, 2009.

The records of this CF cohort will be linked to the following files maintained by Statistics Canada: the 1984 to 2010 Tax Summary Files, the 1972 to 2007 Canadian Mortality Database (CMDB), and to the 1969 to 2009 Canadian Cancer Database. Linkage to the Tax Summary Files will assist in the record linkage, the manual resolution of doubtful links, and to verify the total number in the cohort who are found alive at the end of the study period and not lost to follow up: these files contain no income data.

A random Statistics Canada-generated unique identifier will be attached to each record in the CF cohort, as well as to each record in the output file generated by the mortality linkage, and the output file generated from the cancer linkage. In addition, Statistics Canada will attach the unique identifier to each record in a DND cohort work history file and a VAC client administrative database file. This will enable linkage of the output files with the DND and VAC files by Statistics Canada, DND or VAC.

Output: Only aggregate tabular statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada will publish a report on specific mortality trends and a description of the linkage process.

DND and/or VAC will be provided with a copy of the mortality and cancer analysis files, without names or other direct personal identifiers, with the consent of the provincial and territorial vital statistics and cancer registrars, and subject to the discretion of the Chief Statistician. The files, which will be linkable to DND’s work history file and to VAC’s client administrative database file, are to be used for statistical and research purposes only, under the terms of an agreement each department will sign with Statistics Canada.

The linked analysis files and linkage key files will be retained by Statistics Canada for at least 15 years, that is, until December 2025, or until they are no longer required, at which point they will be destroyed. DND and/or VAC will retain the linked analysis files indefinitely. Access to the linkage key files will be restricted to Statistics Canada employees whose work activities require access.

Origins of International Child and Spousal Support Cases Enrolled in Canadian Maintenance Enforcement Programs, 2005-2006 to 2009-2010

Purpose: To enable federal government policy analysts and provincial and territorial Maintenance Enforcement Programs to better understand the origins of child and spousal support cases involving international jurisdictions. This will allow them to prepare their responses to possible impacts on their workload of the adoption of the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. The Hague Convention was developed to overcome many of the obstacles to recovering support owed, where members of a family are located in different countries. Implementation of the Hague Convention by the provinces and territories may increase the number of international inter-jurisdictional support cases, and this information request will help address this question.

Description: Records from the Survey of Maintenance Enforcement Programs (SMEP) over a period from 2005-2006 to 2009-2010 pertaining to the same maintenance enforcement case will be linked. The linked case records will permit analysis of the origins of cases involving international child support agencies.

Output: Only aggregate tabular statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The linked analysis file will be retained until September 2011 to support on-going analysis; once the file is no longer required, it will be destroyed. Access to the linked analysis file will be restricted to Statistics Canada employees whose work activities require such access.

2011 Census of Agriculture to 2011 National Household Survey linkage

Purpose: Linkage of the 2011 Census of Agriculture to the 2011 National Household Survey will provide a great depth of socio-economic information on farm operators, their families and their households, without increasing respondent burden.

Description: The Census of Agriculture was linked to the Census of Population for the Census years 1971, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006, to produce a database of socio-economic characteristics of farm operators and their families and households. The Censuses of Agriculture were linked to both the short form and the long form of the Censuses of Population.

The information previously collected by the long-form census questionnaire will be collected as part of the new voluntary 2011 National Household Survey, to be conducted shortly after the May 2011 Census of Population. Linkage of the 2011 Census of Agriculture and the 2011 National Household Survey will produce a database of socio-economic information on farm operators and their families.

Output: Only aggregate statistical estimates that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Outputs will include research or technical papers on the linkage. The 2011 Census of Agriculture to 2011 National Household Survey linked analysis database will be used to produce estimates for dissemination as part of the product line from the 2011 Census of Agriculture.

The linked analysis database will be retained indefinitely. For the 2011 linkage, the linking key files will be retained until at least May 2018, or until no longer required, at which time they will be destroyed. All files will be password protected and kept on a server in a secure area. Access to the linking keys and linked analysis database is restricted to Statistics Canada employees whose work activities require such access.

Creation of a Client File and separate Key Registry: Amendment to Linkage for Purposes of the Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data Initiative

Purpose: The Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data (LHAD) Initiative is a partnership among provincial and territorial ministries of health and Statistics Canada, as well as the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Council of Cancer Registries and the Vital Statistics Council for Canada. The Initiative provides a collaborative framework for health research in Canada to help address important information gaps on the health of Canadians and their health-care utilisation and long term health outcomes, through analysis of combined administrative and population health survey data. Linkage of these datasets will allow pan-Canadian and comparative analyses across provinces and territories, and advance understanding of relationships among risk factors, socio-economic characteristics, health status measures and health care utilization.

A Client File and separate Key Registry will be created to reduce privacy risks and to improve the efficiency and quality of the linkages.

Description:The Client File will be created by linking the information on individuals within provincial and territorial health insurance client registries, supplied to Statistics Canada under LHAD Initiative agreements. The Client File will be linked over time, starting from 1992 onwards and updated annually, for each province and territory. No linkages across jurisdictions will be done to create an unduplicated national registry.

The Client File will store the following personal information: name, address, gender, date of birth, health insurance number and a Statistics Canada-generated sequential identification number for each individual identified through the annual Client File linkage process.

Linkage of the Client File to administrative and survey databases held by Statistics Canada will be performed in a dedicated health record linkage data environment (the "LHAD environment"). Each individual within these databases will have a Statistics Canada-generated sequential identification number assigned. To ensure a high level of data security and privacy, the associations of Statistics Canada-generated identification numbers from the Client File and the administrative and survey databases will be stored in a separate Key Registry, thus avoiding the need to store survey data with personal identifiers. As such, the identification numbers will have no meaning outside of the LHAD environment, and will not be kept on the original databases held by Statistics Canada. For analytical studies, the number will be used, in combination with Record Identifiers, to link an individual’s records within and among the databases in the LHAD environment. All such analytical studies will require prior linkage approval from Statistics Canada’s Policy Committee. Only Statistics Canada employees whose work duties require it will have access to the Key Registry.

The Key Registry will contain linkage keys to permit linkage for approved studies to the following datasets:

• Clinical administrative databases (inpatient and outpatient hospital records, 1992 onward);
• Prescription drug databases (1992 onward);
• Birth and death databases;
• Canadian Cancer Registry;
• Canadian Community Health Survey (all cycles);
• National Population Health Survey;
• Canadian Health Measures Survey (all cycles);
• Sample portion of Census of Population (1991 onward);
• National Household Survey (2011 onward);
• Longitudinal Immigration Database;
• Summary Tax File;
• T1 Family File.

Output: No information from the Client File will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The Client File and Key Registry will be used exclusively to support linkage activities within the LHAD environment. Statistics Canada will retain the Client File and Key Registry files until it is determined that there is no further need for them.

Research projects will be approved on a study-by-study basis. These may be carried out as part of an annual research agenda established by the provincial and territorial ministries of health, through the LHAD Initiative, or may be projects initiated by Statistics Canada or its clients. A summary of each approved study will be posted on the Statistics Canada web site.

LHAD has been registered with the Treasury Board of Canada as an institution-specific Personal Information Bank, Health Research (STC PPU 076).

Use of Pre-trial Detention (Remand) in Canada and Its Impact on the Correctional System: Linkage of the Integrated Criminal Court Survey and the Integrated Correctional Services Survey, 1991-1992 to 2005-2006
Access and Support to Education and Training Survey: Linkage of Parent to Youth Information
Canada Student Loans Program Linkage to the Longitudinal Administrative Database (CSLP-LAD)—Amendment to 2001 to 2003 Update
Ontario Uranium Miners Cohort Mortality and Cancer Incidence Study
Imperial Oil Limited Worker Health Study: Extension to Cohort and Mortality (1964 to 2007) and Cancer Incidence (1969 to 2007) Linkages
Understanding the Individual and Socio-environmental Health Risks of Obesity – Amendments to the Canada Heart Health Surveys Follow-up Study
Survey on Financing of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SFSME): Linkage to Business Tax (T1 and T2), Employment and Earnings (PD-7) Data
Study of the Effectiveness and Interaction of the Canada Student Loan Program and the Canada Education Savings Program
Using Information from the Canadian Community Health Survey Program for Purposes of Other Surveys
Longitudinal Worker File: Linkage of Additional Personal Tax Variables
Creation of a Key Registry for Purposes of the Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data Initiative
Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database: Linkage to Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database
Study of the Financial Performance of the Fishing Industry in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, 2007
National Breast Screening Study: Fourth and Final Mortality and Cancer Follow-up
Studies and Ongoing Monitoring of Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Aluminum Smelter Workers in Quebec: The Rio Tinto Alcan (Quebec) Mortality Study (2000-2004 Update)
Entry to, and Persistence in, Post-secondary Education by Young Canadians: Linkage of the Post-secondary Student Information System (Atlantic Provinces) and the Longitudinal Administrative Database
Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle and Health: Linkage to the Canadian Mortality Database (1992 to 2008) and the Canadian Cancer Database (1969 to 2008) for a Prospective Study of Outcomes of Dietary Intake and Lifestyle Factors
Linkage of the Workplace and Employee Survey to the Annual Survey of Manufactures and Logging, 1990 to 2006
Long-Term Income and Employment among Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Linkage of the British Columbia Cancer Registry and the T1 Family File
Population Health Risk Tools: Linkage of 1996-1997 National Population Health Survey to Hospitalization and Mortality Data
Air Pollution Study: Linkage of 1991 Census of Population, Canadian Mortality Database and Canadian Cancer Database Follow-Up Study
Stirling County Study: Mortality Update, 1993 to 2011
Study of Doctoral Graduates: Linkage of the National Graduates Survey and the Survey of Earned Doctorates
Military to Civilian Transition Outcomes Study of Canadian Forces Members: Linkage of Cohort to Tax and Superannuation Information

Use of Pre-trial Detention (Remand) in Canada and Its Impact on the Correctional System: Linkage of the Integrated Criminal Court Survey and the  Integrated Correctional Services Survey, 1991-1992 to 2005-2006

Purpose: To provide information and analysis that will enable policy- and decision-makers to better understand and respond to reasons for the increase in the use of remand. Remand is the detention of a suspect while he/she awaits trial or sentencing. Recent analyses indicate that all provinces and territories have experienced an increase in the number of individuals in remand. This study will identify factors associated with the increased use of remand and will examine the impact of remand use on sentencing and the delivery of provincial/territorial adult correctional services. Information on the use and impact of remand has been identified as a priority by the National Justice Statistics Initiative.

Description: Records from the Integrated Correctional Services Survey (ICSS) for individuals who began or completed a period in custody or were under community supervision in fiscal years 1999-2000 to 2005-2006 will be linked to records from the Integrated Criminal Court Survey (ICCS) for the same individuals who had a completed criminal court case in fiscal years 1991-1992 to 2005-2006. The linked data will be analysed to provide insight into the increased use of remand in Canada and its impact on sentencing and on the operations of correctional services. Although the linked corrections and courts survey data will not be nationally representative, the linked file will contain data from five provinces which represent approximately half of the population of Canada and will provide sufficient information to examine the factors influencing the use of remand. These files will be linked using jurisdiction, sex and date of birth of the accused, Russell Soundex (encrypted code derived from the individual’s name), jurisdictional person identification number, offence type and date, date of sentencing, date of involvement and fingerprint (FPS) number.

