National Level CVs by Characteristic

National Level CVs by Characteristic
Month Sales of goods manufactured Raw materials and components inventories Goods / work in process inventories Finished goods manufactured inventories Unfilled Orders
%
August 2017 0.63 1.07 0.99 1.19 0.82
September 2017 0.64 1.09 1.01 1.21 0.81
October 2017 0.62 1.08 1.00 1.15 0.79
November 2017 0.62 1.07 1.01 1.11 0.84
December 2017 0.73 1.16 1.70 1.38 1.22
January 2018 0.62 1.10 1.50 1.42 1.19
February 2018 0.61 1.10 1.83 1.48 1.16
March 2018 0.63 1.18 1.59 1.37 1.17
April 2018 0.74 1.20 1.50 1.41 1.23
May 2018 0.76 1.11 1.44 1.39 1.16
June 2018 0.58 1.03 1.81 1.38 1.30
July 2018 0.58 1.03 1.14 1.32 1.17
August 2018 0.61 0.92 1.27 1.33 1.05

National Weighted Rates by Source and Characteristic, August 2018

National Weighted Rates by Source and Characteristic, August 2018
Characteristics Data source
Response or edited Imputed
%
Sales of goods manufactured 90.3 9.7
Raw materials and components 83.4 16.6
Goods / work in process 87.7 12.3
Finished goods manufactured 83.3 16.7
Unfilled Orders 93.0 7.0
Capacity utilization rate 74.9 25.1

Statistics Canada International Engagement Strategy 2024-28: working together to build a high-quality international statistical system for the future

Introduction

At Statistics Canada, we know the significant role that data play every day in the lives of Canadians. Reliable and robust data are fundamental to the development of evidence-based policy and decision making in an increasingly digital world. Data are a means by which countries understand their population, their economies and the environment. They enable measurement of progress and allow for governments to assess programs.

Our agency is recognized as a leading national statistical organization, providing high-quality, timely and credible data that respond to Canadians’ information needs.

Canada has much to offer and much to gain from participating in activities that contribute to sound and internationally comparable statistics. For example, Statistics Canada promotes the quality and coherence of both Canadian and global statistics through collaboration with international organizations, federal departments and agencies, and the provinces and territories. All of our international engagements are rooted in the United Nations 10 Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (FPOS) which help define what constitutes a good system of high-quality official statistics and what role that system should play in national government. The importance of credible official statistics and data from national statistical systems has been recognized globally as critically important in an expanding data ecosystem.

In this spirit of international cooperation, Statistics Canada is renewing its International Engagement Strategy for 2024-2028.

The strategy is built on four objectives underpinned with a strategic allocation of effort and resources:

  1. leveraging international efforts effectively to fulfill Statistics Canada’s mandate
  2. leading and encouraging global statistical standards to ensure comparability
  3. bringing leadership and expertise to the international table in support of innovation
  4. engaging in targeted, sustainable technical assistance.

Whether citizens are interested in assessing the impacts on their lives arising from globalization and digitalization, the geo-political situation, climate change, artificial intelligence, or other domestic or international events, Statistics Canada’s aim is to promote high-quality and comparable statistics that serve Canadians.

We strive to continue to be a leader in the global statistical community through an approach that is strategic, collaborative and innovative. Our renewed strategy and implementation plan reflect these aspirations.

André Loranger
Chief Statistician of Canada

Statistics Canada's International Mandate

Statistics Canada’s mandate is to foster international cooperation, and effective governance and accountability through strategic engagement in the international statistical system.

By collaborating and sharing best practices and expertise to develop internationally comparable statistical standards, innovative methods and techniques, we seek to enhance the quality and reliability of statistics produced in the international statistical system and provide targeted statistical capacity development that is sustainable and underpinned by the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.

What does that mean?

Strategic collaboration in the international statistical community enables Statistics Canada to lead by example and promotes the development and use of robust statistics and techniques. International collaboration also allows for the sharing of experiences and best practices which helps to ensure efficiency in the national statistical system. Thoughtful and effective international partnership also expands Canada’s influence in the areas of trade, global governance and the promotion of equality.

Promotion of adherence to international standards and frameworks enables a consistent and coherent picture of the economy, society and environment. At the national level, it supports evidence-based policy making and allows Canadian decision makers to draw valid and necessary comparisons between Canada’s performance and that of other countries, clarifying strengths and weaknesses. It also ensures sound statistics for use in international negotiations and commitments in areas important to Canadians, such as trade, investment and other key aspects of the economy, as well as migration, human rights, gender equality and the environment.

Knowledge and experience gained through various international activities supports the professional development of a modern, engaged, efficient and innovative work force. International knowledge-sharing offers unique opportunities for employees to explore other countries’ tools and methods, and fosters innovation at Statistics Canada.

Our strategic aims

Over the next four years, Statistics Canada will show leadership in implementing a focused, collaborative and innovative international strategy in order to maximize our impact internationally and further develop our national statistical system. It will align with relevant corporate and Government of Canada policies and priorities, while maintaining the independence and flexibility required to adapt to address global challenges.

The 4 objectives of the International Strategy are grounded in the UN Fundamental Principles of Official statistics and underpinned by the strategic allocation of effort and resources in all activities.

These objectives are:

  1. Leveraging international efforts effectively to fulfill Statistics Canada’s mandate (FPOS 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8).
  2. Leading and encouraging global statistical standards to ensure comparability (FPOS 3, 5, 9, 10).
  3. Bringing leadership and expertise to the international table in support of innovation (FPOS 1-10).
  4. Engaging in targeted, sustainable technical assistance (FPOS 9, 10).

The strategy will be implemented through the development of a plan that links to the international mandate and StatCan’s Strategic plans with measures to monitor and assess our activities.

Strengthening the statistical system in support of the Plan Sénégal Émergent

Through a 3-year, government of Canada-funded project, Statistics Canada provides technical assistance to the National Agency of Statistics and Demography of Senegal (ANSD) and the ministries responsible for education, vocational and technical training, food and nutrition security and extractive and agriculture sectors for the production of quality statistics. Reliable and credible statistics are needed to improve the strategic planning and programs monitoring and projects included in "Plan Sénégal Émergent", the national strategy for social and economic development, which aims to make Senegal an emerging country by 2035.

The project was approved on June 2, 2016 with funding of CAD $1 million and an end date of March 31, 2020.

Project activities include:

  • contributing to improved structures and mechanisms for coordination and collaboration between producers and users of statistical data;
  • supporting the implementation, by the various structures of the national statistical system, of good practices in financial management and human resources, provide training in techniques and methods of statistical surveys;
  • contributing to improved quality and reliability of the statistical output of the sectors targeted by budget support and supporting the implementation of a web-based dissemination policy for the entire national statistical system (NSS).

There are three main expected results for the project:

  • institutional strengthening of the ANSD and better coordination of the national statistical system (NSS);
  • capacity building in statistical production and
  • better quality of statistics produced by all structures belonging to the NSS.

Support to Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21)

With its stated mission to reduce poverty and improve governance in developing countries by promoting the integration of reliable statistics and data into the decision-making process, international consortium PARIS21 brings together stakeholders from developing countries, donor countries, including Canada, and multilateral and international organizations to address the challenges of producing and providing reliable, high-quality official statistics in a rapidly changing world.

A 3-year Government of Canada-funded project was approved on March 21, 2016, with funding of CAD $750,000 and an end date of March 31, 2019. Statistics Canada worked with PARIS21 to leverage knowledge and technical assistance skills and enable wider dissemination  of expertise internationally, including in Canada's countries of focus, by contributing to:

  • building statistical capacity in developing countries by improving the knowledge and skills required in developing countries' statistical systems;
  • improving the quality of statistics in developing countries;
  • increasing accountability in developing countries by having better statistical information that will provide better statistical information for policy makers including helping developing countries provide disaggregated data and information for priority  groups such as gender disaggregation, disability etc.; and
  • strengthening governance by improving the underlying statistical system.

