Under the authority of the Statistics Act, Statistics Canada is hereby requesting the following information which will be used solely for statistical and research purposes and will be protected in accordance with the provisions of the Statistics Act and any other applicable law. This is a mandatory request for data.
- Dwelling characteristics
- Housing costs and affordability
- Housing price indexes
- Other content related to housing
Dwelling characteristics
Housing costs and affordability
One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit
What information is being requested?
Information on renters, landlords and tenancy (address of rented property, period of rental, amount of rent paid) through the One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit.
What personal information is included in this request?
Renter information (name, date of birth, social insurance number, phone number, marital status, official language of preferred correspondence, mailing address information, family net income) and landlord information (name of landlord or company, phone number) will be requested.
Personal identifiers are required to perform data linkages, for statistical purposes only. Once the data are linked, the personal identifiers will be replaced by an anonymized person key, meaning individuals will not be identifiable once the data has been linked.
What years of data will be requested?
2023
From whom will the information be requested?
This information is being requested from the Canada Revenue Agency.
Why is this information being requested?
Housing accounts for the most important asset and debt held by Canadian households. Given its importance, a sound understanding of factors impacting the ownership and rental markets is critical for the design of policies that can address housing issues, and for the provision of high-quality information on homeowners and renters.
In recent years, there has been growing concern among Canadians regarding housing affordability and market concentration. The inclusion of data from the One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit will provide a better understanding of the rental market and vulnerable populations. Understanding trends in the low-income rental housing market can help Canadians make more informed decisions on housing, and help the government understand the impacts of programs, such as the One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit, on Canadians.
Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.
Why were these organizations selected as data providers?
Canada Revenue Agency administered the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit which was authorized by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) under the authority of the Rental Housing Benefit Act.
When will this information be requested?
Fall 2023
What Statistics Canada programs will primarily use these data?
When was this request published?
September 7, 2023
Properties and property owners
What information is being requested?
Information on residential and non-residential properties as well as individual and non-individual property owners such as a corporation, trust, state-owned entity, or related groups. This includes information on: property location, structure/land characteristics, land use, assessment value by tax class, taxation status, sale value, rental prices, and financing. Ownership information is also being requested, which includes information on types of owners, names, and contact information.
What personal information is included in this request?
Statistics Canada has requested access to such personal information as: property owner names, types of owners, legal name of owner along with mailing, telephone number, property, and billing addresses.
All information collected by Statistics Canada is strictly protected and anonymized. It is never possible to connect the data that is made public to the identity of any business, individual, or their household.
What years of data will be requested?
Ongoing.
From whom will the information be requested?
This information is requested from all provincial, territorial and municipal property assessment authorities or their operators/service providers, provincial and territorial land registry authorities or their operators/service providers and from rental websites.
Why is this information being requested?
The Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP) provides municipal, provincial, territorial, and federal authorities, researchers, and industry stakeholders with relevant and timely data on housing stocks and home ownership.
Residential and non-residential property assessment values at current prices are primarily intended to meet data requirements from Finance Canada for Fiscal Arrangements, as part of the property tax base.
Housing accounts for the most important asset and debt held by Canadian households. Given its importance, a sound understanding of factors impacting the housing market is critical for the design of policies that can address housing issues, and for the provision of high-quality information to homeowners, renters, and people seeking home ownership.
The CHSP, launched in 2017 as a response to emerging data needs, is the most comprehensive source of data in Canada on the housing sector. It provides a framework on demand by describing the owners – their income, socio-demographic status, and whether they are residents of Canada – and on the supply – the characteristics of properties owned and built. By joining those factors, the program can produce information on the market equilibrium, such as the values of properties and their use.
The program is an innovative data project that leverages existing administrative data sources and transforms them into new and timely indicators on Canadian housing. In an effort to provide a complete coverage of housing in Canada, Statistics Canada is seeking to acquire annual property assessment roll and land registry data for all municipalities in Canada, in addition to rental data.
The CHSP produces a granular property and owner statistics at the Census Subdivision level. Property characteristics include the structure type, period of construction, assessment value, sale value, rental price, living area, and property use. Owner characteristics include the number of owners, ownership type, residency status, income, age, sex, and immigration characteristics.
The program is unique in that it replaces the traditional survey methodology by combining administrative data sources to provide municipal, provincial/territorial and federal authorities, researchers and industry stakeholders with relevant and timely data on housing.
Property assessment roll data is also used to derive residential and non-residential property assessment values at current prices, according to a common stock date, by the Property Values Program. These estimates are designed to meet the data requirements of Finance Canada as part of the property tax base, in support of the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act. Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.
Why were these organizations selected as data providers?
Provincial, territorial, and municipal property assessment and land registry authorities collect and maintain up-to-date data for administrative purposes. By collaborating with other government departments, Statistics Canada avoids duplication of data collection, reducing the response burden on Canadians. Rental listing websites maintain a significant share of secondary rental market listings in Canada, and exercise high coverage of the Canadian rental market.
When will this information be requested?
January 2020, and onward. Rental data is requested as of March 2024 and onward.
When was this request published?
December 19th, 2019.
Housing price indexes
Property sale prices and property characteristics
What information is being requested?
Information on housing, commercial sale prices and other characteristics, such as the following: selling price, date of sale, sale type (new/resale) and addresses.