Output: Only aggregate data and analysis conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The results of the analysis will be released through the Daily and published in a Justice Research series report scheduled to be released in winter 2010. The report will include a technical description of the record linkage methodology and analysis. The linked file will be retained until June 30, 2011, at which time it will  be destroyed.

Access and Support to Education and Training Survey: Linkage of Parent to Youth Information

Purpose: To permit the broad range of analyses envisioned by the survey developers, it is necessary to link information collected from different persons.

The Access and Support to Education and Training Survey (ASETS) is a new survey conducted in 2008. It collected information on how parents prepare for their children’s post-secondary education (PSE), the role of student loans and other financial assistance in access to PSE, and adult participation in education and training. ASETS replaces three previous surveys on education, last conducted in 2002 and 2003. Bringing together these surveys realizes economies of scale in survey management, development, implementation, data dissemination, and expands the analytical potential of each of the surveys it replaces.

Experience from previous surveys shows that young adult respondents are often unable to describe in detail the preparedness and planning that took place to support their PSE; a parent (guardian) is the best source of such data. Such information is critical in understanding the financial needs of young adults seeking PSE, and in evaluating the effectiveness of the existing government educational savings programs designed to facilitate access and persistence in PSE.

Survey data from each respondent age 18 to 24 (young adults) will be linked with data collected from a parent (or guardian) identified by the young adult as most suited to provide information on various types of savings or contributions and to describe the financial plans made to finance the young adult’s PSE.

Description: All respondents were contacted by telephone. After having answered the relevant questions, respondents age 18 to 24 (young adults) were asked permission to contact a parent or guardian, who would answer questions on financial planning for the PSE of the young adult. Once this permission was obtained, the young adult was asked permission to link their data to the data that would be provided by his or her parent or guardian, and to share this linked information with Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). The parent or guardian was also asked for permission to link their answers to the data provided by the young adult and subsequently to share this linked data with HRSDC. Only cases where both parties agreed to link and to share will be included on the share file.

Output: All information released outside of Statistics Canada will conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. The data resulting from the linkage will be retained indefinitely by Statistics Canada. This data file will have all personal identifiers removed.

There is a data-sharing agreement with HRSDC; the survey microdata file provided to this organization will contain information, without identifiers, only for those respondents and parents/guardians who agreed to link and to share their survey data. Microdata files provided to HRSDC will be kept indefinitely by that department.

Canada Student Loans Program Linkage to the Longitudinal Administrative Database (CSLP-LAD)—Amendment to 2001 to 2003 Update

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of the CSLP in removing financial barriers to postsecondary education (PSE) and, in handling loan repayment difficulties faced by Canadian students. In 2000, the Government of Canada adopted a new regime through which it issues loans directly to students, receives the repayment of these loans, and manages issues related to repayment difficulties and loan defaults. The updated linkage will be used for several research projects, including a comprehensive evaluation of the debt management measures arising from the new regime; an examination of certain important and vulnerable sub-populations of borrowers, including drop-outs, and; an analysis of differences in access to postsecondary education experienced by students from rural versus urban backgrounds. Results from the updated linkage may contribute to the improvement of the CSLP in terms of facilitating PSE enrolment and retention of students, ensuring equity of access, and reducing financial stress during post-graduation transition. 

Description: The original linkage involved matching the 20% Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD) for the years 1982 to 2000 with the administrative records from the CSLP for the years 1991 to 2000. The updated linkage will add three new years (2001-2003) to the CSLP data and delete the three earliest years (1982-1984) of LAD data. Specifically, 1985-2003 LAD data will be linked to 1991-2003 CSLP data. The CSLP data provide detailed information on those who receive student loans and the linkage to the LAD provides information on family income and other characteristics. Only the matched records, stripped of identifiers, are retained on the linked analysis file

Output: Only aggregate data and results of multivariate regression analysis, conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act, will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The availability of the updated linked file will be announced in The Daily.  Analytical results will be submitted for publication in the Centre for Education Statistics Research Paper Series and other peer-reviewed journals. The updated linked file will be retained until February 2011, after which it will be destroyed.

Ontario Uranium Miners Cohort Mortality and Cancer Incidence Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide additional insight into radon-induced cancers and other causes of death, which may lead to the development of practices and procedures to reduce such incidences. To achieve this objective, the researchers will: 1) investigate the mortality and cancer incidence among uranium miners compared to the Canadian and Ontario population; 2) investigate the dose-response relationship of radioactive radon decay products to health outcomes taking into account exposure and occupational factors; 3) identify associations between two forms of ionizing radiation found in the uranium mines, radon decay products and gamma radiation, to cancer incidence and mortality; and 4) determine the relationship between gamma ray dose and mortality and cancer incidence. Similar studies have been conducted in the past. The additional years of data provided by this follow-up study will allow increased precision of risk estimates. 

Description: The Ontario Uranium Miners Cohort, consisting of approximately 30,000 past employees who worked as uranium miners in Ontario for at least one week from 1954 to 2004, will be linked to the 1984 to 2008 historic tax summary file, which does not contain income data. The linkage is carried out to assist in the evaluation of the death search by determining the status of the individuals (dead, alive or emigrated) at the end of the study period. The next stages of the linkage process will add mortality data from the 1954 to 2007 Canadian Mortality Data Base and cancer incidence data from the 1969 to 2007 Canadian Cancer Data Base, through probabilistic record linkage methods.

Output: Mortality and cancer analysis files linkable to the work history file of the study cohort, without names and personal identifiers, will be disclosed to Cancer Care Ontario, with the consent of the provincial and territorial Vital Statistics and Cancer Registrars and at the discretion of the Chief Statistician.  Study findings will be communicated to the public through a communication strategy by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and will include community outreach programs and publication of results in peer-reviewed scientific journals. All published information will be in the form of aggregate data conforming with the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. The analysis files, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada until December 31, 2018. The linking keys will be retained for an additional five years, to December 2023, to allow additional time for a possible future repeat of the study. If no such study is planned at the end of the retention period, the linking keys will be destroyed.

Imperial Oil Limited Worker Health Study: Extension to Cohort and Mortality (1964 to 2007) and Cancer Incidence (1969 to 2007) Linkages

Purpose: To evaluate the occupational health risks of workers in the petroleum industry, which may lead to the development of new or modified practices and procedures. This study will investigate the mortality and cancer incidence risks associated with the processes and chemicals used in the petroleum industry. As compared to similar previous studies, the longer follow-up period for this study will increase the statistical certainty of the results. The data from this study will be used to establish whether occupational exposures have adversely affected the health of employees. Results of the study will be shared with employees, unions and health and safety committees.
 
The study will also pool data for leukaemia, its subtypes and myeloid disease cases with an international cohort of petroleum workers to allow for an investigation of the dose-response relationship of benzene to those illnesses. The findings from this study will inform corporations as well as regulators responsible for setting safety standards for benzene exposure.

Description: The cohort of approximately 30,000 active and retired employees who were first hired between January 1, 1964 and December 31, 2004 will be linked to the 1984 to 2008 historic tax summary file. This file does not contain income data. The linkage is carried out to assist in the evaluation of the death search by determining the status of the individuals (dead, alive or unknown) at the end of the study period. The next stages of the linkage process will add, through probabilistic record linkage methods, mortality data from the 1964 to 2007 Canadian Mortality Data Base and cancer incidence data from the 1969 to 2007 Canadian Cancer Data Base.

Output:  Mortality and cancer analysis files linkable to the work history file of the study cohort, without names and identifiers, will be disclosed to Exxon Mobil Biomedical Sciences Inc., with the consent of the provincial and territorial Vital Statistics and Cancer Registrars and at the discretion of the Chief Statistician. The aggregate study findings will be shared with management and employees at Imperial Oil Ltd. and published in reports and scholarly journals.

All published information and reports will be in the form of aggregate statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act. The analysis files, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada until December 2018, at which time they will be destroyed. The linking keys will be retained for an additional five years, to December 2023, at which time they will be destroyed.

Understanding the Individual and Socio-environmental Health Risks of Obesity – Amendments to the Canada Heart Health Surveys Follow-up Study

Purpose:  By learning more about the links between obesity on the one hand, and mortality on the other, the results produced by the study will guide policies and recommend practices aimed at reducing obesity among Canadians. Compared with similar studies, this one will examine whether other chronic disease risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol levels, an individual’s income and education, and community-level measures have any effects on the impact of obesity.

Findings from the study will provide information for possible strategies designed to create environments that bolster healthy weights for Canadians. The findings from this study will provide support for organizations, such as the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, to reduce overweight and obesity rates in Canada by informing current guidelines on obesity screening, prevention and management and the development of targeted healthy lifestyle strategies and policies.

To date, much of the current information available on the relationships between obesity, other chronic disease risk factors and mortality has been generated by studies conducted in Europe and the United States which may not apply to the Canadian context given its unique characteristics such as universal access to health care, very high ethnic diversity and a comparatively high prevalence of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Given the current magnitude of obesity prevalence in Canada and the toll it places on public health, there is a need for cohesive multi-disciplinary groups dedicated to the study of obesity at the population level. The data from this study will be used to provide interdisciplinary training to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to help build the Canadian capacity to undertake obesity studies of a complex nature.

Description: The cohort for this study originates from six of the provinces that took part in the Canada Heart Health Surveys from 1982 to 1995. These surveys have provided for the creation of a national cross-sectional database with detailed information on heart health awareness, lifestyle, risk factors, demographic and anthropometric information such as height and weight, as well as waist and hip circumferences. The cohort will be linked to the 1986 to 2004 Canadian Mortality Database. Tax summary file records (1986 to 2005) will assist in the mortality linkage and to verify the total number of individuals who are lost to the study.

Output: A copy of the mortality analysis files, without names or personal identifiers, will be released to members of the Canada Heart Health Surveys Follow-up team, with the consent of the provincial and territorial vital statistics registrars. The data will be securely held at the following universities: University of Saskatchewan, McMaster University, University of Alberta, Simon Fraser University, McGill University and Dalhousie University.  As well, one of the investigators, formerly at Queen’s University and now at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in the United States, will securely hold a copy of the data. All members of the team who receive a copy of the file will sign an agreement with Statistics Canada that they will undertake the necessary steps to protect the confidentiality of the individual data by keeping all confidential information under secure locked storage, accessible on a need to know basis by qualified researchers who pledge not to identify any individual person in any report of the research project or otherwise disclose such confidential information in any other manner and only for the duration of the research activity. The study findings will be published in reports and scholarly journals and will be shared with national associations concerned with the study’s health issues. Presentations will also be made at national and international conferences.

The mortality analysis file, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada for a period of seven years, that is, until June 2014, at which time it will be destroyed. Similarly, the Canadian Heart Health Surveys Follow-up team will destroy their copies of the analysis file at the same time.

Survey on Financing of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SFSME): Linkage to Business Tax (T1 and T2), Employment and Earnings (PD-7) Data

Purpose: To improve data completeness and quality by augmenting directly-collected financial data with linkage to business tax, employment and earnings data. Parliament mandated Statistics Canada, Industry Canada and the Department of Finance to establish a comprehensive data collection and analysis effort to improve the quantity and quality of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing. The goal of this program is to report on the state of financing for Canadian SMEs.