Project for the Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean (PRASC)

The Project for the Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean (PRASC) is a Government of Canada-funded statistical capacity building project which targets 14 Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).  PRASC aims to strengthen the statistical systems of the participating Caribbean countries by addressing identified gaps to improve social-economic measures and support evidence-based policy making.

The project was approved on March 3, 2015 with funding of CAD $19.5 million and an end date of September 2023.

PRASC provides technical assistance to the Member States through focusing on the following four components to:

  1. Enhance the Systems of National Accounts, by introducing new compilation methods, improving data gaps and increasing adherence to international standards;
  2. Improve economic statistics by working on a robust business survey infrastructure;
  3. Improve social statistics, including sex-disaggregated social-economic indicators, by working on a robust survey infrastructure for household surveys; and
  4. Improve sharing of statistical information and expertise at the national and regional levels, by enhancing communication and dissemination strategies.

2018 Annual Electric Power Generating Stations Survey

Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)

Reporting guide

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2018 Annual Electric Power Generating Stations Survey. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.

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 information from this survey for statistical purposes.

Help Line: 1-877-604-7828

Definitions

Legal Name
The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting 'Not currently operational' and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating Name
The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

Current main activity of the business or organization
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS, are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational unit(s) targeted by this questionnaire only, and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

Commission year
Indicates the first year the turbine became active.

Electricity generation capacity
Indicates the maximum potential generation capacity of the turbine and not the actual generation value.

Principal fuel
Indicate the "primary" fuel used at this station. If this is a co-generation facility and the steam turbine is operated using recaptured waste heat, please indicate "Other fuels (waste heat)" as the fuel source.

Province
Please select the provincial location of each station from the menu provided.

Station
A station refers to a facility which generates electricity. Many stations contain multiple turbines.

Station detail
Indicate the station unit ID name and or unit number, the commission year of the unit, the unit's capacity and total capacity of the station.

Station latitude and longitude
If known please indicate as applicable.

Station name
Each station should be reported separately, as applicable. Indicate the name most commonly used when referring to the station.

Status
Please indicate if this station is:

  • Active – A unit which is operating normally through the majority of the reference year
  • Standby - A unit whose operation is temporarily inactive for the majority of the reference year or whose production is not part of the planned load, but is on hand ready to be used when needed (e.g. a back-up generator).
  • Decommissioned - A unit which has been permanently removed from service.

Turbine
A machine used for converting mechanical power to electrical power, typically through a rotor. In the case of solar electricity generating stations, a turbine refers to a solar array, comprised of photovoltaic cells.

Turbine ID
Indicates the identifier associated with an individual turbine.

Turbine type
Indicate which type of turbine is present at the station - Combustion Turbine, Hydraulic (Hydro) Turbine, Internal Combustion Turbine, Solar, Nuclear Steam Turbine, Conventional Steam Turbine, Tidal Power Turbine or Wind Power Turbine, Wave, Geothermal, or Other non-Combustibles.

Water source
In the case of hydraulic (hydro) stations, name the river or lake being utilized.

Thank you for your participation.

 

2017/2018 Year in Review: Modernization in motion (PDF, 7.88 MB)
  • 88% of Canadians trust Statistics Canada—a higher score than other government institutions, banks, polling companies and media (Source: Survey of Canadians' views on Statistics Canada, summer 2018).
  • One of Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2018.
  • One of the National Capital Region's Top Employers in 2018.

Table of Contents

  1. Message from the Chief Statistician of Canada
  2. One Hundred Years and Counting: Statistics Canada's centennial year
  3. Ensuring statistical programs remain relevant
  4. Increasing access to data and microdata to drive innovation and inclusion
  5. Mobilizing data using Statistics Canada's expertise as a world-leading data steward
  6. Increasing data literacy by building statistical capacity

Message from the Chief Statistician of Canada

Anil Arora - Chief Statistician of Canada

It is a great pleasure to showcase our collective accomplishments in 2017/2018 in this second edition of the Year in Review. This past year, Statistics Canada has been undergoing a period of exciting transformation. The many initiatives and projects featured here demonstrate the impact that we have on the lives of Canadians, and remind us all that our work serves a fundamental purpose. Together, we should be proud of our individual and collective contributions to modernizing Statistics Canada and helping to create a Canada with a data-driven society and economy.

Our work has just begun. We will continue to expand our role as Canada's national statistical agency to help Canadians understand and interpret statistics. We will deepen our collaboration with clients, stakeholders and partners to share best practices and expertise, build capacity, and generate new, innovative ideas. And, we must continue to modernize each step of the statistical process, and our workforce, so that we can take advantage of the many opportunities that our digital environment provides.

I encourage you—the backbone of this agency—to continue to aim high. I look forward to another successful year ahead. Thank you for all that you do.

Anil Arora
Chief Statistician of Canada

One Hundred Years and Counting: Statistics Canada's centennial year

Governor General Julie Payette

Governor General Julie Payette delivering a speech to nearly 500 employees during the official launch of Statistics Canada's centennial celebrations in the Jean Talon Cafeteria on March 16, 2018.

One Hundred Years and Counting: It's been quite the statistical century! In 2018, Statistics Canada turned 100 years old. Since 1918, the agency has played a pivotal role in the life of the nation, gathering information Canadians want and need. To mark this important milestone, Statistics Canada held a series of activities and events for staff, data users and Canadians to honour a century of growth and shed light on an even brighter future.

Centennial events and activities include:

  • the official launch with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada
  • a Happy Birthday StatCan event for staff which included a historical video from the 1971 Census to celebrate the passing of the Statistics Act on May 24, 1918
  • a panel discussion with Statistics Canada alumni
  • a historical exhibition at Library and Archives Canada
  • a national consultation week in recognition of World Statistics Day
  • a conference with the Association for Canadian Studies
  • an e-book showcasing the vital role that Statistics Canada continues to play in the history of our country
  • a weekly #ThrowbackThursday series on social media.
  • And, much more

Ensuring statistical programs remain relevant

Supporting modernization: With modernization at the top of our agenda, managers and employees are adapting to new realities, evolving to meet the needs of Canadians, and providing sound advice on the agency's modernization through a series of activities and events. This year, the agency's Executive Management Board was restructured into four new committees, each with a clear mandate to facilitate experimentation, innovation and action.

New executive management committees

  • Strategic Management Committee
  • Corporate Planning Committee
  • Modernization Management Committee
  • Operations Committee.

Modernization in action

All levels of Statistics Canada's management team made important contributions to the agency's transformation this year, discussing their ideas and vision for the future at a number of events, including:

  • the 2018 Middle Managers' Conference, an annual meeting to share information, stimulate ideas, and encourage networking and discussion
  • a one-day leadership engagement session for directors general
  • a one-day strategic planning session for assistant chief statisticians.
Chief Statistician Anil Arora with the organizing committee of the Middle Managers’ Conference held in February in Gatineau, Québec.

Chief Statistician Anil Arora with the organizing committee of the 2018 Middle Managers' Conference held in February in Gatineau, Quebec.

As Statistics Canada's backbone, employees are eager to learn about and discuss modernization ideas and activities. They used a variety of platforms, including:

  • an organizational culture profile survey
  • two town hall sessions about modernization and the modern and flexible workplace
  • sessions to develop a vision statement to help guide the transformation
  • working groups with modernization "change agents" to brainstorm ideas about where the agency is going and how it's getting there
  • a series of one-hour presentations on the four pathfinder projects
  • the Modernization Bulletin, a new monthly newsletter that provides updates on modernization and the people and ideas behind it.
Statistics Canada employees discuss their ideas and share their views at a town hall session held in June 2018 to develop a vision statement.

