Changes to the Traveller Accommodation Index of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), effective with the January 2016 CPI

Background

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of consumer goods and services over time. In order to accurately reflect changes in the market and in the behaviour of consumers, Statistics Canada periodically reviews and updates the methods applied to the various components of the CPI program. The release of the January 2016 CPI (published on February 19, 2016) marks the implementation of the new methodology of the traveller accommodation component of the CPI.

The Traveller accommodation index belongs to the Recreation, education and reading index, which is a major component of the All-items CPI. Upon publication of the January 2015 CPI, the basket weight of the traveller accommodation component, with a weight reference period of 2013 and at link month (December 2014) prices, was 1.02%.

The following changes were made to the Traveller accommodation index:

  1. Weights are no longer distributed inter-provincially. In the past, adjustments were made to account for the fact that a portion of consumer expenditures on accommodation services take place out of consumers’ province of residence. These adjustments are no longer made, creating a consistent domestic approach between national and provincial indexes.
  2. The sample of outlets was updated to better represent the transactions made between service providers and Canadian consumers. The new outlet sample was selected from Statistics Canada's Business Register (BR) from a target population of businesses classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2012) in code 7211 (Traveller Accommodation).
  3. The pattern of pricing has changed to reflect consistent purchasing behaviour through time. Each collected price now corresponds to a booking made for a fixed time interval in advance of the occupancy date. This helps to eliminate fluctuations in price resulting from varying advance-booking periods between reference periods.
  4. The aggregation structure was changed to be in line with practices used for other CPI components. The geographic strata used for the majority of other CPI components replace the existing strata (which were based on tourist regions as defined by the Canadian Travel Survey) and are used for outlet selection and aggregation of price changes at regional and national levels. The commonly used unweighted geometric mean formula is the only formula used to calculate average price changes at the lowest aggregation level.

The updated methodology better reflects the changing consumption patterns of Canadians and ensures greater consistency with the methods used in other CPI component indexes. It should be noted that changing methodological elements of any index may result in variations in the series trend. As such, interpretation of the 12-month price change indicator should be made with caution, particularly in the year following the implementation of a new methodology.

2016 Census Website

Archived information

Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Consultation objectives

In February 2016, Statistics Canada conducted usability testing of the 2016 Census website to obtain feedback on a number of features, including:

  • information and instructions for completing the 2016 Census questionnaire online
  • access to the 2016 Census online questionnaire
  • information about Census employment opportunities
  • access to an online employment application form
  • information and educational materials, including the Teacher's Kit and Adult Education Kit.

Consultation methodology

From February 9 to February 17, 2016, Communications Division conducted usability tests, during which participants were asked to complete a series of tasks.

The tests measured the participants' task completion success rates and tracked the methods they adopted to complete them. Interviews were also conducted during the testing process to document participants' thought processes as they attempted to complete each task.

Summary of results

Overall, the Census pre-collection and the Census collection pages tested well and the feedback was generally positive. Improvements can be made to the confirmation of the My Census reminder sign-up and unsubscribe confirmation pages; labels related to Census questions in many languages and Session time out; and how information related to computer capability can be found.

How to get involved

This consultation is now closed.

Individuals who wish to obtain more information or to take part in a future consultation should contact Statistics Canada through the Contact Us page.

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

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

Statistics Canada thanks participants for their participation in this consultation. Their insights guide the agency's web development and ensure that the final products meet users' expectations.

Results

Overall, the Census pre-collection and the Census collection pages tested well and the general feedback was positive. Some improvements can be made, particularly with respect to the My Census reminder sign up and unsubscribe confirmation pages; labels related to Census questions in many languages and Session time out; and how information on computer capability can be found.

Recommendations

Collection landing page

Clarify the “Session timeout” label. Improvements could include changing the label, for example, to "Stop and finish later" or place this content within the tips for completing the online Census questionnaire (e.g., in a predominant location).

Census questions in many languages

Clarify that this section provides the questions for reference in different languages, but that respondents must complete the actual Census questionnaire in French or English only. This section was not intuitive to all participants and requires some improvement.

Tips for completing the online census questionnaire

In this section, add a section (with bold label) for Computer requirements and settings.

Stay Connected

Consider altering the images for the Stay Connected area. This could include changing the size or adding information so that it fits in better with other images in the Census spotlight.

