Data quality description

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Sources

Maple product estimates are collected and compiled by Statistics Canada on an annual basis. Data collection for Ontario and New Brunswick takes the form of a mail-in survey sent by Statistics Canada to all known producers in these provinces. Quebec, which is the world leader in maple production, as well as Nova Scotia provide the estimates using administrative data.

Data for New Brunswick and Ontario are collected and compiled by Statistics Canada, Agriculture Division. The data from all provinces are assembled and published by Statistics Canada.

Methodology

Nova Scotia

Specialists provide all administrative data on maple production in the province of Nova Scotia.

New Brunswick and Ontario

Questionnaires for these provinces received by Statistics Canada are manually scanned for inconsistencies upon receipt. They are then data captured using a system of electronic edits designed to detect data inconsistencies and to reject most anomalies. These anomalies are investigated and manually corrected to assure accuracy of reporting. The resultant tabulations are compared to previous years and the most recent Census. Significant variations are identified and investigated. Finally, the data are weighted using the number of taps made on maple trees as reported on the most recent Census.

Quebec

The production data are established by the "Table filière acéricole". It is composed of all the Industry representatives. This committee takes into account various data sources in its analysis which are predominantly: "Cintech Agroalimentaire", "Groupe AGÉCO", "ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ)", "Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec (FPAQ)" and the processing industry.

The production value data are established by MAPAQ and ISQ from the numbers provided by FPAQ and MAPAQ regional specialists.

Data quality

The Maple Products Survey is a non-probability survey, the data for which are collected at year-end. Statistics Canada revises their portion of the data only when significant outliers are received subsequent to the compilation of the data. The published data from Quebec represents a consensus of representatives from the industry. The major elements that permit the industry representatives to provide official statistics are a probability survey of maple producers, a weekly follow up of a regional target group, data on syrup classification and international trade.

Conversion factors (revised in 1995)

Note: Conversion factors were revised beginning in 1995 due to improved measurement standards in the Province of Quebec.

1. 1 gallon of syrup = 10.0 pounds of maple sugar
2. 1 gallon of syrup = 10.4 pounds of maple taffy
3. 1 gallon of syrup = 13.4375 pounds of syrup
4. 1 pound = 0.454 kilograms
5. 1 gallon = 4.546 litres
6. 1 litre = 0.220 gallons