Statistics Canada employees at a town hall session held in June 2018.

A growing framework: Today, Statistics Canada is developing a suite of economic and social indicators on the consumption, production and distribution of cannabis from 1961 onwards, thanks to a number of innovative projects, surveys and technological solutions. These include crowdsourcing cannabis data collection, using wastewater to estimate aggregate consumption and conducting the quarterly National Cannabis Survey. Not surprisingly, the agency's green file garnered a significant amount of media and international attention for taking a leading-edge approach to measuring what is still an illegal substance.

James Tebrake, Director General of the Macroeconomic Accounts Branch, and recipient of the 2018 APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation.

James Tebrake, Director General of the Macroeconomic Accounts Branch, was the recipient of the 2018 APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation.

That's a wrap on 2016! To 2021, and beyond…

The census is the agency's largest program, and the past year marked an important transition between census years:

  • The Census Program achieved its goal of completing its main releases within 18 months of Census Day, providing greater use of timely data to our users.
  • Statistics Canada finished releasing the 2016 Census of Agriculture data, which showed how the sector is moving away from traditional family farms toward corporate agricultural operations. More extensive outreach efforts took place in 2017/2018, and more than 300 thematic maps were loaded onto the Federal Geospatial Platform.
  • The Census Program Transformation Project continued to develop the Statistical Population Register, and the first version of the Statistical Building Register was completed. Together, these registers could be the foundation of a future census model, combining data from administrative sources with data from direct enumeration.
  • The Census Program continues to develop new tools, including a variety of interactive charts on income, immigration and labour, and a new dashboard—the Census Program Data Viewer, an advanced web-based data visualization tool.
  • Thousands of staff are being hired in preparation for the 2021 Census. An innovative approach to personnel security screening is automating and speeding up parts of the process. This will eventually be adopted agency-wide.
  • From September 2017 to February 2018, Statistics Canada received more than 2,800 online submissions during the public consultation on how census data are used, making it the most expansive census consultation to date. Statistics Canada also held about 60 discussions with Indigenous groups across the country and met with numerous federal government stakeholders and advisory committees about the 2021 Census. Preliminary findings reveal that two-thirds of data users are satisfied with current census content.
From left to right: Jane Badets, Marc Hamel, Connie Graziadei, Anil Arora and Gabrielle Beaudoin cut the cake at an event celebrating the final release of the 2016 Census.

From left to right: Jane Badets, Marc Hamel, Connie Graziadei, Anil Arora and Gabrielle Beaudoin cut the cake at an event celebrating the final release of the 2016 Census.

Supporting Canada's transportation network and infrastructure: In 2017, the Government of Canada announced funding to build the Canadian Centre on Transportation Data, which includes the Transportation Data and Information Hub on the Statistics Canada website. Developed in partnership with Transport Canada, the virtual data centre is designed to increase Canadians' understanding of the transportation sector and its economic and social role. Early achievements include publishing the Canadian Freight Analysis Framework, and releasing the Canadian Transportation Economic Account and the Infrastructure Economic Account.

Enriching Canadians' understanding of clean tech: In support of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Statistics Canada is working to improve its data on clean technology by redesigning the Environmental and Clean Technology Products Economic Account and the Survey of Environmental Goods and Services.

Increasing the timeliness and relevance of data: Responding to the need for more timely information on hate crimes in Canada, Statistics Canada released these data seven months earlier than in previous years. Income estimates from the 2017 Canadian Income Survey were also released two months sooner—making it the earliest release in more than 20 years.

Learning more about the digital economy: Canada's digital economy is transforming the ways in which goods and services are delivered to, and consumed by, Canadians. To learn more about what's called the "sharing economy," Statistics Canada conducted a rapid response survey of households on their use of digital platforms and technologies. Similarly, a new digital economic account was developed in collaboration with U.S. counterparts.

Reporting on the public service: With 86 participating departments and agencies in 2017, Statistics Canada conducted the largest Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) to date. The 2017 PSES results provided reliable and timely information on the views of employees on many aspects of their workplace, workforce and leadership, and the agency did this in a more cost-effective and timely manner than before.

Reinstating the University and College Academic Staff System (UCASS): In 2016, Statistics Canada reinstated UCASS and released its data six months earlier than before. Now, the agency is partnering with provincial education ministries, national education associations and other departments to include colleges and part-time teachers, and to collect information on equity, diversity and inclusion in the academic community. Leading-edge methods are being used to forecast the participation of women in academia and their career trajectories.

Modernizing statistical programs: As the agency continues to modernize its Labour Statistics Program, it is also engaging with data users in new and interesting ways, including on Reddit. Other work is underway to use Power BI as a visualization tool for monthly labour results, and the agency is working with its key partners and international labour bodies to improve its measurement of non-standard employment and the quality of work.

For the General Social Survey (GSS), Statistics Canada is using user-centric design techniques and innovative tools such as Reddit to raise awareness of, and participation in, the GSS and to glean more insights from Canadians on social data needs. Design testing for the GSS on Time Use is also underway, as well as the exploration of applications to collect data on time use, well-being and other diary-based data.

Redesigning surveys and using faster collection tools: In 2017/2018, the Operations and Integration Division redesigned and enhanced more than 120 surveys in partnership with subject-matter areas. Smaller, more concise collection tools such as Rapid Stats surveys and fast-track options were also developed and promoted across the agency for topics such as opioid awareness.

Maintaining survey collection activities in the regions: Even with the increased use of administrative data, a strong need for surveys and data collection across the country will remain. The agency's computer-assisted personal interviewers and computer-assisted telephone interviewers continued to carry out this role in 2017/2018, making more than 14.0 million phone calls for nearly 250 surveys.

Improving collection operations: A research unit has been working to monitor and report on the changes in collection operations to reduce the number of follow-ups to respondents. Over the past few years, this research has had a direct impact on response rates. For the National Graduates Survey, for example, the agency's expected response rate was 15%, but it is currently surpassing this target and is sitting at 35%.

An innovative procurement strategy: Thanks to the recent successes of Statistics Canada's procurement strategy, the agency is now a member of the government-wide Agile Procurement Working Group. Other activities are also underway to make procurement processes simpler and less burdensome for Canadians.

Modernizing the Statistical Information Service: It has been a busy year for this team, which saw user demand peak with the final releases of census data. In addition to this work, the focus has been on modernizing the services offered through the regions and creating a nation-wide network of data service centres (DSCs). Working with partners across the agency, these centres will act as hubs for client service provision, outreach, statistical capacity building and alternative data discovery. The first DSC is projected to launch in Toronto later this fall.

Increasing access to data and microdata to drive innovation and inclusion

Leading the Government of Canada Data Strategy: As Statistics Canada is well aware, data are transforming how governments interact with citizens, businesses, organizations and each other, forcing organizations to shift their focus, build new expertise and devise new ways of working.

Recognizing the key role Statistics Canada is playing in the data revolution, the Clerk of the Privy Council Office (PCO) invited the agency to join forces with PCO and Treasury Board Secretariat to spearhead a Government of Canada Data Strategy to ensure data are used as a strategic asset across the federal government and its partners. Goals include ensuring better governance, increasing evidence-based decision making, improving services to Canadians, and providing greater usability and availability of data.

The Clerk received an interim report in April 2018, and a final report will be submitted in September. This work, like Modernization itself, is an opportunity for Statistics Canada to shine, and demonstrate its capacity, expertise and enthusiasm to better support the Public Service of Canada.