To achieve this goal, Statistics Canada surveys SMEs directly to collect information on their borrowing activity and their financial statements (Income Statement and Balance Sheet). To augment business financial data collected from SMEs, financial statement information in business tax, employment and earnings records will be obtained from Canada Revenue Agency for survey respondents, and linked to their SFSME data. A longitudinal data series will be constructed covering a 13-year period for every SFSME respondent.

Description: Survey data for respondents to the SFSME conducted in 2000 (linked from 1995 to 2007), 2001 (linked from 1996 to 2008), 2004 (linked from 1999 to 2011) and 2007 (linked from 2002 to 2014), and for each future survey reference year will be linked to employment and earnings (PD-7) as well as tax records of incorporated businesses (T2) for approximately 26,000 respondents, and to employment and earnings (PD-7) and tax records of unincorporated businesses (T1-business filers) for approximately 16,500 respondents.   

Business tax, employment and earnings data will be linked to SFSME data for each survey cycle (from 2000 onward) for each responding business. The scope of the linkage will be a 13-year period around each survey reference year, from five years before and including the survey reference year, to seven years after. For example, for the SFSME 2000, business sales, gross income/loss and net profit/loss will be obtained from tax data by linking to 1995 to 2000 tax records.  All other business financial variables (Balance Sheet and Income Statement items) will be obtained by linkage to the 2000 to 2007 tax records. Thus, for an individual business that responded to the 2000 SFSME, tax records for the 13-year period from 1995 to 2007 inclusive will be linked. The same linkage will be conducted for all past and future SFSME survey cycles.

The linkage and analysis will be conducted in Statistics Canada’s offices. The linked files will not be available outside of Statistics Canada.

Output: Only aggregate information conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada, namely to Industry Canada and the Department of Finance. A Comprehensive Review Report of the Canada Small Business Financing Program, administered by Industry Canada, will be tabled in Parliament by March 31, 2010. Industry Canada may also publish aggregate statistics on its website. The linked files will be retained indefinitely by Statistics Canada, for research purposes and to allow for comparative analyses of the SFSME surveys over time. 

Study of the Effectiveness and Interaction of the Canada Student Loan Program and the Canada Education Savings Program

Purpose: To assess the ability of the Canada Student Loan Program and the Canada Education Savings Program to reduce financial barriers and to encourage post-secondary education for students from all socio-economic backgrounds, and to evaluate the effects of these programs on post-secondary education outcomes. 

This research will examine the degree to which the increasing value of assets and withdrawals from Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) have affected the demand for Canada student loans, and the degree to which RRSPs have lightened the burden of student loans and aided students in completing their studies more quickly. In addition, this research will provide insight and understanding into the strategies that families and students employ to finance post-secondary education, and how the Canada Student Loans Program and the Canada Education Savings Program contribute to this strategy, both individually and jointly.

An improved understanding of the effects of the Canada Student Loans Program and the Canada Education Savings Program and the interaction between these programs will aid the Government of Canada in its long-term planning for a more effective and efficient set of policies designed to remove barriers to post-secondary education.
 
Description: The project involves matching administrative data files from Human Resources and Skills Development’s Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) (1991 to 2008) and Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) (1998 to 2008) with Statistics Canada’s Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD) (1985 to 2007). The LAD is a 20% sample database of tax-filers. Only data on CSLP borrowers and CESP beneficiaries, parents or subscribers that match to the LAD will be retained on the linked analysis file. However, all LAD records will be retained on the file, including those that do not match to CSLP or CESP records, in order to allow for a comparative analysis with persons and families who are not receiving loans or CESP savings incentives.

The LAD, CSLP and CESP datasets will be linked deterministically using the Social Insurance Numbers (SIN) of the CSLP borrowers and the SINs of the parents and subscribers of the CESP beneficiaries and the CESP beneficiaries themselves where no parent information is available and the beneficiary has submitted a tax return.

Output: Only aggregate data and analysis conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Findings will be disseminated in research papers to be published by Human Resources and Skills Development’ and Statistics Canada. The results will be presented to Canadian post-secondary institutions and provincial and territorial education ministries. The linked file will be retained by Statistics Canada until the research project is complete and the information is no longer needed, after which time it will be destroyed.

Using Information from the Canadian Community Health Survey Program for Purposes of Other Surveys

Purpose: The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) program has two components: the CCHS Annual Component and the CCHS Focus Content Component.

The Annual Component is a cross-sectional survey that collects information related to health status, health care utilization and health determinants for the Canadian population. The Focus Content Component is conducted every three years; these cross-sectional surveys collect in-depth information on selected topics or target populations.

Respondents to the CCHS program may be contacted for other surveys, especially on health topics. Many of these surveys are designed to be linked to the information provided by the respondents in the CCHS. The purpose of such linkages is to reduce response burden and permit more detailed analysis by combining the information collected on both surveys.

The CCHS and other surveys are used by federal and provincial departments, social service agencies, and other organizations to monitor, plan, implement and evaluate programs to, for example, improve the health of Canadians and the efficiency of health services. Researchers from various fields use the information to conduct research to improve health. Non-profit organizations and the media use results from the CCHS and other surveys to raise awareness about issues of concern to all Canadians.

Description: In cases where the sample for a survey is selected from respondents to the CCHS program, the data from both surveys will be combined.

Output: Only aggregate statistics conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The linked data files will be retained until no longer required by Statistics Canada, and may be made available in Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centres.

Surveys that will use information from the CCHS may have data-sharing agreements with federal, provincial and territorial ministries, provincial statistical agencies, and non-governmental organizations such as the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The shared files will contain information only for those respondents who agreed to share their CCHS and the other survey data with these organizations. The files will be kept by these organizations indefinitely.

Longitudinal Worker File: Linkage of Additional Personal Tax Variables

Purpose: To enhance the analytical potential of the currently linked file through the addition of several variables. The inclusion of additional personal tax variables on the Longitudinal Worker File (LWF) will allow researchers to examine job displacement in a more comprehensive way than is now possible. Currently, the outcomes associated with job displacement resulting from plant closures and layoffs can only be examined in terms of the incidence of re-employment and changes in reported earnings on the T4 forms prepared by employers. Measures of these outcomes are incomplete.

For example, displaced workers who subsequently become self-employed cannot be identified. The inclusion of net self-employment income will allow researchers to include self-employed workers in estimates of post-displacement employment rates and earnings.

The inclusion of Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions and RRSP income will allow researchers to examine the extent to which working-age individuals (particularly older workers) withdraw funds from their RRSP savings in the wake of job displacement. Similarly, the inclusion of Pension Adjustment will allow researchers to examine the extent to which workers displaced from jobs providing pension coverage are re-employed  in jobs providing such coverage (and vice versa). This will benefit Canadians by providing information on financial preparations for retirement and factors influencing those preparations.

The inclusion of educational deductions for full-time students, educational deductions for part-time students, and tuition fees for self will allow researchers to examine the extent to which workers displaced by layoff or plant closure subsequently enrol in training or educational activities. Such information is important for the design and delivery of programs that provide training to Canadians, including those who are unemployed.

The inclusion of union or professional dues will allow researchers to examine if and how the risks and consequences of job displacement differ between unionized and non-unionized workers. This will benefit Canadians by providing information to the associations and unions that represent them in the workplace.

Finally, the inclusion of a death identifier will allow researchers to better account for sample attrition when doing longitudinal analyses.

Description: The Longitudinal Worker File is constructed by linking four data sources. The T4 supplemental files provide employment counts in each company each year, as well as the ability to track workers longitudinally and assess annual earnings changes. The Record of Employment (ROE) provides data on separations, by reason. The Longitudinal Employment Analysis Program (LEAP) file provides data on the size and industry of the company for which the employee works, and allows workers to be tracked longitudinally from company to company. This allows permanent separations to be distinguished from temporary separations. Finally, age, sex, marital status, Census Metropolitan Area, net self-employment income, Registered Retirement Savings Plan contributions and income, Pension Adjustment, educational deductions for full- and part-time students, tuition fees deduction for self, and union or professional dues deductions are added from the T1 files. The files are linked deterministically by the Social Insurance Number (SIN) of each employee.

The ROW, T4, and T1 are linked deterministically by the SIN of each employee. This interim linked file is then linked to LEAP by a company identifier (i.e., the payrolls deduction account number prior to 1997, and the business number from 1997 onwards), which is available on the ROW, the T4, and LEAP. The LWF final linked file is a 10% random sample of all employees in the interim linked file; records are selected based on the last digit of the SIN. The LWF contains data from 1983 up to 2006, and will be updated on an ongoing basis.

Output: Only aggregate data conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Papers will be published in Statistics Canada’s Analytical Studies Research Paper Series as well as in academic journals. Papers will also be presented at professional conferences. The linked file, stripped of direct personal identifiers, will be retained at Statistics Canada until the information is no longer required, after which time it will be destroyed.

Creation of a Key Registry for Purposes of the Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data Initiative

Purpose: The Longitudinal Health and Administrative Data (LHAD) Initiative is a partnership among provincial and territorial ministries of health and Statistics Canada, as well as the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Council of Cancer Registries and the Vital Statistics Council for Canada. The Initiative provides a collaborative framework for health research in Canada, where the objective is to address important information gaps on the health of Canadians and their health-care utilisation through analysis of combined administrative and population health survey data. Linkage of these datasets will allow pan-Canadian and comparative analyses across provinces and territories, and advance understanding of relationships among risk factors, socio-economic characteristics, health status measures and health care utilization. A Key Registry will be created to improve the efficiency and quality of the linkages.

Description: The Key Registry will be created by linking the information on individuals within provincial and territorial health insurance client registries, supplied to Statistics Canada under LHAD Initiative agreements.

The Key Registry will be linked over time, starting from 1992 onwards and updated annually, for each province and territory. No linkages across jurisdictions will be done to create an unduplicated national registry.

The Key Registry will store the following personal information: name, address, gender, date of birth, health insurance number and a Statistics Canada-generated sequential identification number for each individual identified through the annual Key Registry linkage process.  Linkage will be performed in a dedicated health record linkage data environment (the “LHAD environment”), using copies of the administrative and survey databases held by Statistics Canada. The Statistics Canada-generated identification number will be stored on each record of each database in this environment. The number will have no meaning outside of the LHAD environment, and will not be kept on the original databases held by Statistics Canada, such as the Vital Statistics and Cancer Registries or survey databases. For analytical studies, the number will be used to link an individual’s records within and among the databases in the LHAD environment. The creation of a Key Registry and the use of a sequential identification number eliminate the need to store the personal information from the Key Registry on the databases in the LHAD environment. A limited number of Statistics Canada employees will have access to the Key Registry.

Output: No information from the Key Registry will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The registry will be used exclusively to support linkage activities within the LHAD data environment. Statistics Canada will retain the Key Registry files until it is determined that there is no further need for them.

Research projects will be approved on a study-by-study basis. These may be carried out as part of an annual research agenda established by the provincial and territorial ministries of health, through the LHAD Initiative, or may be projects initiated by Statistics Canada or its clients. A summary of each approved study will be posted on the Statistics Canada website. The Key Registry will be registered with the Treasury Board of Canada as a Personal Information Bank.

Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database: Linkage to Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database

Purpose: To produce a national database of information on the deaths investigated by coroners and medical examiners in Canada, linked to coded cause of death data, to facilitate tabulation and statistical analysis. An annual report will be published of national, provincial and territorial data on deaths investigated by coroners and medical examiners, with a particular focus on deaths resulting from accidents (unintentional injuries), suicides, homicides, and deaths of undetermined intent. The database will also be used to analyse deaths that occur in the course of selected activities, such as snowmobiling or construction work, in selected locations, such as sports facilities or farms, as well as deaths from selected factors, such as motor vehicle exhaust or avalanches. This information could be used to improve policies and programs for injury prevention, health and safety, and public health.