In addition, the following is being requested: information on property characteristics (e.g. property type, year built, square footage, property size, room sizes, lot size, renovation indicators, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, presence of finished basement), tax exemption status, condo status and condo information (e.g. fees, number of parking spots, building/unit amenities).
What personal information is included in this request?
This request does not include personal information. Only the property address is required to perform data integration for statistical purposes only. Once the data are integrated, the address will be replaced by an anonymized key.
What years of data will be requested?
Monthly data beginning January 2016.
From whom will the information be requested?
This information is being requested from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Why is this information being requested?
Statistics Canada is requesting this information to improve the accuracy, quality and coverage of the statistics produced by the Residential Property Price Index as well as develop market value information for the Canadian housing stock. The data will help inform public policy on housing and will be used by policy makers, researchers, industry stakeholders and Canadians to better understand changes in housing prices. In addition, the agency will use the commercial sale information as a starting point in the development of a new commercial property price index, to serve as an important indicator of financial stability and wealth. Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.
Why were these organizations selected as data providers?
The Canadian Real Estate Association maintains the most robust and timely information on the sale price and characteristics of Canadian properties.
When will this information be requested?
September 2020 and onwards.
When was this request published?
September 23, 2020
Other content related to housing
Data on formal evictions
What information is being requested?
This information request is in response to a pilot project that Statistics Canada is undertaking with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which aims to acquire data related to formal evictions in Canada.
More specifically, Statistics Canada will seek information related to the formal eviction application (e.g., length of tenancy, the reason for the application, amount of money owed), details surrounding the hearing process (e.g., tenant and landlord filings, access to legal resources, adjudicator decision), and details pertaining to appeals and the enforcement of orders (where available). Personal information will also be included in the request.
What personal information is included in this request?
This request includes personal information such as:
- first name
- last name
- sex
- date of birth
- civic address
- postal code
- telephone numbers
- email address of the tenant and landlord
Personal identifiers are required to perform data linkages, for statistical purposes only. Once the data are linked, the personal identifiers will be replaced by an anonymized person key, meaning individuals will not be identifiable once the data has been linked.
What years of data will be requested?
Statistics Canada is requesting data from the New Brunswick Residential Tenancies Tribunal from 2011 to 2022.
From whom will the information be requested?
This information is being requested from the New Brunswick Residential Tenancies Tribunal.
Why is this information being requested?
Evictions are a destabilizing force for individuals, households and communities. Given the shifting nature of evictions—which has anecdotally only been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic—there is a growing need for centralized, standardized administrative data on evictions in order to better understand this issue and its impact. As a result, this pilot project intends to acquire data on formal eviction applications, decisions, appeals and enforcements.
These data will be central in formulating a study group of individuals who experienced a formal eviction, in order to evaluate the impact on the lives of tenants (and landlords, when possible). In addition, the data will illustrate the impact of evictions at various geographic levels, providing insight about where formal evictions take place, and the characteristics of communities most impacted by them. This project will benefit Canadians by filling an important data gap in housing research, helping to provide a better understanding of populations most vulnerable to evictions, circumstances leading to evictions, as well as the impact that evictions can have on other areas of life (e.g., housing outcomes, health, income, employment). These insights will help inform the development of evidence-based prevention measures and supports for those involved in formal evictions. Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.
Why were these organizations selected as data providers?
The New Brunswick Residential Tenancies Tribunal collects and maintains administrative data on formal eviction processes in its province. By collaborating with the New Brunswick Residential Tenancies Tribunal, Statistics Canada avoids duplication of data collection, reducing the response burden on Canadians.
When will this information be requested?
August 2022, one-time data request.
When was this request published?
August 3, 2022
Data on social and affordable housing
What information is being requested?
Statistics Canada is requesting data on social and affordable housing (SAH). These data include the residential addresses of SAH dwellings and the contact information for the managing institution and responsible manager. Information on the SAH program (type, last update, start and end dates, and program id), SAH dwelling record id numbers and the characteristics of the SAH dwellings is also being requested.
What personal information is included in this request?
The requested information includes contact information for the manager of each SAH institution. No personal information about SAH resident is being requested.
What years of data will be requested?
Annual data are being requested, beginning with 2018, on an ongoing basis.
From whom will the information be requested?
This information is being requested from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), lessors of social housing projects and other Provincial and Territorial Public Administrations.
Why is this information being requested?
In 2017, the federal government introduced the National Housing Strategy (NHS). The NHS aims to ensure that Canadians across the country have access to affordable housing that meets their needs, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable populations. Research and policy making in support of this goal require high-quality data on SAH. This type of housing accounts for a relatively small share (5%) of the overall housing stock in Canada, making it difficult to target for inclusion in the Canadian Housing Survey (CHS), a key data source for the NHS. To overcome this issue, Statistics Canada built a satellite SAH dwelling register using administrative data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and provincial and territorial housing authorities, and data from the census. The resulting National Social and Affordable Housing Database (NSAHD) enables the CHS to efficiently collect data on vulnerable populations living in SAH in order to have the best quality data for this segment of the population. Acquiring and integrating the requested SAH information will enhance the coverage of the NSAHD.
Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.
Why were these organizations selected as data providers?
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the lessors of social housing projects and other provincial and territorial public administrations collect and maintain up-to-date data for administrative purposes. This information will be used to improve coverage of the National Social and Affordable Housing Database.
When will this information be requested?
The data is requested on an annual basis.
What Statistics Canada programs will primarily use these data?
Canadian Housing Survey
When was this request published?
June 4, 2021