Government of Canada Data Strategy Guiding Principles

  • Client-centred
  • Purposeful
  • Trusted
  • Agile
  • Open
  • Enabling

Mobilizing international statistics: International trade and foreign investment dominated Canadian economic policy in 2017/2018. Over the past year, Statistics Canada significantly increased the amount of data available to policy makers in support of ongoing trade negotiations. The agency undertook a reconciliation study with China on trade in goods and services, and expanded the Canada and the World Statistics Hub—an online portal that provides information related to Canada's economic and financial activity in the world. The agency also released new data on the integration of the Canadian economy in global value chains. For example, Statistics Canada can now report the value of U.S. imported content embedded in a car exported out of Ontario, or the number of jobs in British Columbia generated by goods exported from Alberta to the United States.

Sharing and collaborating with colleagues: In 2018, Statistics Canada hosted the Human Resources (HR) Data Analytics Open House for nearly 90 HR specialists from 41 federal institutions and the University of Ottawa. The event showcased results from the 2017 Public Service Employee Survey using the business analytics tool Power BI. Since April 2018, employees from across the public service have accessed approximately 20,000 reports per month, and Statistics Canada has established 15 partnerships with other government departments to give advice and support in analyzing HR data.

Increasing virtual access to data: In partnership with Compute Canada, work is underway to modernize the IT infrastructure in Statistics Canada's research data centres (RDCs) to build on the agency's business and security processes, and foster greater access to data for academic and policy research. The agency is also piloting virtual infrastructure that provides access to linked administrative and business data for its federal and provincial partners. More than 80 new files have been added to the RDC collection since April 2017.

Providing data analytics as a service: The Informatics Branch is establishing data analytics as a service, which will enable the delivery of business capabilities in a more agile, responsive manner. Key components include a data management hub, data ingestion services, data analysis using artificial intelligence, machine learning techniques and high-performance data processing. It will also enable others to use the data and increase the presence of Statistics Canada products on a larger scale across Canada. External partners will be able to collaborate, through new leading-edge tools and easy access to more data.

Digital innovation: The Informatics Branch created the Innovation (Tech) Radar, capturing experimental activities, techniques and technologies across the agency and organizing them by relevance, maturity, vendor and subject. The branch also provided a transparency tool that lets all players across the agency see what is going on in the experimental "mode 2" space. These innovations are helping increase access to data—which, in turn, is fuelling more innovation.

Developing and piloting new tools: The Random Tabular Adjustment prototype, developed in methodology, has been designed to increase access to tabular data. It was piloted with several business surveys. The Analytical Studies Branch also piloted the Canadian Synthetic Longitudinal Business Database, facilitating new research and improving access to business microdata. In geomatics, the agency continued to adopt new technologies for collecting and disseminating data in spatial dimensions, including new "map-to-data" features on the Statistics Canada website for geospatial visualization, research and analytics. The agency also piloted the use of satellite imagery for the National Road Network, and collected Global Positioning System coordinates to assist with the number of dwellings for social surveys and the building register.

Bringing gender and diversity into focus

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) is an analytical tool to assess how groups of women, men and gender-diverse people are affected by various policies, programs and initiatives.

  • Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion: Tied to initiatives launched by the Government of Canada, and in collaboration with Status of Women Canada, Statistics Canada is developing a Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics. The Centre will report on gender, diversity and inclusion in Canada, generate new information and build statistical capacity for analyzing data and statistics, helping other departments with their commitments to GBA+.
  • Reporting on unfounded criminal incidents: In 2006, Statistics Canada decided to no longer publish data on unfounded incidents. In 2017, there were significant public discussions around sexual violence in news reports and on social media, which may have had an impact on the willingness of victims to report sexual assaults to police. In 16 months, together with the policing community and other stakeholders, Statistics Canada reached national consensus on new definitions, developed and provided training, and reinstated data collection on unfounded incidents for all crimes, including sexual assaults. This culminated in the release of a report and the dissemination of new data on unfounded incidents on July 23, 2017.
  • The Survey of Safety in Private and Public Spaces was launched in April 2018 to improve information on the nature and extent of various forms of gender-based violence in the general population. The survey results will include new indicators of intimate partner violence, and sexual and physical assault. The agency is working on other data collection initiatives focused on gender-based violence in the workplace and among postsecondary students, helping to lay the foundation for greater action on gender-based violence in Canada.

Finding data just got easier: Based on feedback from its users, the agency is changing the way it disseminates information to take advantage of evolving technology, increase user satisfaction, and make it easier for users to find the data they need. Data users can now harvest online data for further analysis in their own environment through the agency's web data services.

Other significant improvements and activities:

  • A new public opinion research survey was conducted in 2018, and an extensive client satisfaction survey will be launched later in 2018/2019.
  • Twenty new products underwent qualitative testing.

In the news! New official release products: The Daily, Statistics Canada's official release bulletin, introduced a series of new products in 2017/2018, including the following:

  • The Canada 150 Chronicles: Released in The Daily, these sidebars provide historical context on various topics, showcasing the depth and breadth of agency data.
  • The Weekly Review: This summarizes the past week's top stories and data in The Daily.
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Block: This "information block" provides context around the agency's work on the 17 SDGs—a set of global goals to help the world's most vulnerable while leaving no one behind.
  • The Review of Economic Statistics: This video series presents discussions on the economic statistics of the previous two weeks.
  • A social media maven: Research shows that Canadians have an increased appetite for social media and visual representations of data. The agency recently developed a new social media strategy to expand its well-established presence on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and launched an official Reddit account in April 2018. Statistics Canada also produced 42 infographics and countless other visuals, including placemats, infobytes, videos and GIFs. These products continue to generate high-level engagement.

Increasing internal engagement: Born from the success of Talking Stats, The Data Story was introduced in 2017 as an internal discussion series with data experts about statistics in various fields. These presentations, held throughout the year, provide an opportunity for employees to connect and better understand each other's work and Canada's evolving data needs.

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

From left to right: Fabrice Mosseray, Richard Evans and Gabrielle Beaudoin prepare to film a bi-weekly episode of the Review of Economic Statistics.

Mobilizing data using Statistics Canada's expertise as a world-leading data steward

Amending the Statistics Act: Statistics Canada's independence was formalized in December 2017, when the Statistics Actwas amended. The updated legislation gives the Chief Statistician authority for statistical decisions and increases the transparency of government decisions concerning national statistical programs. To ensure transparent data stewardship, Statistics Canada created a new website module—Accountability under the Statistics Act.

Connecting with the world: This year, Statistics Canada continued to engage with statistical organizations around the world:

  • The agency was appointed to the United Nations Statistical Commission for the 2018‑to‑2021 term, and discussed modernization with counterparts in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and India, among others.
  • Statistics Canada is leading the High-Level Group for the Modernisation of Official Statistics (HLG-MOS), which is a group of committed chief statisticians who are actively steering the modernization of statistical organizations.
  • Statistics Canada participated in a peer review of Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography compliance with the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development's Good Statistical Practice.
  • Statistics Canada participated with representatives from other national statistical offices and the World Bank in a round table discussion focusing on improving the National Statistical System of India.
  • The agency's revised International Engagement Strategy—launched in April 2018—emphasizes being focused, collaborative and progressive.
  • In May 2018, the Government of Canada launched the Sustainable Development Goal Data Hub, hosted by Statistics Canada.
  • Statistics Canada continued its capacity building with international engagement initiatives, such as the Project for the Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean.
  • The agency also headed and participated in a number of task forces on various topics.