Approximately 12% of the 230,000 deaths that occur in Canada each year are investigated by provincial and territorial coroners and medical examiners. These investigations yield detailed information on the circumstances of these deaths. However, coroners and medical examiners lack the expertise required to apply the international standard for the coding of cause of death data.

Statistics Canada has compiled an annual database of deaths registered in Canada for over 80 years, in cooperation with the provincial and territorial vital statistics registries.  The cause of death is coded by Statistics Canada or by a provincial vital statistics registry. Expertise in cause of death coding thus resides in the vital statistics system. For this reason, the Canadian Vital Statistics Deaths database is the most reliable and cost-effective source of coded cause of death information for the deaths investigated by the coroners and medical examiners, and linkage is the best method for obtaining this information.

Description: The Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database (CCMED) will be linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database to obtain the underlying cause of death, as well as codes for multiple causes and the nature of injury code, when they are available. This linkage will occur annually, starting with data for 2006, through probabilistic methods using the Generalized Record Linkage System.

Output: Information on deaths investigated by coroners and medical examiners will be received from those provinces and territories that have signed agreements with Statistics Canada. All signed agreements permit the linkage to take place and the linked information to be disclosed to the Public Health Agency of Canada and to all other provincial and territorial chief coroners/chief medical examiners.

Statistics Canada will request the written consent of the provincial and territorial vital statistics registrars to disclose the cause of death data on the linked Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database, and a disclosure order will be sought from the Chief Statistician to authorize the disclosure of a linked analysis file, with names and direct personal identifiers removed, to the Public Health Agency of Canada and to all provincial and territorial chief coroners/chief medical examiners.  Annual reports and other research papers will be announced in The Daily and in peer-reviewed journals.

The CCMED will be a cumulative database, starting with reference year 2006 data, containing personal identifiers and linking keys. The results of the linkage to the death data will be retained on the database indefinitely, which will result in an increasing number of records to analyse over time, and thus greater statistical power to detect trends. The annual linked analysis files, stripped of direct personal identifiers, will be also be retained indefinitely, to allow for annual reports and trend analysis to be produced, as well as a peer review of the study results. Identifiers and linking keys will be held separate from the linked analysis file and stored indefinitely. 

Study of the Financial Performance of the Fishing Industry in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, 2007

Purpose: To gain a better understanding of the financial performance of the fishing industry in the Maritime Provinces. Aggregate revenue and expense statistics will be analyzed for reference year 2007 and compared with existing data from previous years. Findings from this study will help the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) establish or modify policies and programs to support fishermen in this part of the country.

Description: This project will link the fishing licence records of approximately 400 self-employed fishermen operating in the Maritime Region of Canada to the T1 Unincorporated File provided to Statistics Canada by the Canada Revenue Agency. The files will be linked deterministically using surnames, given names, addresses and postal codes.

Output: Only aggregate-level statistical data conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside Statistics Canada to the DFO. DFO will analyze the aggregate-level data and disseminate their findings to managers at DFO and to the general public. The linked file will be retained at Statistics Canada until the research project is complete and the information is no longer needed. It will then be destroyed.

National Breast Screening Study: Fourth and Final Mortality and Cancer Follow-up

Purpose: To validate earlier study findings. The National Breast Screening Study aims at estimating to what extent, if any, regular mammographic screening in women between the ages of 40 and 70 will reduce the number of deaths due to breast cancer. Findings from three earlier follow up studies (1992, 2000, 2002) showed no reduction in the number of deaths from breast cancer in the women who had mammographic screening compared to unscreened women, or women who were screened with physical examination only. These findings were true in women under 50 years of age and those over 50. A final analysis at 20 years from the first mammogram is required to ensure that the follow-up period is not too short to see a reduced number of deaths.

Description: The Canadian National Breast Screening Study (NBSS) was a randomized clinical trial to determine the efficacy of screening women aged 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 for breast cancer.  Approximately 90,000 women were recruited in 15 centres across Canada (Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia) between January 1980 and March 1985. Each woman signed an informed consent form and was followed until they completed their fourth or fifth screening. Those women who were identified with breast cancer are being followed indefinitely.

The mortality and cancer linkage was originally approved in 1989, and was updated in 1995 and 2000 to extend the follow-up period. This is the fourth and final update and will extend the follow-up period to 2006.

The NBSS cohort will be linked to the 1981-2006 Canadian Mortality Database, the 1969-2006 Canadian Cancer Database and to the 1984 to 2008 Tax Summary file. Linkage to the latter assists in the evaluation of the death search by determining the status of the individuals (dead, alive, or unknown) at the end of the study period: the file contains no income data.

Output: Mortality and cancer analysis files will be prepared by Statistics Canada. The files will be split by jurisdiction of death and cancer incidence, and the death and cancer information will be sent to the appropriate Vital Statistics Registrars and Cancer Registries who, at their discretion, will release the files to the researcher at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

Study findings will be released in aggregate form only and will not identify any individual study subjects. The mortality and cancer analysis files and linking keys will be retained at Statistics Canada until December 31, 2019, at which point they will be destroyed. 

Studies and Ongoing Monitoring of Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Aluminum Smelter Workers in Quebec: The Rio Tinto Alcan (Quebec) Mortality Study (2000-2004 Update)

Purpose: As part of an ongoing program to monitor the mortality and cancer incidence in aluminum smelter workers—where in the past workers in this industry have been exposed to high levels of coal tar pitch volatiles as well as other atmospheric contaminants—the purpose of this update to the study is to identify any new effects of chemical exposures in the industry and to determine the effects of controls on previously identified diseases. Special attention will be given to causes that were found in a previous follow-up of mortality in this industry, to the pattern of mortality in women, and to any new risks in prebake operations which represent the new technology at future plants in Canada. The relationship between mortality and coal tar pitch volatile exposure will be evaluated by taking smoking risks into account.

The study will assist in determining the effectiveness of control measures and identifying specific diseases that should be of concern to workers and management and the focus of preventive actions. The results will be of assistance to Worker’s Compensation Boards in determining the likelihood of occupational diseases in workers. Because the exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles involves exposure to chemicals (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in the air where plants are located, the results will be of assistance in assessing public health risks and influencing public health air pollution policy. Exposure-response relationships are useful in establishing standards for control purposes.

Description: The original Rio Tinto (Alcan) cohort of workers studied from 1950-1999 consisted of almost 17,000 workers. Of these, some 11,000 were alive at the end of December 1999. Persons who have joined the industry between 2000 and 2004 have now been added to the cohort and will be important in future follow-up studies of mortality in this industry. The present study will examine the mortality (and cancer incidence) of these persons in the period January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2004. Complete work histories and exposure information have been compiled for each worker. Their mortality will be ascertained by linkage with the Statistics Canada Canadian Mortality Database. Linkage to the Tax Summary file will be used to determine the status of the individual (dead, alive or emigrated) to assist in the evaluation of the death search. Cancer incidence will be followed up separately in Quebec through linkage to the Quebec Cancer Registry.

Output: A mortality analysis file will be prepared by Statistics Canada. The file will be split by jurisdiction of death and the relevant death information will be sent to the appropriate Vital Statistics Registrars who, at their discretion, will release the file to researchers at the Safety Health Environmental International Consultants Corporation and the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et sécurité du travail (IRSST), in Montreal.

Study findings will be released in aggregate form only, that is, they will not identify any individual study subjects, and will be shared with workers, employee representatives and management, health professionals in the aluminum industry, and will be made widely available through publication in scientific journals. The information will also be made available to provincial, federal and international organizations, such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer. 

It is anticipated that mortality (and cancer) follow ups will be carried out every five years. The linked data files and linking keys will be retained by Statistics Canada until they are no longer required by the researchers, after which they will be destroyed.

Entry to, and Persistence in, Post-secondary Education by Young Canadians: Linkage of the Post-secondary Student Information System (Atlantic Provinces) and the Longitudinal Administrative Database

Purpose: To determine how family and individual income and demographic factors influence whether young people undertake post-secondary education and whether they complete their programs of study. The impact of funding, such as bursaries, will also be examined. Findings from this study of young Canadians (age 16 to 24) in the Atlantic provinces may provide new information to assess and improve the effectiveness of post-secondary student assistance programs.

Description: This pilot study requires linkage of the Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD) records of young Atlantic Canadians (including the family level information for the selected individuals available in the LAD) for tax years 1982 to 2007 with the Post-secondary Student Information System (PSIS) longitudinal file records for academic years 2001 2002 to 2004-2005. PSIS is designed to provide complete coverage of students attending post-secondary education (in this case, in Atlantic Canada), whereas the LAD is a 20% sample of tax-filers and their dependents. The resulting linked file will be comprised of all the records on the PSIS longitudinal database (Atlantic provinces) and all the LAD records of 16 to 24 years in the Atlantic provinces, in the 2001 to 2007 period.

Most records will be linked deterministically using the Social Insurance Number (SIN), which will be removed after the linkage. Where the SIN is not available on PSIS, the files will be linked probabilistically, using the following variables: first, middle and last name; date of birth; gender; permanent address (civic number and street); permanent postal code; permanent phone number; and current phone number.

Output: Only aggregate statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Results of this research will be disseminated in Statistics Canada publications, in reports prepared for the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, in academic research paper series and in peer-reviewed international journals. The linked file, stripped of identifiers, will be retained until the study is complete and the information is no longer needed by Statistics Canada, at which time it will be destroyed.

Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle and Health: Linkage to the Canadian Mortality Database (1992 to 2008) and the Canadian Cancer Database (1969 to 2008) for a Prospective Study of Outcomes of Dietary Intake and Lifestyle Factors

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between diet and lifestyle factors and cancer incidence in Canada. The Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle, and Health (CSDLH), conducted from 1992 to 1999 by researchers at the Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Toronto and Western Ontario, collected extensive lifestyle and dietary data from participants as well as biological specimens (hair samples and toenail clippings). The CSDLH survey (73,909 participants) is one of only a few cohort studies in North America that include sizeable numbers of both men (34,295) and women (39,614). Linkage of the CSDLH data to cancer incidence and mortality data has the potential to make a substantial Canadian contribution towards understanding the roles of diet and lifestyle factors in influencing cancer risk.

Description: The CSDLH cohort will be linked to the 1984 to 2008 Tax Summary Files, the 1992 to 2008 Canadian Mortality Database (CMDB), and to the 1969 to 2008 Canadian Cancer Database (CCDB).  Linkage to the Tax Summary Files will assist in the record linkage, the manual resolution of doubtful links, and to verify the total number in the cohort who are found alive at the end of the study period and not lost to follow up (these files contain no income data).  CSDLH participants have provided written informed consent for linkage to the CMDB and to the CCDB.

Output: All access at Statistics Canada to the linked microdata files will be restricted to staff whose work activities require such access. At no time will the information from the Tax Summary File leave Statistics Canada, except in the form of aggregate tables.