Report a problem or mistake on this page

Share this page

No endorsement of any products or services is expressed or implied.

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Administrative Burden Baseline: 2014 Baseline Count

In its Red Tape Reduction Action Plan, the Government committed to build on the efforts of the Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative by requiring departments, through the Administrative Burden Baseline, to provide a count of the requirements in federal regulations that impose an administrative burden on business.

All federal regulations administered by Statistics Canada that have requirements that impose administrative burden on business are identified below. The total 2014 count is 157.

Administrative burden
Title of the regulation SOR number 2014 Count
Corporations Returns Regulations 2014-13 157
Total Count 157

Environment, Energy and Transportation Statistics Division

Reporting Guide

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2016 Monthly Natural Gas Storage Survey. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.

Help Line: 1-877-604-7828

Storage facilities include natural gas storage caverns such as: depleted oil and gas reservoirs, aquifer reservoirs, salt cover reservoirs. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage facilities are out of scope for this survey.

Units: Report Gigajoules (GJs) of natural gas stored during the month under review.

Confidentiality

Your answers are confidential.

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes.

Table of contents

Skip to text

General information : Purpose of survey, Data-sharing agreements and Data linkage
Reporting instructions
Reporting Instructions and natural gas definitions

Text begins

General information

Purpose of survey

The purpose of this survey is to obtain information on the supply of, and demand for, energy in Canada. This information serves as an important indicator of Canadian economic performance, and is used by all levels of government in establishing informed policies in the energy area. In the case of public utilities, it is used by governmental agencies to fulfill their regulatory responsibilities. The private sector also uses this information in the corporate decision-making process. Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Data-sharing agreements

To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon.

The shared data will be limited to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician and returning it with the completed questionnaire. Please specify the organizations with which you do not want to share your data.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to minimize the reporting burden, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

Reporting Instructions

Please report information for a specific reference month in 2016.

Please complete all sections as applicable.

If the information requested is unknown, please provide your best estimate.

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the Monthly Natural Gas Storage Survey. If you need more information, please call 1-877-604-7828.

Reporting Instructions and Natural Gas Definitions

Question 1: OPENING INVENTORY

1a: Opening inventory of base or cushion gas

Report total amount of base or cushion gas held by the establishment on the first day of the month under review. This should equal the closing inventory of the previous month.

Definition:

  • Base gas, also referred to as cushion gas is the amount of gas that must be present in storage at all times to maintain a storage facility’s pressure.

1b: Opening inventory of working gas

Report total amount of working gas held by the establishment on the first day of the month under review.  This should equal the closing inventory of the previous month.

Definition:

  • Working gas is the amount of gas that can be withdrawn from storage while maintaining a storage facility’s minimum operating pressure.

Total opening inventory of natural gas

Report total amount of natural gas held by the establishment on the first day of the month under review.  This should equal the sum of the base/cushion gas and working gas.

Question 2: CLOSING INVENTORY

2a: Closing inventory of base or cushion gas

Report total amount of base or cushion gas held by the establishment on the last day of the month under review. 

Definition:

  • Base gas, also referred to as cushion gas is the amount of gas that must be present in storage at all times to maintain a storage facility’s pressure.

2b: Closing inventory of working gas

Report total amount of working gas held by the establishment on the last day of the month under review. 

Definition:

  • Working gas is the amount of gas that can be withdrawn from storage while maintaining a storage facility’s minimum operating pressure.

Total closing inventory of natural gas

Report total amount of natural gas held by the establishment on the last day of the month under review.  This should equal the sum of the base/cushion gas and working gas.

Question 3: HEATING VALUE OF STORED NATURAL GAS

3:  Average heating value of stored natural gas in gigajoules per thousand cubic metres

Report average heat content of your natural gas held in storage for the month under review.

Question 4: INJECTED, WITHDRAWN AND INVENTORY ADJUSTMENTS OF NATURAL GAS STORAGE

4a: Injected in to storage

Report total amount of natural gas received by the establishment for month under review.

4b: Withdrawn from storage

Report total amount of natural gas delivered by the establishment for month under review.