New and improved data tools: Across the agency, there were several projects to improve existing tools and develop new ones. There was significant progress on:

  • Updated versions of the Administrative Data Handbook and Administrative Data Inventory were released to help coordinate corporate needs and develop communication materials.
  • The Social Policy Simulation Database and Model—a tax and transfer simulation tool—was used in new ways to support the National Housing Strategy and the distributions of household economic accounts.
  • In January 2018, employees began using GCdocs—the agency's new corporate repository for managing unstructured information—and more than 3,000 employees will have access by the end of September.
  • The Operations and Integration Division and the System Engineering Division developed a tool that promotes auto-coding of datasets. This allows subject-matter experts to analyze, interpret and disseminate data in a timelier manner.
  • Statistics Canada created the Data Science Accelerator Hub, where data scientists work with subject-matter analysts, methodologists and IT specialists to develop big data processing strategies.
  • The agency developed a tool to help statistical programs better assess the confidential nature of data and provide a consistent classification system. The tool determines where employees can work with a data file and who outside the agency can access it.

Integrating data: Connecting information from new sources inside and outside the agency allows the agency to create new data to address key policy and research questions. In 2017/2018, Statistics Canada continued to mobilize data in new ways through linkage projects:

  • Data from the Canadian Housing Statistics Program about non-resident homeownership in Toronto and Vancouver were published in December 2017. In 2018, Statistics Canada published information on this topic for all census metropolitan areas and census subdivisions in Ontario and British Columbia, and will provide a more comprehensive set of housing data by 2022. The program's database was built by linking a multitude of administrative files from both inside and outside the agency.
  • The agency initiated a pilot project with Surrey, British Columbia, earlier this year in partnership with first responders, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, health authorities, Public Safety Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Government of British Columbia. The aim is to bring many datasets together and to use predictive models to better understand the social determinants related to adverse opioid events for better program development and prevention.
  • The agency is working with Saskatchewan, Public Safety Canada, the Department of Justice and the academic sector to bring together key data files and predictive modelling to look at individual pathways through the justice system and the social determinants of offenders. The goal is to help provide hard evidence that programs can use to intervene at the right time.
  • The Health Analysis Division used Statistics Canada's record linkage capacity to estimate national-level models for the prediction of cardiovascular disease.
  • The Social Data Linkage Environment continued to grow, creating rich integrated data files from across multiple social domains that address key social issues and research questions.
  • The Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Linkage Platform now includes postsecondary and apprenticeship data from all jurisdictions across Canada, integrated with tax data. Building on multiple administrative data sources and other files, the database provides information on student pathways through postsecondary education and their outcomes in the labour market after graduation.
  • Statistics Canada contributed to the Treasury Board Secretariat's review of federal programs that support business innovation and clean technology. The agency collected all program microdata and linked them to its Linkable File Environment to produce detailed statistical tables for variables of interest. Budget 2018 provided ongoing funding for this successful project.

 

Chief Statistician Anil Arora and Evan Siddall, President and CEO of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, sign an historical agreement to improve housing data in Canada.

Chief Statistician Anil Arora and Evan Siddall, President and CEO of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, sign an historical agreement to improve housing data in Canada.

Finding data in new places: Statistical organizations around the world are facing challenges in reaching respondents and keeping respondent burden at a minimum. In many cases, the answer is administrative data. This year, Statistics Canada spearheaded several projects to explore alternative data sources:

  • The International Tourism Growth Measures pathfinder project is mobilizing payment data, cellphone data and new administrative data from the Canada Border Services Agency.
  • For the Financial Transactions Feasibility Project, the agency is working with the Canadian Bankers Association and key banks. Their data could be used to measure household expenditures, replacing in whole, or in large part, the Survey on Household Spending.
  • The agency replaced 24% of collected price information with scanner and web-scraped data used in the Consumer Price Index.
  • For the Hackathon on Labour Market Intelligence, multidisciplinary teams produced prototypes to help with modern-day recruitment and retention in the public service. One team used web scraping of résumés and machine learning to identify the qualifications and skills of job seekers to better position the federal government to attract skilled people to the public service.
  • Health data from the Carrot Rewards app were acquired and analyzed to determine whether they can be used to produce small area estimates.
  • The Operations and Integration Division led the Administrative Data Pre-Processing (ADP) initiative. The ADP committee collaborated with internal partners to support the promotion and use of administrative data.
  • The Federal-Provincial-Territorial Consultative Council on Statistical Policy is leading the development of a complete inventory of the data holdings in each province and territory to facilitate future data-sharing efforts.

Conducting research to inform policy: Statistics Canada analysts continued to produce influential research on a range of topics, including:

  • the impact of heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests on the finances of Canadian families
  • the financing, survival and job creation of immigrant-owned businesses
  • the earnings of temporary foreign workers, international students and other non-permanent residents in Canada
  • skills associated with entry-level and long-term job vacancies
  • the labour force participation of mothers after family support programs were implemented
  • education and employment among early Indigenous mothers.

Increasing data literacy by building statistical capacity

Providing statistical instruction: In the past year, Statistics Canada has been helping to increase data literacy inside and outside the agency. The first stage of a partnership with Elections Canada, which includes a capacity-building course for employees in both organizations, was completed in May 2018. The agency also delivered a new training initiative called "Analysis 101: Making Sense of the Numbers" to Statistics Canada participants in Ottawa and Toronto, and to participants at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Helping users understand the data: Simply publishing data is not enough—users must be able to understand them. In September 2017, the agency published the Data Quality Toolkit to raise awareness of data quality assurance practices. And with the release of the annual crime data in July 2018, Statistics Canada developed the Canadian Community Crime Tracker. This advanced web-based data visualization tool makes statistical information on crime and justice more easily accessible and interpretable. Other visualization tools were used to help users understand census data (the Census Program Data Viewer) and to highlight key social policy issues, such as nutrition, opioid awareness and housing. The Census Program also published other innovative tools, including interactive charts related to income, immigration and labour.

Building partnerships: In addition to the partnership with Elections Canada, Statistics Canada took part in several collaborative efforts this year. With Employment and Social Development Canada, the agency led an interdepartmental working group to support the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy in October 2017. The agency also formalized a partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to share the delivery of the Minerals and Metals Production Statistics Program. Statistics Canada took over roughly 40 mining surveys from NRCan, and 10 NRCan staff were deployed to the agency. With the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the agency is beginning to design, construct and disseminate neighbourhood-level health indicators for adults and children. The agency is also partnering with academic institutions, including Ryerson University. Statistics Canada is working with Ryerson on solutions that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to code and analyze reports from medical examiners to better identify and monitor issues around unexpected deaths.

Collaboration within the agency: Divisions worked together to collect statistics and optimize services using a variety of methods. These included Flexercise—a questionnaire about readiness for a modern and flexible workplace—and client satisfaction surveys. The Operations and Integration Division also worked with the Macroeconomic Accounts Branch to develop a collection tool to help European statistical agencies collect satellite account information.

Building statistical capacity among Indigenous peoples: With the Indigenous Statistical Capacity Development Initiative, Statistics Canada is engaging with national Indigenous organizations and providing statistical capacity building grounded in the needs of Indigenous peoples. Five new Aboriginal Liaison Advisors, including a dedicated advisor for the Inuit Nunangat, joined the Aboriginal Liaison Program to increase outreach and statistical capacity building. The agency is exploring partnerships to support collection, analysis and dissemination in the North and to increase employment through the Nunavut Inuit Labour Force Analysis. Statistics Canada is also committed to supporting Inuit youth employment. Beginning in September 2018, the agency will host up to two Inuit students in work placements.

Standardizing approaches to statistics: The agency released new standards on gender and sex and on cannabis industries and products, developed in partnership with federal departments and international organizations. The 2017 Ecological Land Classification was also released. It transforms a Government of Canada geospatial standard into a hierarchical structure for statistical purposes. And Statistics Canada helped revise the international Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose—a Canadian version of it will be implemented in the Canadian macroeconomic accounts and the Consumer Price Index.