Mortality and cancer analysis files will be prepared by Statistics Canada. The mortality analysis file will be split by province or territory of death, and the records will be sent to the appropriate Vital Statistics Registrars who, at their discretion, will release the information to the researcher at Cancer Care Ontario. Similarly, the cancer analysis file will be split by province or territory of cancer incidence report, and the records will be sent to the appropriate Cancer Registrars who, at their discretion, will release the information to the researcher at Cancer Care Ontario.

The researcher has undertaken to publish the study findings in the form of aggregate data that will not identify individual study participants.

Further mortality and cancer incidence updates may be requested by the researchers in the future. Statistics Canada will retain the linked files until December 2020, or until it is determined that there is no further need for them, at which time they will be destroyed.

Linkage of the Workplace and Employee Survey to the Annual Survey of Manufactures and Logging, 1990 to 2006

Purpose: To improve understanding of the relationship between innovation and productivity growth—for instance, by investigating the association between the investments in new production processes and productivity growth—and to identify the association between changing firm characteristics, such as participation in export markets, and the composition of their workforce.

Research developed from this linked file will help to inform the development of economic policy. Improving innovation in Canada has been one of the key goals of federal economic policy. Analytical studies based on the linked file will help to inform evidence-based policy development in this area. In a similar vein, analysis developed from the file will help to inform trade policy as it will help researchers to ascertain how firms adjust their workforces in response to changing trade patterns.

In addition, the linked database will aid in future business survey design—by testing how subjective evaluations of business performance correlate with observed outcomes.

Description: This linkage will combine data from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) for the years 1999 to 2006 and the Annual Survey of Manufactures and Logging (ASM) for the years 1990 to 2006. The WES is a dual survey that starts with a sample of establishments and then draws a sample of employees within each establishment. Employer characteristics covered include technologies implemented, business strategies, training provided, organizational change, and subjective measures of productivity and profitability. Employee information collected by the survey includes education, occupation, use of technology, training taken, job tenure and wages. The ASM yields statistics for manufacturing and statistics for total activity, including employment, wages and salaries, value added, sales, exports and expenditures on inputs.

The linkage will be carried out using common business identifiers that will remain on the file in the form of an alpha-numerical code that will allow users to follow business units longitudinally, but not to identify them by name. The linkage will be performed once.

The linked file will contain only those data items required to undertake this research program. Only individuals that meet the requirements of the research program will be included in the file. Thus, out of the total of 6,000 establishments that are sampled for the WES, with about 17,000 employee responses, about 1,200 manufacturing establishments will be linked, with about 3,000 employee responses.

Output: Only aggregate data and analysis conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Results of this research will be disseminated in Statistics Canada publications and in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Statistics Canada will retain the linked file until it is determined that there is no further need for the file.

Long-Term Income and Employment among Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Linkage of the British Columbia Cancer Registry and the T1 Family File

Purpose: To assess the long-term income and employment experience of survivors of cancer diagnosed during childhood, adolescence or young adulthood. Due to increasingly successful treatment of individuals diagnosed with cancer before age 25, a survivor population is emerging, many of whom are now of labour force age. Evidence has shown that the majority of these survivors experience long-term health problems, as well as problems in educational achievement and psychosocial adjustments, due to the effects of the disease and its treatment.

This research will inform the development of risk-based programs and interventions to maximize the long-term productivity of this survivor population. In particular, it will examine which sub-groups of survivors are at high risk of problems with employability and income dependence in adulthood. The findings will be used to develop specific vocational counseling programs for cancer survivors which will be incorporated into the cancer care system in British Columbia, and will inform cancer care organizations across the country of the need for this service Canada-wide.

Description: A cohort of 4,000 cancer survivors will be identified from the British Columbia Cancer Registry. This cohort will include those diagnosed before age 25, in the period from 1970 to 2002, who survived at least five years after diagnosis, and who reached age 20 years or more during the period 1982 to 2007.

The cohort will be matched to the T1 Family File (T1FF), which is a file of tax filers and their dependents, for the period 1982 to 2007. The resulting linked file will be a subset of the BC Cancer Registry cohort, comprising only records matched to the T1FF. BC Cancer Registry records will be discarded if they do not match to the T1FF. This linked file will be supplemented with a control group comprised of T1FF records only.

The T1FF and BC Cancer Registry files will be matched using full surname, full first name, full second name or initial, postal code information and full birth date of the survivors. Since there is no further need for the identifiers, they will be removed from the file after the linkage.

The linked file will contain only those data items required to conduct the study. Only records of individuals meeting the requirements for the study will be included in the linked file.

Output: All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada staff whose work activities require access. Only aggregate data conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada will retain the linked file, stripped of identifiers, until it is determined that there is no further need for it.

Population Health Risk Tools: Linkage of 1996-1997 National Population Health Survey to Hospitalization and Mortality Data

Purpose: This study will examine whether self-reported measures of health behaviour, health status and other demographic factors can accurately estimate risk of death and disease in the Canadian population. The study will provide added value to current and future Canadian population health surveys by creating risk tools that can estimate the risk of important health outcomes (death and disease) at the population level.

Until recently, risk tools used by decision-makers and clinicians in Canada were developed from longitudinal datasets from other countries. In 2007, a national consultation led by health policy and statistical organisations emphasised the growing need for comprehensive information and tools to assist policy-makers in making informed choices about investments in health care and treatments, as well as public and population health initiatives, with the goal of improving system-level decision-making and ultimately, population health. Results also pointed to the lack of practical tools that would allow objective evaluation and comparison of the consequences of different policy decisions, before such decisions are made. The tools created in the study will support many of Canada’s strategic health-planning directions.

Description: The 1996-1997 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) files (both cross-sectional and longitudinal components) will be linked to Health Person-Oriented Information (HPOI), 1992-1993 to 2006-2007, to the Canadian Mortality Database (CMDB), 1996 to 2007, and to the Historical Tax Summary File (HTSF), 1996 to 2008. The HTSF does not contain income data, only information indicating whether individuals were alive or dead (and if dead, the date of death), if they emigrated or immigrated, and if taxes were filed during the study period. Personal identifiers, such as name and social insurance number, will be used only for linkage purposes, then removed from the linked analysis file. Only records of respondents to the NPHS who consented to have their survey data linked with provincial health information will be included in the linked file.

The linkage and analysis will be conducted in Statistics Canada’s offices. The linked files will not be available outside Statistics Canada.

Output: The study will create risk tools, which are mathematical equations using answers to questions collected on health surveys, to estimate the 10-year risk of illness and death for the Canadian population. These risk tools can be used with current population health surveys, as well as in micro-simulation health models. The tools will be used to:

• Project the number of people who will develop a disease or health outcome, such as heart attack (acute myocardial infarction) or lung cancer.
• Describe whether population risk for disease is changing over time.
• Identify segments of the population at high baseline risk for developing a disease.
• Estimate the population health benefit of interventions.
• Estimate the population health benefit of risk factor reduction.
• Estimate the contribution of risk factor levels on future population risk.

All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada employees and deemed employees whose work activities require access. Only aggregate statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The population health risk tools will be used in a number of research projects that Statistics Canada will undertake in partnership with health research agencies. Research papers and findings will be presented at scientific meetings and conferences, and submitted for publication in Statistics Canada’s Health Reports journal, as well as medical and epidemiological journals. The linked analysis file, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada until no longer required, at which point the file will be destroyed.

Air Pollution Study: Linkage of 1991 Census of Population, Canadian Mortality Database and Canadian Cancer Database Follow-Up Study

Purpose: To assess the impact of long-term exposure to air pollution on human health, with the objective to inform the development of Canada-wide standards for key criteria pollutants. Linkage of separate sources of information is an important way in which Statistics Canada can meet identified data gaps on environmental data related to human exposure to air pollution. For example, Canada-wide standards for annual averages of either fine particulate matter or ozone have not been developed, largely due to lack of evidence from the Canadian population and uncertainties about the applicability of risk estimates generated in other countries to Canada.

The specific objectives of this study are: to determine whether deaths from all causes, from ischaemic heart disease, from cardiopulmonary disease, from respiratory cancer, and from all cancers combined are associated with long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants; to determine the air pollution risks for cancer incidence and the risks for specific cancer types; and, to examine the relationship of cancer incidence and causes of death to socio-demographic and neighbourhood characteristics over a 22-year period.

Description: For a previous record linkage approved in 2001, a sample of 2.7 million Canadians was selected from respondents to the 1991 Census of Population long-form questionnaires and their Census information was linked to the 1991 Health and Activity Limitations Survey, the 1990 and 1991 Tax Summary Files and the 1991 to 2001 Canadian Mortality Database for the development of indicators on health.

The current project will extend and expand the linked information on this 1991 Census sample as follows:

• linkage to an additional 20 years of the Tax Summary Files, that is, to 2012;
• linkage to an additional 10 years of the Canadian Mortality Database, up to 2011; and
• a new linkage to the 1969 to 2011 Canadian Cancer Database, for the period 1969 to 2011.

The linked files will contain only those data items required to conduct the study. Personal identifiers, such as name and social insurance number, will be used only for linkage purposes and then will be removed from the linked microdata file. Only a sample of individuals who completed the 1991 Census of Population long-form questionnaires is included on the file.

Output: All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada staff whose work activities require access. Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Availability of the linked file will be announced in The Daily. Major findings will be used to create research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals (including Statistics Canada’s Health Reports) and presentation at workshops and conferences.

The linked file, stripped of personal identifiers, will be retained until no longer required, at which time the file will be destroyed.

Stirling County Study: Mortality Update, 1993 to 2011

Purpose: To provide information about trends in mortality risk associated with psychiatric disorders identified through community-wide surveys collected periodically since 1952. The successful continuation of the study over more than 50 years is due largely to the fact that the diagnostic procedures for identifying depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders have been reasonably similar throughout this period.

Few studies have looked at the relationship of depression and mortality in men. Previous analyses of participants in these surveys have revealed that depressed men had a higher mortality risk than men without depression. This study will investigate whether the higher mortality risk associated with depression among men will be maintained, and whether the observed trend of increased depression among women, the relationship between depression and cigarette smoking, including increased heavy smoking among women, and the population increase in obesity and its relationship to depression will influence mortality risk.

Description: The Stirling County Study was conducted in Nova Scotia by a researcher in 1952, 1962-1964, 1970 and 1992. The fictitious name of Stirling County was used to protect the identity of the respondents. The cohort file will consist of identifying information for 2,586 persons who have participated in the Stirling County Study and who were still alive in the 1990s.

The cohort file will be linked to the Canadian Mortality Database for the years 1993 to 2011 and to the Tax Summary File for 1984 to 2012. The Tax Summary File contains no income data, only information indicating whether individuals were alive or dead (and if dead, the date of death), if they emigrated or immigrated, and if taxes were filed during the study period.

Output: All access at Statistics Canada to the linked microdata file will be restricted to staff whose work activities require access. At no time will the information from the Tax Summary File leave Statistics Canada, except in the form of aggregate tables.

A mortality analysis file will be prepared by Statistics Canada. The file will be split by province or territory of death, and the records will be sent to the appropriate Vital Statistics Registrars who, at their discretion, will release the information to the researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The researcher has undertaken to publish the study findings in an aggregate form only that will not identify any individual study subjects. The mortality analysis file, stripped of identifiers, and the linking key file will be retained separately at Statistics Canada until December 31, 2016, or until no longer required, at which point these files will be destroyed.