4c: Other adjustments

This calculated amount is the difference between (1) opening and closing inventories and (2) injections and withdrawals. This difference includes discrepancies due to meter inaccuracies and/or leakage or other losses. Inventory adjustments can be a positive or negative value.

  • Inventory adjustments = (closing – opening inventories) – (withdrawals – injections)

Net withdrawals of natural gas from inventories

This calculated amount is the difference between (1) withdrawals and (2) the sum of injections and inventory adjustments. Net withdrawals can be a positive or negative value.

  • Net withdrawals = withdrawals – (injections + inventory adjustments)

Question 5: NATURAL GAS HELD IN THE UNITED STATES

5: Natural gas in storage facilities in the United States

Report total amount of natural gas held by the establishment in storage facilities located in the United States for eventual use in Canada.

 

Thank you for your participation.

Section 9: Supplementary Documents

Appendix 1 – Statistics Canada Personal Information Banks related to Statistical Operations

Information about Programs and Information Holdings (formerly Info Source : Sources of Federal Government and Employee Information) provides information about the functions, programs, activities and related information holdings of government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. It provides individuals and employees of the government (current and former) with relevant information to access personal information about themselves held by government institutions subject to the Privacy Act and to exercise their rights under the Privacy Act.

This appendix contains the main categories of personal information that Statistics Canada collects from respondents or obtains from other organizations. The full list and descriptions of Statistics Canada's Classes of Records and Personal Information Banks (PIBs) are available in Statistics Canada's Information about Programs and Information Holdings chapter, which is updated and published annually.

Categories of personal information

Surveys and censuses:

  • Aboriginal peoples
  • Age, sex and gender
  • Children and youth
  • Culture and leisure
  • Education, training and learning
  • Ethnicity
  • Energy use and expenses
  • Families and households
  • Health
  • Income and pensions
  • Languages
  • Labour and employment
  • Military/Armed Forces
  • Seniors
  • Spending and wealth
  • Travel and tourism
  • Victimization

Survey information is also collected on unincorporated businesses which may be considered personal information.

The complete list of Statistics Canada surveys is available on the Statistics Canada website under Definitions, data sources and methods.

Administrative data:

  • Cannabis
  • Credit and financial records
  • Education
  • Employment and employment insurance
  • Health records
  • Energy use and expenses
  • Housing
  • Immigration, citizenship, refugees
  • Income tax and benefits
  • Income support
  • Indian register
  • Licences and permits
  • Justice statistics
  • Pension plans
  • Personal insurance
  • Population and demography
  • Government personnel and payroll
  • Salary information
  • Social assistance
  • Social insurance register
  • Telephone use and expenses
  • Travel and tourism
  • Vehicle registrations

Administrative data is also obtained on incorporated businesses which may be considered personal information.

Appendix 2 – Minimum content to be included in a Supplement to the Generic Privacy Impact Assessment

Date:

Title:

Program manager:

Reference to Personal Information Bank:

New institutional PIB – Title, PRN, PSU (or "Under development")
Revised institutional PIB – Title, PRN, PSU
Revised standard PIB – Title, PRN, PSU

Description of statistical activity or procedures and systems:

Reason for supplement:

Mitigation factors:

Appendix 3 – Data Collection at Statistics Canada

The purpose of this appendix is to provide an overview of the different methods that Statistics Canada uses to collect information for its statistical programs. Each of these is addressed within the Threat and Risk Assessment in Section 6.

Traditionally, Statistics Canada has collected the majority of its information directly from the individual persons, businesses, institutions and organizations, who report for themselves.Footnote 1 This continues to be a significant approach to collecting information. The various modes of direct data collection are described briefly below.

An alternative approach to collecting personal information directly is to use administrative records produced by another organization for their own uses. This approach is usually a lower cost alternative to direct collection, represents no additional response burden, and is used whenever possible if the data quality of the administrative records is sufficiently high for Statistics Canada's use in its statistical programs. Even when quality may not be as high as desired, administrative data may be used. The decision on when to use administrative information requires a comparison of the data quality, respondent burden and costs of direct collection and the use of administrative information. Traditionally, Statistics Canada has collected administrative records from governments. However, the Agency now collects administrative records from businesses, such as pricing information on products and services.

Another option is used rarely, but may gain importance in the future. In certain cases, the information is available already on the organization's web site and Statistics Canada may obtain it directly. It is highly unlikely that such sources would contain personal information.