Analytics in the Finance Branch: The Finance Branch became an analytics leader in the Government of Canada finance community by adopting an open data approach and essentially crowdsourcing analytics to all branch employees. The branch also used engagement strategies such as hackathons, learning activities and job shadowing. Building this internal capacity enabled the branch to increase several performance indicators, develop new tools, and finish harmonizing business processes between headquarters and regional offices.

Assistant chief statisticians Sylvie Michaud and Monia Lahaie observe the work of employees at one of the many hackathons that took place in 2017/2018

Assistant chief statisticians Sylvie Michaud and Monia Lahaie observe the work of employees at one of the many hackathons that took place in 2017/2018.

A modern workplace with an engaged workforce

These accomplishments would not have been possible without dedicated employees working to make the agency as modern, efficient and healthy as possible.

At a glance:

  • Almost 1,600 people attended town hall sessions on the modern and flexible workplace in fall 2017 (about 30% of all employees).
  • About 5,000 new IT devices designed to enhance mobility, such as tablets, were deployed to 96% of employees.
  • The IT organizational chart now includes a Chief Technology Officer, Business Relationship Manager and Chief Information Officer.
  • Wi-Fi, a new secure remote access solution and the ability to work from a single physical device are coming.
  • Statistics Canada developed a strategy to completely migrate its infrastructure to the cloud by 2022.
  • Construction was finalized on six floors in the National Capital Region and in the Toronto regional office, modernizing the workspace of over 700 employees.
  • The 6th and 9th floors of the R.H. Coats Building were modernized as activity-based workplaces—these are among the first in federal government organizations.
  • To improve communication and team cohesion, the Employee Development and Wellness Division accommodated 156 managers at several “Managing from a distance” sessions.
  • A video message from senior management about integrity and respect—Our Workplace, Our Responsibility—received over 1,400 views in its first three months.
  • The Workplace Wellness Committee planned and hosted 34 wellness events, and over 900 employees attended events delivered by Human Resources' mental health team.
  • The compensation team is working hard to address pay issues—Statistics Canada has seen a 57% decrease in? pay issues since September 2017.
  • Statistics Canada was named one of the National Capital Region's Top Employers for 2018 and one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People.

Questionnaire – Financial Information of Community Colleges and Vocational Schools
For the fiscal year ending in 2017

Tourism and Centre for Education Statistics Division

This information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S19.

Confidential when completed
(Le français est disponible)

Voluntary survey

Although your participation in this survey is voluntary, your cooperation is important so that the information collected will be as accurate and complete as possible.

Survey purpose

Results from this survey allow users a better understanding of the financial position (income and expenditures) of all community colleges and public vocational schools in Canada. Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Confidentiality

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

Financial Year Ending: Day, Month, Year (2017)

Identification of the institution

  • Name of institution
  • Address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province
  • Postal code
  • Check the appropriate boxes
    • Type
      • Public
      • Private
    • Governing authority
      • Province or territory
      • Board

Identification of the reporting officer

  • Name and title of reporting officer
  • Address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province
  • Postal code
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Fax number
  • Signature of the reporting officer
  • Day, Month, Year

Does your institution offer courses at the elementary-secondary level, other than those academic upgrading courses such as Adult Basic Education which should be reported in this questionnaire?

  • Yes
  • No

If yes, please exclude revenues and expenditures relating to that level of education.

Instructions

  1. Please read the guidelines carefully.
  2. All amounts should be expressed in thousands of dollars ($'000).
  3. Indicate estimated amounts with an asterisk (*).

Affiliated institutions or campuses included in this report

Affiliated institutions or campuses partially included in this report

Affiliated institutions or campuses excluded from this report

Schedule 1 – Operating, Sponsored Research and Capital Income
Table summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Types Funds
Operating
($'000)
Sponsored Research
($'000)
Capital
($'000)
Total
($'000)
Government Grants and Contracts        
FederalSchedule 1 footnote *        
1. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
       
2. Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
       
3. Canadian Institutes of Health Research
       
4. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
       
5. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
       
6. Other federal
       
Provincial        
7. Regular Grants
       
8. CFI Matching Fund
       
9. Other
       
10. Municipal
       
Fees        
11. Postsecondary Programs
       
12. Trade Vocational Programs
       
13. Continuing Education Programs
       
14. Other
       
Bequests, Donations, Non-Government Grants        
15. Business Enterprises and Individuals
       
16. Non-profit Organizations and Foundations
       
17. Sub-total
       
18. Investment Income        
19. Ancillary Enterprises (Gross)Schedule 1 footnote **        
20. Borrowings        
21. Miscellaneous        
22. Interfund TransfersSchedule 1 footnote ***        
23. Total Income        
Schedule 1 footnote *

As highlighted in Section VI.4 in the Guidelines, amounts reported here should relate only to payments received directly by the institution.

Return to Schedule 1 footnote * referrer

Schedule 1 footnote **

Total should correspond with figures reported in the supporting schedule A.

Return to Schedule 1 footnote ** referrer

Schedule 1 footnote ***

Total interfund transfers must equal to zero.

Return to Schedule 1 footnote *** referrer

Schedule 2A – Operating, Sponsored Research and Capital Expenditures by Function and by Type
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Types of Expenditures Functions
Operating Sponsored Research
($'000)
Capital
($'000)
Total
($'000)
Instruction and non-sponsored researchSchedule 2A footnote * ($'000) Library
($'000)
General Administration
($'000)
Physical Plant
($'000)
Student Services
($'000)
Total Operating
($'000)
Salaries and Wages                  
1. Teachers
                 
2. Other
                 
3. Fringe Benefits                  
4. Library Acquisitions                  
5. Operational Supplies and Expenses                  
6. Utilities                  
7. Furniture and Equipment                  
8. Scholarships and Other Related Students Support                  
9. Fees and Contracted Services                  
10. Debt Services                  
11. Buildings                  
12. Land and Site Services                  
13. Miscellaneous                  
14. Transfers to/from                  
15. Ancillary Enterprises (Gross)Schedule 2 footnote **                  
16. Total Expenditures                  
Schedule 2A footnote *

The figures in this column should be identical to the appropriate ones in column 5 (column total), schedule 2B.

Return to Schedule 2A footnote * referrer

Schedule 2A footnote **

Total should correspond with figures reported in the supporting schedule A.

Return to Schedule 2A footnote ** referrer

Schedule 2B – Direct Instruction Expenditures by Program Cost Groups
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
Types of Expenditures Programs
Postsecondary Programs Trade and Vocational Programs
($'000)
Continuing Education Programs
($'000)
TotalSchedule 2B footnote * ($'000)
University Transfer
($'000)
Career
($'000)
Salaries and Wages          
1. Teachers
         
2. Other
         
3. Fringe Benefits          
4. Operational Supplies and Expenses          
5. Furniture and Equipment          
6. Fees and Contracted Services          
7. Miscellaneous          
8. Transfers to/from          
9. Total Instruction Expenditures          
Schedule 2B footnote *

The figures in this column should be identical to the appropriate ones in column 1 (column instruction and non-sponsored research), schedule 2A.

Return to Schedule 2B footnote * referrer

Supporting Schedule A – Ancillary Enterprises
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada. This table contains no data.
  Total Income Total Expenditures
Operating
($'000)
Capital
($'000)
Operating
($'000)
Capital
($'000)
Bookstores        
Food Services        
Residences        
Parking        
Other        
TotalSchedule A footnote *        
Schedule A footnote *

Total should correspond with figures reported in schedules 1 and 2A.