Study of Doctoral Graduates: Linkage of the National Graduates Survey and the Survey of Earned Doctorates

Purpose: To analyze the labour market outcomes of doctoral graduates from three perspectives: 1) in relation to their plans at the time of graduation; 2) in relation to whether they were pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship; and 3) in relation to mobility within the two-year period following graduation.

Linking the Survey of Earned Doctorates and the National Graduates Survey introduces a longitudinal dimension to studying the pathways of doctoral graduates between the time of graduation and two years later. This linkage will differentiate doctoral graduates who were pursuing post-doctoral training and those who were not, and enable the study of differences in labour market outcomes between these two groups.

Description: Records of doctoral graduates from the 2007 National Graduates Survey (Class of 2005) will be linked to the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Survey of Earned Doctorates master files. The files will be linked deterministically using the name of the institution where the doctorate was obtained and the graduate’s first name, last name and date of birth.

Output: All access to the linked microdata file will be restricted to Statistics Canada staff whose work activities require access. Only aggregate statistics that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. A report on doctoral graduate labour market outcomes two years after graduation in relation to their plans at graduation will be produced jointly by Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada on a cost-recovery basis. The linked microdata file, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada until the information is no longer needed, at which time it will be destroyed.

Military to Civilian Transition Outcomes Study of Canadian Forces Members: Linkage of Cohort to Tax and Superannuation Information

Purpose: To assess the health and economic outcomes of Canadian Forces (CF) members after their release to civilian life. There are currently 66,000 regular members serving in the CF and 310,000 veterans of the regular forces. Only about 14% of this population is currently receiving benefits and services from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). This linkage will assist Department of National Defence (DND) and VAC in identifying gaps in programs and services, evaluating existing programs and developing new re-integration and rehabilitation programs that meet the needs of military personnel as they transition to civilian life.

Transition outcomes are of interest to both departments. In addition, the New Veterans’ Charter, which represents the most significant overhaul of rehabilitation and reintegration programs and services for veterans since the Second World War, was implemented by VAC in 2006 and both departments require more information on the impact of the new charter.

Description: Statistics Canada will provide indicators on the income, labour force participation, and health of members released from the CF from 1998 to 2007. Economic adjustment will be measured through the production of statistical tables from personal income tax data (T1 Family File (T1FF)) linked to a cohort of approximately 55,000 ex-CF regular and reserve members whose names and other personal identifiers will be supplied by DND and VAC. Health status will be measured through a special sample survey of 5,000 ex-regular CF members in the cohort, the Survey on Transition to Civilian Life. The frame will incorporate current contact information from the 2008 personal tax return (2008 T1) and from an extract of the Superannuation file to be supplied by Public Works and Government Services Canada as well as telephone number updates from Info Direct.

Output: Statistics Canada will prepare an analytical paper on the post-release incomes of veterans. Only aggregate data that conform to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released to DND and VAC from the DND/VAC linkage to T1FF. Information will be provided in tabular form. The clients will not have direct access to the linked file. All access to this linked file will be restricted to employees of Statistics Canada whose work activities require access.

Statistics Canada will conduct the cross-sectional sample Survey on Transition to Civilian Life in partnership with DND and VAC. Access to the survey frame with name, address and other contact information will be restricted to employees of Statistics Canada whose work activities require access. Respondents to this voluntary survey will be asked if they agree to share their survey information with DND and VAC and will be informed of the intended linkage of their survey responses to administrative data held by these two departments. Only records of respondents who agree to the sharing of their data with DND and VAC will be provided to the departments.

To enable DND and VAC to link the survey to administrative records for statistical purposes only, Statistics Canada will return to the departments the service number of respondents who agreed to share their survey information with DND and VAC.

Registered Apprenticeship Training–Classes of 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995
Linkage Between the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) and Federal Child Tax Benefit Programs
Canadian Pension Plans and Funds – Quality Assurance and Expanding Analytical Potential
Research Initiative on the Effectiveness of Government Support to Canadian Exporters
Understanding the Individual and Socio-environmental Health Risks of Obesity – The Canada Heart Health Surveys Follow-up Study
Expansion of the Material and Energy Flow Accounts: Industrial Pollution Data
2006 Post-censal Survey – Participation and Activity Limitation Survey
2006 Post-censal Survey – Aboriginal Peoples Survey
2006 Post-censal Survey – Aboriginal Children’s Survey
2006 Post-censal Survey – Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities
Research and Development in Canadian Industry Survey (RDCI)
Outsourcing, Offshoring and Productivity Performance: Plant-level Evidence from Canadian Manufacturing
Adding Marital Status and Census Metropolitan Area to the Worker Longitudinal File
Alternate Fetal Growth Standards: Part 1 – Linkage Pilot Study
Update to Dofasco Workers Mortality (1974-2005) and Cancer Incidence (1969-2005) Study
The Burden of Obesity, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Ontario

Registered Apprenticeship Training–Classes of 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995

Purpose: To shed light on the effectiveness of apprenticeship training in Canada in producing skilled workers with trade certification. The country is experiencing a shortage of highly skilled workers in some trades and in some jurisdictions, while completion rates for registered apprenticeship programs have been low for at least a decade. This study will examine the learning paths over a period of 11 years of individuals from the classes of 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 involved in apprenticeship training. A pilot study carried out in three provinces on the class of 1992 showed that about half of apprentices completed their trade; most certifications occurred four to six years after registration; and that 5% to 12% were still continuing their program after 11 years. Analysis of the next three cohorts will expand the number of provinces for which these statistics are measured as well as expanding the points of the economic cycle (bust to boom) covered by the studies. In addition, these analyses will help in the improvement of data quality and reduction of gaps in current administrative data available to measure completion rates. Findings will inform decisions taken by Human Resources and Social Development Canada and provincial and territorial authorities involved in funding apprenticeship training programs. Resources may be reallocated towards trades and occupations that are more problematic in terms of completion, thus benefiting the public and business community by introducing into the work force, in larger numbers at a faster rate, highly skilled individuals with needed occupational and trade certification.

Description: The Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS) will be linked for an 11-year period within each province and territory, through the use of the unique registered apprenticeship number for a total of four cohorts of new registered apprentices, that is, the classes of 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Once linked, the files will be stripped of the apprenticeship number. Linkage of the 1992 cohort has already taken place and the results have been published.

Output: Only aggregate data and analysis conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. The data will be published in research papers and released in The Daily. The linked files for all four cohorts, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada until March 31, 2011, at which time the linked data will be destroyed.

Linkage Between the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) and Federal Child Tax Benefit Programs

Purpose:The Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) is designed to measure changes in the economic well-being of individuals and uncover the factors that influence those changes. The SLID is the main source of information on individual and family income. That information is widely used in developing the various federal and provincial programs and policies, particularly with regard to assistance for families and individuals.

SLID respondents have the option of giving Statistics Canada permission to access their income tax returns and extract the data required by the income questions in the SLID. Each year, about 80% of respondents choose that option. It reduces the response burden and improves data quality. Personal income data from administrative files are generally of higher quality than data obtained directly from survey respondents. To date, Statistics Canada has been using T1 Income Tax and Benefit Returns. This linkage will provide access to new information: Child Tax Benefit (CTB) data held by the Canada Revenue Agency. Respondents have given Statistics Canada permission to access the data.

Description: SLID respondents take part in the survey for up to six years. In the first year, the data supplied by respondents who have agreed to the linkage are statistically matched with the T1 file using six key variables: last name, first name, postal code of residence, date of birth, marital status and spouse’s first name. When there is a match, the respondent’s income data and social insurance number (SIN) are saved. In subsequent years, the SIN is used for matching with the T1 file. Linkage with the CTB file is based on the SIN. Since the Canada Revenue Agency produces two CTB files per year, linkage will be performed twice a year for every year the respondents participate.

The data extracted from the tax files will be combined with the other information provided by respondents in the survey, and then stored in the SLID database. Personal identifiers, including the SIN, will be destroyed two years after the respondents’ participation in the survey ends.

Product: Only statistical data that are in compliance with the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be disseminated outside Statistics Canada. In particular, they will be included in the publication entitled Income Trends in Canada (Catalogue No.13F0022XIE).

Canadian Pension Plans and Funds – Quality Assurance and Expanding Analytical Potential

Purpose: An aging population has placed the Canadian retirement income system under intense scrutiny of late. The evolution of the employer pension system is key to the economic security of families, and has important impacts on the functioning of the Canadian economy and the stability of the financial system. Pension reform has emerged as a topic of heightened interest on the public policy agenda, both in Canada and elsewhere in the world. Key questions in the recent pension reform debate focus on the potential erosion of the Canadian defined-benefit pension system in favour of defined-contribution arrangements and the measures required to prevent it. Statistics on pension plan terms and conditions are critical to shed light on the debate as is an understanding of how pension fund assets are invested.

Statistics on registered pension plans and their associated funds are currently reported from independent sources. This data linkage combines regulatory information on pension plan characteristics with financial data from surveys of pension fund trustees. Combining information on pension plans and funds into a common database will enable research that is currently not possible. Among the key policy questions that can be addressed with the linked database are: Are the assets of defined-contribution pension plans invested differently than those of defined-benefit plans? What are the implications of the erosion of the defined-benefit system for the financial security of future retirees? What is the likely impact on the Canadian financial system if this erosion continues as many anticipate? How do province-specific policies (such as the Ontario pension benefit guarantee) affect the asset distribution of pension funds?

In addition to addressing these and other key research questions, the linkage will improve the quality of statistics on the Canadian employer pension system by allowing the coherence of independently reported statistics to be assured.

Description: On an ongoing, annual basis, the Registered Pension Plans Database will be linked to two Trusteed Pension Fund Databases: the quarterly Trusteed Pension Fund survey; and the Trusteed Pension Fund survey biennial census using a match on the Canada Revenue Agency Pension Plan Number, the provincial pension plan registration number, or the name of the pension plan. These identifiers will be maintained on the linked database and can be used for longitudinal analysis.

Output: Only aggregate data and analysis conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Research using the linked information will be submitted for publication in professional journals. The linked file will be retained for an indefinite period to permit additional analyses.

Research Initiative on the Effectiveness of Government Support to Canadian Exporters

Purpose: This project will assess the effectiveness (and economic impact) of Canada’s trade promotion strategy and trade commissioner services. This, in turn, may result in changes to the strategy, with more cost-effective targeting of services. In 2007-08, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) plans to invest over $700 million in trade promotion and commissioner services. By evaluating the export performance of particular exporter groups before and after receiving assistance from DFAIT (by type of service received and volume of service received), the analysis will assess the effectiveness of the current trade promotion strategy.

Description: Linkage for the years 1999 to 2005 of approximately 18,000 DFAIT client business names and addresses to the Exporter Register longitudinal database held by Statistics Canada. Multiple instances of the same establishment will be identified and only the latest information kept for the analysis.

The linkage and analysis will be conducted in Statistics Canada’s offices. The linked files will not be available outside Statistics Canada.

Output: Only aggregate data conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. DFAIT will prepare a report which will contain selected analytical tables and an article highlighting the key findings will be published in Statistics Canada’s Canadian Trade Review. The linked files will be retained until March 31, 2012, at which time they will be destroyed.

Understanding the Individual and Socio-environmental Health Risks of Obesity – The Canada Heart Health Surveys Follow-up Study

Purpose: By learning more about the links between obesity on the one hand, and cancer and mortality on the other, the results produced by the study will guide policies and recommend practices aimed at reducing obesity among Canadians. Compared with similar studies, this one will examine whether other chronic disease risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol levels, an individual’s income and education, and community-level measures have any effects on the impact of obesity.