Overview of the direct survey collection process

The choice of the data collection methodology for social surveys considers a number of factors, such as survey budget, the number of persons/respondents included in the survey, the target population, the complexity of the survey subject matter, the number of survey questions and length of interview, telephone number and/or email address coverage in the geographic areas to be included, and, the timeframe within which the survey must be completed. For business surveys the data collection processes are influenced, among other factors, by the periodicity of the survey, the complexity of the business enterprise and the type of data collected. Some surveys may employ more than one data collection methodology.

For direct data collection of survey information, all of the collection methodologies follow a three-step process that includes:

  1. Preparation of the survey sample file and delivery of a questionnaire to the respondent: The sample file contains information about the persons or businesses to be included in the particular survey, such as contact information. In many cases, this contact information will not include respondent names; rather, it will be a set of civic addresses and may include telephone numbers or email addresses, if available. The information in this file is considered confidential (i.e, Protected B) under the Statistics Act. For many household surveys, the first step is collect a roster of all individuals living in a selected household along with some basic demographic information. From this, one household is randomly selected to receive the questionnaire. The information is used to deliver a survey questionnaire to the respondent through various means (telephone or face-to-face interview, mail-out of a paper questionnaire, or electronic delivery via the Internet).
  2. Data collection: Survey questionnaires are completed by the respondent (self-completed) or by a Statistics Canada Interviewer. In both cases, data are collected either electronically, through computer-assisted interviewing/e-questionnaire, or on paper depending on the collection methodology selected for the survey.
  3. Transmission of completed information: Completed questionnaires in paper or electronic format are transmitted to Statistics Canada for further processing.

Regardless of the collection methodology employed, once data are collected they are transferred to, or captured on, Statistics Canada's closed, private computer network, which is logically isolated from publicly-accessible means of communications, thus ensuring the protection of data collected under the authority of the Statistics Act. Processing of Statistics Act data outside of this network is prohibited.

For any statistical program, direct collection will include one or more of the following:

  • Mail-out / Mail-back (self-enumeration)
  • Paper and Pencil Interviewing (PAPI)
  • Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)
  • Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) - Decentralized
  • Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) - Centralized
  • e-Questionnaire Service (web-based)
  • Collection of Human Biometrics and Biological Specimens
  • Collection of Information through the use of Monitoring Devices
  • Obtain records for a specific business (eg., financial statements) in addition to or in place of information provided on a questionnaire
  • Use of the E-file transfer service by a business to transmit its information in addition to or in place of information provided on a questionnaire

Wave collection: Statistics Canada recognizes that different respondents may have different preferences with respect to replying to requests for information. The wave approach to collection offers multiple opportunities and multiple modes for respondents. For example, a survey may first send a letter with a Secure Access Code (SAC) that a respondent may use to respond electronically using the e-Questionnaire service. Those that do not respond may then be called for a CATI interview, sent a paper questionnaire or be visited for a personal interview.

Mail-out / Mail-back (self-enumeration): Statistics Canada mails a questionnaire to each respondent in the survey. The questionnaire may:

  • be completely blank, and the respondent is asked to enter certain identifying information;
  • contain basic information, such as name or address;
  • contain detailed information about the respondent, such as information collected at a previous collection;

The respondent is asked to complete the questionnaire. Once completed, the respondent is asked to mail it back to Statistics Canada using the pre-addressed envelope included with the questionnaire.

Paper and Pencil Interviewing (PAPI): A Statistics Canada interviewer makes an appointment to visit the respondent's home. At that time, the interviewer asks the questions on the survey questionnaire and records the respondent's responses. PAPI interviewing may also be conducted by telephone, and the responses recorded on a paper questionnaire.

Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI): This method of collection is identical to PAPI, except that the questionnaire is electronic rather than on paper. The interviewer uses a computer that is owned by Statistics Canada and dedicated to data collection. The responses are entered into the computer.

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) - Decentralized: This method of collection is identical to CAPI, except that the collection takes place by telephone rather than in person. The interviewer calls the respondent from his/her home.