Return to Schedule A footnote * referrer

Observations and Comments
Table Summary
This is an empty data table used by respondents to give their observations and comments. This table contains no data.
Description
(Fund, Function, Type of Income, Expenditure)
Comments
   
   
   
   
   
   

Guidelines – Financial Information of Community Colleges and Vocational Schools
For the fiscal year ending in 2017

I. Introduction

The main objective of this survey is to obtain detailed revenue and expenditure data on each college and vocational school in Canada. Coupled with what is already available for the university sector, this gathering of data will provide a complete picture of the financial statistics of postsecondary education as well as vocational training in Canada.

The following notes provide the principles, definitions and guidelines necessary for the completion of the data form. Since it is desirable to obtain figures as comparable as possible from one institution to another, each respondent is requested to:

  • provide accompanying notes of explanation in the observations and comments section of the submission for figures that do not follow the guidelines;
  • provide comments on items which are excluded from the data, such as cases where provinces are making contributions to repay debt on behalf of an institution or material gifts received as donated service along with their estimated market value;
  • estimates should be made whenever possible if income and expenditure figures are not readily available in the required format from the financial records of the institution. When estimates are made they should be indicated with an asterisk (*).

II. Submission

The final deadline for the submission is indicated in the covering letter. The completed questionnaire(s) should be returned in the self-addressed envelope provided.

A copy of the institution's Audited Financial Statements is also requested with your submission. If a copy is not available, please advise Statistics Canada as to the date on which they will be forwarded.

III. Coverage

With the exception of private institutions that only offer courses at the trade and vocational level, the survey covers all private and public non-degree granting institutions that offer educational programs at the postsecondary level and/or at the trade and vocational level. For statistical purposes, institutions are classified as follows:

  1. Colleges/Institutes/Polytechnics

    Included in this classification are the colleges of applied arts and technology (CAAT's) in Ontario, general and vocational colleges (CEGEP's) in Quebec, institutes of technology and any other institutions providing education in fields such as paramedical technologies, nursing, agriculture, forestry, nautical sciences, etc.. These institutions offer programs at the postsecondary level, and may offer trade-vocational level programs.

  2. Vocational Schools

    This classification includes Community Colleges in Saskatchewan and Vocational Centres in Alberta, government training schools, vocational training centres and any other institution offering programs at the trade-vocational level only.

  3. Training in hospitals

    Included in this classification are educational centres located in hospitals, which offer educational or training programs, independently of the community college system, in nursing, radiotherapy, radiography, medical technology, etc..

    To ensure full coverage, it is important that each reporting officer indicates on section 2 of the questionnaire the affiliated campuses included in and/or excluded from the submission.

IV. Confidentiality

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

V. Authorization to Release

In order for Statistics Canada to release the information provided an 'Authorization to release' form must be signed. The form provided authorizes Statistics Canada to release the information in aggregation to the provincial/territorial level only.

VI. Principles of Reporting

1. Accrual Concept

For the purpose of this survey, the revenue and expenditure data should be reported on an accrual basis. That is, all revenues and expenditures should be reflected in the period in which they are considered to have been earned and incurred respectively. For example, major adjustments, such as retroactive salary and their related benefit costs, should be reported on that basis.

2. Total Income and Expenditures

All income and expenditures of the institution are to be reported. In this regard particular attention should be paid to the following:

  • when an institution is provincially governed or consists of a branch of a department, all costs related to the operation, maintenance and administration of the institution are to be reported; the actual funds used to finance those expenditures should be shown as a provincial source of funds;
  • consultations may be required with the institution's research department to obtain detailed breakdowns of income sources and expenses related to sponsored research;
  • capital expenditures, as well as related revenues, that are financed by a government Department or Ministry other than the one responsible for the institution must be included in this report; the reporting officer is responsible for obtaining and providing this information;
  • the figures reported should not include income or expenditures for the purpose of creating or eliminating an appropriation; however, any actual income or expenditure transaction recorded directly in reserve accounts should be included in the figures reported; this also applies to other assets and liability accounts; provisions for replacement of assets are considered to be transfers to reserve or appropriation accounts and should not be reported as expenses;
  • receipts and expenses relating to special purpose, trust and other funds of the institution should, as well, be included in the report.

3. Ancillary Enterprises

An ancillary enterprise is an entity that exists to furnish goods and services to students, staff or others, and that charges a fee directly related to, although not necessarily equal to, the cost of the goods or services. To reflect properly the full cost of these enterprises, you should report their total gross revenues and total gross expenditures in the appropriate cells in the Schedule 1 and Schedule 2A. In addition, a breakdown by type of ancillary enterprises (bookstores, food services, residences, parking) must be completed on the Supporting Schedule A.

4. Reporting of Income

When reporting the sources of funds in the operating, sponsored research and capital income in Schedule 1, it is important to show the revenues under the headings that correspond to the immediate source of funds for the institution. For example, if an institution offers training courses for which Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) purchases seats, then the amount of money paid by ESDC should be shown under "Federal" only if the money is received directly by the institution. If the money is received by a third party (provincial government) and then transferred to the institution, then the direct source of funds is the "Provincial Government".

VII. Definitions

1. Program Cost Groups

This section defines the program cost groups to be used in the reporting of direct instruction expenditures on Schedule 2B of the questionnaire.

The criteria used to define the various program cost groups originates from those used in other surveys conducted by Statistics Canada and also from analysis of different educational systems across Canada. Note that these statistical definitions may not correspond identically to other existing definitions used by other organizations or governments.

a) Postsecondary Programs

This program cost group includes all direct expenditures incurred in providing instruction to students enrolled FULL-TIME or PART-TIME in postsecondary programs offered by Colleges/Institutes (see section III). These programs are of two kinds: university transfer programs and semi-professional career programs.

i) University transfer programs

University transfer programs require secondary school completion to enter and provide a student with standing equivalent to the first or second year of a university degree program with which one can apply for admission to subsequent senior years at a degree granting institution.

ii) Career programs

These programs usually require high school graduation for admission and have a duration of at least one year. More commonly these programs last two, three or four years. Career programs lead to a certificate or a diploma in technology, business, applied arts, nursing, agriculture, etc., and they prepare a student to enter a career directly upon completion of the program, at a level between that of the university trained professional and the skilled tradesperson.

b) Trade and Vocational Programs

This program cost group includes all direct expenditures incurred in providing instruction (or training) to students (or trainees) enrolled FULL-TIME in vocational programs at the trade level for credit towards a recognized standing of proficiency or certification. Also included are direct expenditures related to students enrolled in academic upgrading programs for entry into a vocational program. Such students normally attend regular day classes in provincial trade schools, trade or industrial divisions of community colleges, adult vocational centres and other similar schools. These programs or courses prepare the student (trainee) for an occupational role below the professional or semi-professional level. A period of less than one year is normally sufficient to complete courses at this level. For less complex occupations, a program may last only a matter of weeks. Completion of grade 9 or 10 is usually required for entrance to these courses.

Included are, for example, pre-employment programs, language, skill or academic upgrading programs, refresher courses, apprenticeship programs, training on the job or training in-industry programs associated with educational institution, nursing assistant, etc..

c) Continuing Education Programs

This program cost group includes all direct expenditures incurred in providing instruction to students enrolled PART-TIME in courses, mostly in the evening, offered under the auspices of subsidiary divisions of schools designated by various names such as Division of Continuing Education, Adult Education Division and so on. Excluded are activities which have no sustained instruction or educational purpose such as recreational activities, presentations in the performing arts, art exhibitions and displays, debates fairs, conferences or conventions of clubs or associations.

Included are, for example, courses such as pre-employment programs, language, skill or academic upgrading programs, refresher, professional development, general interest, etc., which are offered on a PART-TIME basis.