Findings from the study will provide information for possible strategies designed to create environments that bolster healthy weights for Canadians. The findings from this study will provide support for organizations, such as the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, to reduce overweight and obesity rates in Canada by informing current guidelines on obesity screening, prevention and management and the development of targeted healthy lifestyle strategies and policies.

To date, much of the current information available on the relationships between obesity, other chronic disease risk factors, cancer and mortality has been generated by studies conducted in Europe and the United States which may not apply to the Canadian context given its unique characteristics such as universal access to health care, very high ethnic diversity and a comparatively high prevalence of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Given the current magnitude of obesity prevalence in Canada and the toll it places on public health, there is a need for cohesive multi-disciplinary groups dedicated to the study of obesity at the population level. The data from this study will be used to provide interdisciplinary training to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to help build the Canadian capacity to undertake obesity studies of a complex nature.

Description: The cohort for this study originates from six provinces that took part in the Canadian Heart Health Surveys from 1982 to 1995. These surveys have provided for the creation of a national cross-sectional database with detailed information on heart health awareness, lifestyle, risk factors, demographic and anthropometric information such as height and weight. The cohort will be linked to the 1986 to 2006 Canadian Mortality Database and to the 1969-2006 Canadian Cancer Database to ascertain health outcomes. Summary tax file records (1986-2006) will assist in the mortality linkage and to verify the total number of individuals who are lost to the study.

Output: A copy of the linked cancer and mortality analysis files, without names or personal identifiers, will be released to members of the Canadian Heart Health Surveys Follow-up team, with the consent of the provincial and territorial vital statistics and cancer registrars. The data will be securely held at the following universities: Queen’s University, University of Saskatchewan, McMaster University, University of Alberta, and Simon Fraser University. All members of the team who receive a copy of the file will sign an agreement with Statistics Canada that they will undertake the necessary steps to protect the confidentiality of the individual data. The study findings will be published in reports and scholarly journals and will be shared with national associations concerned with the study’s health issues. Presentations will also be made at national and international conferences.

The linked file, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada for a period of seven years, that is, until June 2014, at which time it will be destroyed. Similarly, the Canadian Heart Health Surveys Follow-up team will destroy the analysis file after seven years.

Expansion of the Material and Energy Flow Accounts: Industrial Pollution Data

Purpose: To improve Canadians’ understanding of the relationship between the economy and the environment, and thereby permit more effective environmental policy-making by collecting and analyzing industrial pollution emissions data in a more comprehensive way. Canadians have been expressing increased concern over the effects of industrial pollution on the country’s natural environment, that is to say, the quality of air, water, fertile land, wildlife and ecosystems generally. Addressing problems of industrial pollution requires a better understanding of how pollution flows of various kinds relate to corresponding flows of production of goods and services and to the production and pollution mitigation technologies utilized. The proposal is to link available data on pollution flows, collected by Environment Canada, to available data on production flows, collected by Statistics Canada, thereby permitting the calculation of pollution intensities by industry.

Description: The National Pollution Release Inventory (NPRI) will be linked to Statistics Canada’s Business Register and the following business surveys, on an annual basis for reference years 2002 to 2007: the Annual Survey of Manufactures and Logging and the associated monthly production surveys, the Survey of Electric Power Generators, the annual Wholesale and Retail Trade Survey; the Industrial Consumption of Energy Survey, the surveys comprised in the Report on Energy Supply and Demand, and the Survey of Environmental Protection Expenditures. The files will be linked by establishment name, addresses and other identifiers available on the NPRI, the Business Register and the selected business surveys.

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) requires all industrial establishments that meet specified criteria and release thresholds to report emissions for over 300 substances; Environment Canada maintains this information in the National Pollution Release Inventory (NPRI). The linkage of the inventory to Statistics Canada’s Business Register and selected business surveys will allow for a more in-depth analysis of NPRI data, namely of emissions as they relate to industrial production inputs, processes and outputs. This linkage is the first step in the goal to produce temporally consistent and comprehensive accounts of pollutant emissions from all industrial sources in Canada. This is not currently possible using the information on the NPRI, as it contains information only for those establishments that meet certain criteria. The linkage will allow Statistics Canada to investigate the use of the NPRI data for the purpose of expanding its Environmental and Resource Accounts to include more pollutant emissions data, more specifically, to expand the Material and Energy Flow Accounts (MEFA). The MEFA are designed to detail the flows of resources and wastes between the economy and the environment, but are currently limited to water use, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, findings will allow Statistics Canada to launch new collection and analysis activities to bridge current gaps in estimating total industrial pollution emissions required for these accounts. Findings may also result in improvements in the coverage and quality of the NPRI data.

Output: Aggregate results conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be published by Statistics Canada. The linked files and identifiers will be kept indeterminately by Statistics Canada.

2006 Post-censal Survey–Participation and Activity Limitation Survey

Purpose: Good information on the nature and severity of activity limitations and on the needs for assistive technology, social support and accommodation in all spheres of life is essential for developing policies and programs to support persons with disabilities. Such information can only be provided by merging information obtained on census questionnaires with information obtained in the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS). These data are used by disability and social policy analysts at all levels of government, as well as by associations for persons with disabilities and researchers working in the field of disability policy and programs.

Description: PALS was conducted in the fall 2006/winter 2007 as a post-censal survey. Two questions on activity limitations on the 2006 Census of Population (questions 7 and 8) served to identify the target population and to draw a sample for the survey. PALS respondents were advised at the time of collection that information they provided to the survey would be linked to information already provided to the 2006 Census.

Three different types of data linkages are required. The first involves linking the survey respondent’s own census data to the PALS master file to add information on the respondent’s socio-economic characteristics, eliminating the need to collect this information from the respondent during the PALS interview. The second type of data linkage involves deriving variables from data pertaining to the respondent’s family or household members. This linkage activity selects data from the census records of household members, derives household and family level variables and places this information on the respondent’s record on the PALS file. No census data from other individual household members will be on the PALS file, only the derived variables. The final linkage activity is to add to the PALS file a stratified random sample of approximately 130,000 records of individuals who did not report any activity limitation to census questions 7 and 8. These records do not have any identifiers. The same census variables being linked to the PALS respondents are included for these records of non-disabled individuals. Having records of non-disabled individuals on the PALS file permits comparisons between the disabled and non-disabled populations.

Output: This is a one-time linkage. Only aggregate data that conforms to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act would be released outside Statistics Canada. It is proposed to release a public use microdata file from the survey. After the linkages have been completed, all of the identifiers are removed from the linked composite file. The resulting analytical file without identifiers will be retained indefinitely.

2006 Post-censal Survey–Aboriginal Peoples Survey

Purpose: Good information on employment, education, language, tradition, technology, health, social issues and housing is essential to plan needed improvements to the living conditions of Aboriginal peoples. Such information can only be provided by merging information obtained on census questionnaires with information obtained in the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS). The survey provides a profile of the lifestyles and living conditions of the Aboriginal populations, for both adults and children aged six and over. Special components provide further insight into the situation of the Métis people and of the Aboriginal peoples living in the four Arctic regions of Canada. Results from the survey will provide information relevant to the needs of key Aboriginal data users, that is, Aboriginal governments and organizations and the federal and provincial/territorial governments.

Description: The APS was conducted in the fall 2006/winter 2007. Four questions on the 2006 Census of Population (questions 17, 18, 20 and 21) served to identify the target population and to draw a sample of the survey. Survey respondents were advised at the time of collection that information they provided to the APS would be linked to information relating to their household already provided to the 2006 Census.

There are two different types of data linkages. The first involves linking the survey respondent’s own census data to the APS master file. This activity adds information on the respondent’s socio-economic characteristics to the APS file eliminating the need to collect this information from the respondent during the APS interview. The second type of data linkage involves deriving variables from data pertaining to the respondent’s family or household members. This linkage activity selects data from the census records of household members, derives household and family level variables and places this information on the respondent’s record on the APS file. No census data from other individual household members will be on the APS file.

Output: This is a one-time linkage activity. Only aggregate data that conforms to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act would be released outside Statistics Canada. It is proposed to release a public use microdata file from the survey which will contain both APS and census data. After the linkages have been completed, all of the identifiers are removed from the linked composite file. The resulting analytical file without identifiers will be retained indefinitely.

2006 Post-censal Survey–Aboriginal Children’s Survey

Purpose: Good information on early childhood development of First Nations/North American Indian, Inuit and Métis children is essential to develop policies and programs to meet the needs of young Aboriginal children. Such information can only be provided by merging information obtained on census questionnaires with information obtained in the Aboriginal Children’s Survey (ACS). The survey provides a picture of Aboriginal children across Canada under the age of six years, collecting information on a wide range of topics, including child’s health, sleep, nutrition, development, nurturing, child care, school, language, behaviour, and activities. Since the child’s environment is important to their development and well-being, some information is collected on the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and their neighbourhood or community. Results from the survey will offer needed information that will be relevant to the needs of the main users, that is, parents, service providers, Aboriginal governments and organizations, and federal and provincial/ territorial governments.

Description: The Aboriginal Children’s Survey was conducted in the fall 2006/winter 2007. Four questions on the 2006 Census of Population (questions 17, 18, 20 and 21) served to identify the target population and to draw a sample for the survey. Information about a selected child was provided by a parent or guardian. Whoever responded on behalf of the selected child was advised at the time of collection that information they provided to the ACS would be linked to information relating to their household already provided to the 2006 Census.

There are two different types of data linkages. The first involves linking the child’s own census data to the ACS master file. This activity adds information on the child’s characteristics to the ACS database, eliminating the need to collect this information during the ACS interview.

The second type of data linkage involves deriving variables from data pertaining to the child’s family or household members. This linkage activity selects data from the census records of household members, derives household and family level variables and places this information on the child’s record on the ACS file. No census data from other individual household members will be on the ACS file.

Output: This is a one-time linkage. Only aggregate data that conforms to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act would be released outside Statistics Canada. It is proposed to release a public use microdata file from the survey. After the linkages have been completed, all of the identifiers are removed from the linked composite file. The resulting analytical file without identifiers will be retained indefinitely.

2006 Post-censal Survey–Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities

Purpose: Good information on the current situation of Canada's official-language minorities, namely anglophones in Quebec and francophones outside of Quebec, is essential to assess the goals of the federal Action Plan for Official Languages and for policy development and program implementation. Such information can only be provided by merging information obtained on census questionnaires with information obtained in the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM). The survey provides a more in-depth understanding on subjects as diverse as instruction in the language of the minority or access to different services in the language of the minority, as well as language practices both inside and outside the home. Results will be used by federal and provincial governments as well as minority language communities.

Description: The SVOLM was conducted in the fall of 2006 as a post-censal survey. Three questions on the 2006 Census of Population (questions 13, 15 and 16) served to identify the target population and to draw a sample of the survey. Survey respondents were advised at the time of collection that information they provided to the SVOLM would be linked to information already provided to the 2006 Census.

There are two different types of data linkage. The first involves linking the survey respondent’s own census data to the SVOLM master file. This activity adds information on the respondent’s socio-economic characteristics to the SVOLM file, eliminating the need to collect this information during the SVOLM interview. The second type of data linkage involves deriving variables from data pertaining to the respondent’s family or household members. This linkage activity selects data from the census records of household members, derives household or family level variables and places this information on the respondent’s record on the SVOLM file. No census data from other individual household members will be on the SVOLM file.