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) - Centralized: This method of collection is identical to decentralized CATI, except that the interviewer calls from a Statistics Canada office, rather than from home.

e-Questionnaire Service: Statistics Canada either mails a letter or sends an email to each respondent to inform them that they have been selected to take part in a Statistics Canada survey. The letter / email includes a Secure Access Code (SAC). The respondent uses the SAC to access the electronic questionnaire on Statistics Canada's web site. The respondent records the information directly. When completed, the information is stored in Statistics Canada's secure IT network.

Collection of Human Biometrics and Biological Specimens: For a small number of select surveys, Statistics Canada collects biometrics, such as height, weight and waist measurement, or biological specimens, such as blood and urine. The biological specimens must be sent to special laboratories for analysis so that the information may be used for statistical analysis. In most cases, Statistics Canada sends a report back to the respondent to inform on the results.

Collection of Information through the use of Monitoring Devices: As part of some surveys, respondents are asked to use monitoring devices that record specific information. Examples of monitoring devices that have been used are:

  • a monitor that a respondent wears to record level of activity;
  • a monitor to place in the home to record air quality;
  • sample of water quality (although not strictly speaking a monitoring device);
  • a monitor to place in the automobile to record driving information.

The monitor contains only an identification number that Statistics Canada can use to link to the individual and the information recorded by the device. No other personal information is recorded.

After the completion of the monitoring activity period, the device is sent to a designated facility to extract the information from the device and to delete the recorded information from the device. The designated facility forwards the information recorded on the device along with the device identification number to Statistics Canada.

Obtain records for a specific business (eg., financial statements) from that business in addition to or in place of information provided on a questionnaire: Rather than complete a questionnaire, Statistics Canada may ask respondents to send documents that they have already prepared. This is a means to reduce response burden. Statistics Canada would extract the information it needs from these documents.

Use of the E-file transfer service by a business to transmit its information in addition to or in place of information provided on a questionnaire: The E-file transfer service is primarily designed for the secure transmission of large files. In some cases, businesses may use it to transmit their electronic information.

E-file Transfer Service

This service was developed to permit secure electronic transmission of administrative files from other organizations to Statistics Canada. In addition to the uses described above, it provides for the secure transmission of large files from Statistics Canada to another organization, for such purposes as data sharing and data disclosure, when legally permitted.

Collection and Use of Phone Numbers and Email Addresses

Statistics Canada may contact respondents for collection by phone or email. It collects phone numbers and email addresses from respondents directly, from publicly-available sources as well as from a variety of administrative sources to which it has access. It is necessary to use all email addresses and phone numbers, including unlisted landline and cell phone numbers, to ensure that its surveys are representative of the population.

Statistics Canada treats all such phone and email contact information as confidential, and does not share it with any other organization, even within the Government of Canada. The confidentiality of Canadians’ phone and email contact information is assured by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada destroys its information on phone numbers and email addresses when they are no longer useful, so it does not retain information for phone numbers or email addresses that no longer exist, or that are no longer linked to a specific individual or to a specific residential address.

As it is not a telemarketing agency, Statistics Canada is not subject to the requirements of the Do Not Call list.

Appendix 4 – Corporations Returns Act

There is one statistical program administered by Statistics Canada that falls outside the scope of the Statistics Act. The Corporations Returns Act program is mandated by this separate Act.

Program Description

The purpose of the Corporations Returns Act (CRA) is to collect financial and ownership information on corporations conducting business in Canada and to use this information to evaluate the extent and effect of non-resident control of the Canadian corporate economy. The Corporations Returns Act requires that an annual report be submitted to Parliament summarizing the extent to which foreign control is prevalent in Canada.

According to the Act, corporations or a group of corporations under common control conducting business in Canada whose assets for the reporting period exceed 600 million dollars or whose gross revenue, from business conducted in Canada, exceeds 200 million dollars are required to provide financial and ownership information to Statistics Canada. Corporations, under these limits, but having long-term debt or equity owing directly or indirectly to non-residents in excess of a book value of 1 million dollars must report ownership information only. The Act stipulates anyone who fails to complete and file a return is guilty of an offence and may be subject to legal proceedings.

The CRA data is a primary source of information about the foreign control of enterprises and mergers and acquisitions. This information can be found in The Corporations Returns Act – Foreign Control in Canada, Statistics Canada catalogue no. 61-220, report to Parliament. In addition, the CRA data provides the ownership information required for the Inter-Corporate Ownership (ICO) (quarterly) Statistics Canada catalogue no. 61-517, a product providing detailed information on corporate structures at the micro data level.

This program requires the name and address of the principal shareholders of the corporations and the number of shares held by each of them.

The ownership information provided by businesses (on Schedule I) is not confidential. According to the Corporations Returns Act, C-43, Article 16, "that information shall be made available by the Minister of Industry for inspection by any person, on application at any reasonable time and on payment of such fee, not exceeding one dollar in respect of any one corporation, as may be prescribed".

However, any other financial information to which the Corporations Returns Act ownership information is linked is confidential in unaggregated form. For this reason, the financial data contained in the Corporations Returns Act - Foreign Control in Canada, Report to Parliament, is tabulated in aggregate form to protect the confidentiality of businesses.

Personal Information held by the Program

Due to the nature of the information collected, the Program has limited personal information. The program has the following personal information for each director, officer and/or shareholder of every reporting corporation:

  • Surname
  • First name
  • City
  • Province/Territory
  • Country
  • Title or position held
  • Citizenship

This personal information is included in Schedule I – Ownership return and in accordance with the Corporations Returns Act, C-43, Article 16, "that information shall be made available by the Minister of Industry for inspection by any person, on application at any reasonable time and on payment of such fee, not exceeding one dollar in respect of any one corporation, as may be prescribed".

Appendix 5 – Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM version 5.0, December 2013)

Levels 1 and 2 of the Generic Statistical Business Process Model

Footnotes:

Footnote 1

In some surveys, proxy reporting is accepted whereby the proxy provides information for another individual. The proxy must be knowledgeable enough to report accurate information and must have the consent (often implicit) of the individual to whom the information belongs.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Section 8: Information and Privacy Breach Protocol

Statistics Canada's statistical programs must meet agency standards for both IT and physical security. Physical security includes access controls to work places where personal information is stored, maintained or used, Identification cards for authorized individuals and monitoring cameras in public spaces. IT Security includes controlled physical access to the server for authorized personnel only, password protection for access to the server and to the database/tool, configuration and use of a firewall. For this reason, the threat and risk assessment (TRA) grid rates unauthorized access by either Statistics Canada employees or individuals outside Statistics Canada as low probability.

Upon discovery of an actual or suspected breach of security (however unlikely), the following steps would be taken:

  • Immediate notification of the Departmental Security Officer (Assistant Chief Statistician of Census, Operations and Communications Field) and the departmental Privacy Coordinator (Director, Information Management Division). Response could include suspending operation of the program(s).
  • In collaboration with Departmental Security and IT Security, there would be an internal investigation that would include recommendations to prevent any recurrence. Any investigation would document in detail the circumstances that gave rise to the privacy breach, and determine what information may have been breached, the impact of the breach, and what measures have been introduced to eliminate the risk of any subsequent breach.
  • In the case of a "material privacy breach", in accordance with the TBS Directive on Privacy Practices, Statistics Canada would notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS). "Material breaches" are those involving sensitive personal information and that could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury or harm to the individual.
  • Impacted individuals would be provided with an explanation of the situation and the steps being taken to remove the information from the possession of those not authorized to have it. Individuals would also be informed that they have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC). The OPC and TBS will be informed of the individual(s) whose information was disclosed, the investigation and what actions have been taken to prevent a re-occurrence.

The Protocol is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure continued relevance. Incident reports are reviewed regularly and lessons learned from incidents are incorporated into relevant policies, directives and survey practices.

Section 7: Summary of Analysis and Recommendations

A generic privacy impact assessment for Statistics Canada Statistical Programs  was conducted to determine if there were any associated privacy, confidentiality and security issues, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

This document summarizes Statistics Canada's assessment of the privacy implications of its Statistical Programs. It includes a review of the ten privacy principles as they apply to these programs. Also included is an assessment of the risks to the privacy, confidentiality and security of respondents'/participants' information.

While a number of potential privacy concerns have been identified, as expected, this assessment concludes that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards and additional safeguards that have been put in place, any remaining risks are either negligible or are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

There may be situations where a statistical program identifies privacy risks not covered in this generic PIA. In this event, either the newly identified risk(s) for a statistical activity will be assessed in a supplement to the generic PIA or a specific PIA may be conducted with respect to these additional risks.