Output: This is a one-time linkage. Only aggregate data that conforms to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act would be released outside Statistics Canada. It is proposed to release a public use microdata file from the survey. After the linkages have been completed, all of the identifiers are removed from the linked composite file. The resulting analytical file without identifiers will be retained indefinitely.

Research and Development in Canadian Industry Survey (RDCI)

Purpose: The RDCI is used to analyze the relationship between the size of the firm and the proportion of expenditures spent on R&D; whether foreign-controlled business enterprises are most likely to perform R&D in Canada or to fund it outside Canada and whether this varies by employment size, and; whether R&D objectives, such as pollution abatement or other environmental purposes, can be characterized by firm size. The RDCI is the sole source of information about the characteristics of the R&D performers and provides essential information for evidence-based policy development on R&D activity within the Canadian business sector.

Some of the important analytical variables are no longer available to the RDCI. To reduce response burden, linkage to employers’ tax files and other survey data will allow RDCI to continue to include important employment data. The quality of the data obtained through linkage will be higher than if they were obtained directly from the firms. In turn, the ability will continue to analyse the R&D expenditures of Canadian and foreign-controlled firms operating in Canada in conjunction with employment characteristics of the firm.

Description: Starting with reference year 1997, the annual RDCI survey file will be linked to the Employer Payroll Deduction Tax File (PD7) and to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) data to obtain the following variables: total employment; salaried employees paid a fixed salary; employees paid by the hour, and; average weekly earnings. The information will be linked using the Business Number and the Legal/Operating Name.

Output: Findings conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be published in the annual publications Industrial Research and Development (88-202-XIE) and Science Statistics (88-001-XIE). Annual survey microdata for Québec will be shared with the Institut de la statistique du Québec. The linked data will be retained for an indeterminate period.

Outsourcing, Offshoring and Productivity Performance: Plant-level Evidence from Canadian Manufacturing

Purpose: Outsourcing affects jobs, but it might increase competitiveness and the standard of living of Canadians. This study is the first to directly determine whether the location of outsourcing affects the productivity of firms in Canada. Outsourcing has become increasingly important for Canadian businesses, especially Canadian manufacturing firms, as it can directly affect jobs. Businesses believe that outsourcing allows them to better compete in increasingly competitive domestic and international markets, improving the quality of life and well-being of Canadians. Little empirical information exists on how offshore outsourcing affects productivity and the proposed research will bridge the gap. The research will evaluate the hypothesis that offshoring is positively associated with productivity performance. Focusing on manufacturing plants and logging operations, it examines geographical locations of outsourcing and distinguishes between outsourcing of research and development and outsourcing of raw materials and components. The study will provide evidence as to what extent the link between productivity and domestic outsourcing differs from that with offshore outsourcing and whether the link with offshoring to the United States differs from that to Asia-Pacific and other regions such as Europe.

Description: Responses from the Survey of Innovation (2005) will be linked to the Annual Survey of Manufactures (2004 and 2002). Respondents to the Survey of Innovation were notified that their individual survey responses would be combined with other Statistics Canada records.

Output: Only aggregate data and analysis conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Findings will be published in Statistics Canada’s Innovation Analysis Bulletin, submitted to academic journals and reported in conference presentations. The linked file will be retained until March 31, 2011, at which time it will be destroyed.

Adding Marital Status and Census Metropolitan Area to the Worker Longitudinal File

Purpose: The objective is to assess whether the earnings losses that displaced workers suffer as a result of firm closures and mass layoffs differ between unattached individuals and married individuals. Given the growing proportion of unattached individuals in Canada and the fact that these individuals cannot rely on a second earner to mitigate the negative financial impact of job loss, this question is of high interest for social policy. Furthermore, whether mass layoffs and firm closures differ from city to city will be examined. For example, while the high-tech meltdown in 2001/2002 appears to have affected Ottawa the most, there is no statistical evidence on the number of high-tech workers who were laid-off in that city and on the degree to which former high-tech workers in Ottawa found gainful employment following the meltdown. Gathering such information is crucial for the design of policies, if any, aimed at compensating financially displaced workers.

Description: The Worker Longitudinal File is a linked file containing 10% of employees, built from four data sources. The T-4 supplementary Tax file contains the Social Insurance Number (SIN) of every employee, by business. This file provides employment counts in each company each year, as well as the ability to track workers longitudinally and assess annual earnings changes. The Record of Employment (ROE) file provides data on separations, by reason. The Longitudinal Employment Analysis Program (LEAP) file provides data on the size and industry of the company for which the employee works, and allows workers to be tracked longitudinally from company to company. This allows permanent separations to be distinguished from temporary separations. Finally, age, sex, marital status, and Census Metropolitan Area are gathered from the T1 Tax files. The ROE, T4, and T1 files are linked deterministically by the Social Insurance Number (SIN), on an ongoing basis, for each year from 1983 onwards. The resulting file is then linked to LEAP by a company identifier (i.e. the payrolls deduction account number prior to 1997, and the business number from 1997 onwards), which is available on the ROE, the T4, and LEAP. A 10% random sample of all employees in the linked file is selected, based on the last digit of the SIN, and retained in the final file.

Output: Only aggregate data conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada. Papers will be published in Statistics Canada’s Analytical Studies Research Paper Series as well as in academic journals with an accompanying Daily release. Papers will also be presented at professional conferences. The linked file, stripped of all identifiers, will be retained on an ongoing basis.

Alternate Fetal Growth Standards: Part 1 – Linkage Pilot Study

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of a new methodology to produce more accurate Fetal Growth Standards. Physicians use Fetal Growth Standards to identify fetuses with greater health risks in later stages of pregnancy and children with greater health risks in the first month after birth.

More accurate standards could result in more effective medical intervention and treatment, resulting in better birth and infant health outcomes such as improved diagnosis of poor fetal growth, refinements in the recommended timing for medical intervention (both prior to and after birth), improved surveillance of hospital morbidity of newborns. Improved standards would also serve as input to health programs and policies, the evaluation of, and changes in, medical procedures, and would be used in education campaigns to reduce risk factors.

The current national Fetal Growth Standards were created by examining the live birth weight distribution. Birth weights in the lowest and highest percentiles are considered to be “abnormal”. The distribution includes all live births, however, regardless of mortality or morbidity of the newborns. This pilot study considers an alternative approach that makes use of information on mortality and hospital morbidity to refine the standards. The new methodology improves upon some of the acknowledged weaknesses of the current one. If the pilot study is successful, a larger study is planned to develop new standards.

Description: A file will be created from the1996/97-1999/2000 Hospital Morbidity Database with information about mothers and their newborns along with neonatal morbidity histories; morbidity information for newborns up to the end of the neonatal stage will be added to a previously created Birth/Mortality linked file for the years 1997-1999/2000. All provinces except Ontario and Quebec are included in the pilot study due to current data gaps.

Output: Analysis of the linked file will be carried out at Statistics Canada. Aggregate analysis tables conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act may also be produced, if feasible, to allow for the development of preliminary alternate growth curves. The linked analysis file and the linking keys, kept separately, will be retained until March 2012, after which they will be destroyed.

Update to Dofasco Workers Mortality (1974-2005) and Cancer Incidence (1969-2005) Study

Purpose: To help determine better ways of protecting workers in certain industrial environments. This study plans to establish whether exposure to chemicals and processes used in the production of steel in the Dofasco workplace has adversely affected the health of workers. Results from the initial study (1974-1990) have shown increased death rates relative to the Canadian and Ontario populations. The updated linkage will provide an additional 15 years of follow-up, thereby increasing the statistical power of the study. The updated research will more clearly define the magnitude of excess mortality due to lung cancer by making adjustments for smoking. It will investigate further the carcinogenic effects experienced by workers exposed to Polyclinic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in respirable silica particulate and examine the dose levels at which the higher risk of cancer occurs; and examine further the unexpected associations found in the previous research, such as the excess deaths related to the circulatory system experienced by some workers. Findings will be shared with Dofasco management and employees as well as with the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Results will also be available for review by provincial, federal and international agencies responsible for risk assessment and regulatory actions.

Description: The cohort of approximately 8,800 male workers who were employees of Dofasco for at least six months prior to January 1, 1974, will be linked to the 1984-2006 historic summary tax file. This file does not contain income data. The linkage is carried out to assist in the evaluation of the death search by determining the status of the individuals (dead, alive or emigrated) at the end of the study period. The next stages of the linkage process will add mortality data from the 1974-2005 Canadian Mortality Data Base and cancer incidence data from the 1969-2005 Canadian Cancer Data Base, through probabilistic methods using the Generalized Record Linkage System (GRLS).

Output: Linked mortality, cancer and work history files provided by the employer will be released to McMaster University without names and identifiers, with the consent of the provincial and territorial Vital Statistics and Cancer Registrars. All information and reports presented by McMaster University to Dofasco management and employees, to the Ontario WSIB as well as findings disseminated through publications, peer-reviewed journals and in presentations and conferences will be in the form of aggregate data and will not identify individual study subjects. The internal linked file, stripped of identifiers, will be retained by Statistics Canada until March 31, 2014, after which it will be destroyed.

The Burden of Obesity, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Ontario

Purpose: To improve treatment strategies for people suffering from obesity, osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to reduce the costs of treating them. The study will remedy the fact that little is known about the socio-demographic characteristics of the Ontario population with such health condition/illnesses, their quality of life, satisfaction with healthcare, healthcare resource utilization, and ensuing medical costs. The study will establish a cost per patient; identify the determinants of healthcare utilization and medical costs and, for obesity, provide a breakdown of health care utilization/medical costs per body mass index (BMI) levels. In determining utilization and costs, the study will take into account differences in individuals’ characteristics and lifestyle.

In many cases of illnesses, physicians and health care policy makers are unaware of the true burden on the health care system and on sufferers. Burden of illness studies, such as this one, can provide a method for demonstrating the importance of a specific disease to society; provide a baseline against which treatment interventions can be assessed; help determine priorities for future medical research, and; help identify the cost drivers of the condition/disease. Additionally, burden of illness studies can further our understanding of the impact the condition/disease has on patients’ quality of life and productivity. Findings may assist in the development of obesity, OA and RA policy models to evaluate different treatment and management strategies in Ontario. As well, the evidence generated in the area of obesity may be used by the new Canadian Obesity Network, whose objective is to bring together researchers, health professionals, industry, policy makers and others across Canada to become the primary network focusing on preventing and reducing the consequences of excess body weight.

Description:  The 2000-2001 Canadian Community Health Survey will be linked to the Medical Services files and the Discharge Abstract Database In-patient and Day Procedures files for the years 1999-2000, 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, using a deterministic match on an encrypted health number. A validation procedure, carried out by Ministry of Health and Long-term Health Care, will ensure that only valid health card numbers are found on the cohort file and are encrypted. A probabilistic matching based on birth date, sex, and postal code will be used to resolve incomplete linkage results. Only cases where informed consent was received from the survey respondents will be linked.

Output: Only aggregate data and analyses conforming to the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act will be released outside of Statistics Canada, in the form of a Daily release, articles in peer-reviewed journals, and through presentations at local, national and international conferences. The linked file will be retained until March 31, 2012, at which time it will be destroyed.