Section 6: Threat and Risk Assessment

The purpose of this section is to assess potential threats and risks that could compromise privacy. It outlines existing Statistics Canada safeguards, the probability of occurrence of the threat, and the severity of the impact as it relates to the privacy and protection of personal information.

Statistics Canada currently employs numerous safeguards to reduce threat probabilities; these safeguards are described in agency policies, practices, tools and/or techniques.

Ratings for threat probability, impact and residual risk are defined and presented as follows:

Threat: An undesirable event with the potential to compromise privacy or breach data confidentiality.

Threat probability: The likelihood that the threat will occur, given the existing Statistics Canada safeguards. The threat probability is rated numerically.

  • Level 1: The threat can only come about through the use of very specialized knowledge and/or costly specialized facilities and/or a sustained effort. The threat is unlikely to occur.
  • Level 2: The threat requires some specialized knowledge and/or facilities and/or a special endeavor to create or take advantage of the threat opportunity. The threat is somewhat likely to occur.
  • Level 3: The threat opportunity is widely available and can occur either intentionally or accidentally with little or no specialized knowledge and/or facilities. The threat is very likely to occur.

Impact: The effect on the privacy of an individual in the event that a threat is realized and his or her information is compromised. The level or degree of impact is expressed in terms of outcome severity as it relates to individual privacy.

  • Level 1: Minor injury with no or minimal harm or embarrassment to the individual.
  • Level 2: Moderate injury causing some harm or embarrassment to the individual, but with no direct negative effects.
  • Level 3: Severe injury such as lasting harm or embarrassment that will have direct negative effects on an individual's career, reputation, financial position, safety, health or well-being.

Residual risk: A numeric rating is arrived at through an assessment and comparison of the threat probability and the impact to individual privacy.

Threat and Risk Assessment Grid: Statistics Canada Statistical Programs

  • TRA Grid A. Statistical Operations in Statistics Canada Head Office and its Regional Offices
  • TRA Grid B. Mail-out / Mail-back collection (MOMB)
  • TRA Grid C. Paper and Pencil Interview (PAPI)
  • TRA Grid D. Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)
  • TRA Grid E. Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing – Decentralized
  • TRA Grid F. Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing- Centralized
  • TRA Grid G. E-Questionnaire Service
  • TRA Grid H. Collection Management Portal (CMP)
  • TRA Grid I. Contracting for services where personal information is transmitted, stored or accessed at the contractor's place of business
  • TRA Grid J. Collection of Information through the use of Monitoring Devices
  • TRA Grid K. Obtain records for a specific business (eg., financial statements) from that business in addition to or in place of information provided on a questionnaire
  • TRA Grid L. Use of the E-file transfer service by a business to transmit its information in addition to or in place of information provided on a questionnaire
  • TRA Grid M. Threats and Risks Applicable to all Modes of Direct Data Collection
  • TRA Grid N. E-File Transfer service
  • TRA Grid O. Transmission of Administrative Records to Statistics Canada (when E-File Transfer Service is not used)
  • TRA Grid P. Data Collection from Children
  • TRA Grid Q. Longitudinal Survey Data Collection
  • TRA Grid R. Collection and Analysis of Human Biometrics and Biological Specimens
  • TRA Grid S. Collection of Individual Information Directly from a Public Web Site
  • TRA Grid T. Record Linkage and Data Integration
  • TRA Grid U. Statistics Canada Research Data Centres (RDCs)
  • TRA Grid V. Statistics Canada Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER)
  • TRA Grid W. Real Time Remote Access (RTRA)
  • TRA Grid X. Production and Dissemination of Public-Use Microdata Files (PUMFs)
  • TRA Grid Y. Production and Dissemination of Pre-release Microdata Files, Microdata Share Files, Work-in-progress datasets and Microdata Discretionary Disclosure Files (using E-File Transfer Service)
  • TRA Grid Z. Statistics Canada Official Release Process (excluding Pre-release) and Dissemination of Statistical Information
  • TRA Grid AA. Personal Information Collected from Clients of Statistical Information

Note: Individual Threat and Risk Assessment grids for Statistics Canada's statistical programs may be provided upon request by the Departmental Privacy Officer.

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