2. Funds

a) Operating

This fund accounts for the cost of credit and non-credit instruction, non-sponsored research, academic support services, administration, plant maintenance and other operating expenses of the institution financed by fees, grants and other operating income. This fund will normally include all revenues and expenses regarding materials, supplies or services that are consumed within the year and which the institution considers to be operating, within the functional operating areas referred to in section 3 below.

b) Sponsored Research

Sponsored Research is a restricted fund that accounts for income and expenditures for all sponsored research as well as Research and Development (R&D). For an activity to qualify as R&D, there must be an appreciable element of novelty. Income is to be reported following the funds flow approach.

Sponsored Research covers the following activities:

Basic Research is any experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observed facts, without any particular application or use in view;

Applied Research is the original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge, and directed primarily towards a specific practical objective;

Experimental Development is systematic work drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and/or practical experience that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, installing new processes, systems and services, or improving those already installed.

The following activities should not be counted as R&D:

  • all education and training of personnel; however, research by graduates and postgraduate students should be counted;
  • scientific and technical information services such as collecting, coding, recording, classifying, analyzing, disseminating, translating, and evaluating, except where conducted solely or primarily for R&D support;
  • routine testing of materials, components, products, processes, soils, etc.;
  • maintenance of national standards;
  • administrative and legal work connected with patents and licenses;
  • investigations of proposed engineering projects using existing techniques; however feasibility studies on research projects are part of R&D;
  • policy-related studies at the national, regional and local levels, as well as those of business enterprises in pursuit of economic activity;
  • routine software development, computer maintenance, quality assurance, routine data collection, and market research;
  • the many steps other than R&D necessary for the development and marketing of a manufactured product;
  • the raising, management, and distribution of R&D funds; and
  • routine investigation and normal application of specialized medical knowledge.

Sponsored Research accounts for the institution's income paid in the form of a contract (legally enforceable arrangements under which the institution, or an individual within the institution, agrees to undertake a research project, using the institution's facilities and/or personnel, for a sponsor that provide funds to meet all or part of the costs of the project) or a grant (unconditional payment for which service is not necessarily expected) from a source external to the institution.

Income sources include government, private industry and donors. Income may also include investment income, if the corresponding expenditures are reported in Sponsored Research.

Expenditures include activity funded from Sponsored Research income and exclude activity funded from the General Operating fund. It also includes the purchase of capital assets, if the corresponding income is reported as Sponsored Research.

c) Capital

The uniform reporting practice in the annual return for capital expenditures is to follow the funds flow approach, rather than to capitalize and amortize. Funds received to acquire capital assets are reported as income in the period in which the funds are received or receivable. Funds used to acquire capital assets are reported as expenditures in the year they take place.

For reporting purposes, capital expenditures are to be reported in the same fund as the corresponding income. Specifically, capital expenditures are only reported in the Capital fund when the corresponding income is reported in the Capital fund.

It is a restricted fund that accounts for resources provided to the institution for capital purposes and not reported in any other fund. Fund income includes grants and related investment income, donations and other resources made available to the institution by external funding sources, such as government and donors, specifically for capital purposes. Fund expenditures include building programs, acquisitions of major equipment and furniture, major renovations and alterations, space rental and buildings, land and land improvements.

Capital expenditures, as well as related revenues, being financed by a Government Department or Ministry other than the one responsible for the institution must be included in this report. The reporting officer should be responsible for obtaining and providing this information.

3. Functions (Schedule 2A)

a) Instruction and non-sponsored research

This includes all direct costs related to credit and non-credit courses, summer courses, extension programs and all other academic functions related to instruction and non-sponsored research such as offices of academic department heads, audio-visual services, laboratories, etc..

b) Library

This includes all the operating costs of the main library as well as the campus libraries, if there are any. All costs of library acquisitions from the Operating fund should be shown under this function.

c) General Administration

This includes costs for activities whose primary function is to provide administrative support for the operation of the institution. It includes the activities of the president's office, vice president, registrar, finance, personnel, public relations, secretariats, etc.. It also includes expenditures on convocations, ceremonies, legal and audit fees, long distance phone calls, the internal portion of debt repayments and costs for computing facilities.

d) Physical Plant

This includes the costs related to physical facilities, such as physical plant offices, maintenance of buildings and grounds, fire insurance, telephone service, security, repairs and furnishing, renovations and alterations, mail delivery service.

e) Student Services

This includes costs for activities whose primary purpose is to assist students in their educational or employment pursuits and which are outside of, but supplemental to, the instruction of academic programs. It includes the costs of: counselling, placement, health services, athletics (not physical education), student accommodation services (not residences), student transportation services, bursaries, scholarships and prizes, student financial aid office, cultural activities, etc..

4. Types of Income

a) Government Grants and Contracts

Lines 1 to 10 include grants from, and contracts with, federal government departments and agencies, provincial/territorial government departments and agencies, and municipal governments.

Government grants provide financial support to institutions and the grants may or may not be restricted.

Government contracts provide financial support to institutions under certain stipulations and conditions, including the provision of a deliverable product, such as a piece of equipment, a service or a report. A contract normally includes provisions for institutions to recover certain indirect or overhead costs, with the contract specifying or documenting the basis for the calculation of the recoverable costs.

Federal

Lines 1 to 6 include all research grants, research contracts, grants and contributions from the Government of Canada and its departments and agencies. Income received from the five major federal government agencies is reported on lines 1 to 5 as applicable.

The line items under "Federal" are as follows:

  • Line 1: Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
  • Line 2: Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
    CFI income is reported under the Sponsored Research fund.
  • Line 3: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  • Line 4: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
  • Line 5: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
  • Line 6: Other federal
    Income from all other federal government departments and agencies is reported on this line.
Provincial/Territorial

Lines 7 to 9 include income from provincial government departments and agencies. For example, Provincial/Territorial CFI matching grants, Provincial/Territorial CFI matching income (line 8) from the Ministry responsible for the institution is reported under the Sponsored Research fund.

In the case of a provincially/territorially administered institution, direct provincial funding is to be included here.

Municipal

Examples of income to be reported on this line include grants from urban transit, communication and parking authorities.

b) Fees

This includes all mandatory student fees for credit and non-credit courses (with the exception of residence fees, parking fees and other similar fees which should be reported under 'ancillary enterprises - gross') paid by, or on behalf of all FULL-TIME and PART-TIME students.

All other fees charged to students such as laboratory fees, transcript, late registration, application, athletic fees, etc., are to be reported under the heading 'other'.

Normally, whenever revenues from fees are reported in Schedule 1 under specific program(s), related expenditures should be reported for the corresponding program(s) in Schedule 2B.

Note: Fees that are "flow through" (such as student activity fees collected for the students' council, etc.) should not be reported as college revenue.

c) Bequests, Donations, Non-Government Grants

This includes receipts from business, industry, foundations, individuals and religious organizations, as well as the value of services donated by various organizations.

d) Investment Income

This includes income from all investments such as dividends, bonds, mortgages, short-term notes and bank interest. Realized gains (or losses) should also be included if they are treated as income in the operating and/or capital funds.

e) Ancillary Enterprises (gross)

This includes total revenues from all ancillary enterprises such as residence or parking fees, and sales of services and products from bookstores, food services (dining hall, cafeterias and vending machines), publishing, laundry services, etc..

It should also be noted that the reporting officer is asked to report, on Supporting Schedule A, a breakdown of total income for the institution's ancillary enterprises.

f) Borrowings

This includes only those borrowings which are used to finance expenditures when repayment is to be made by the institution. Note that borrowings should be reported on an accrual basis.

g) Miscellaneous

This includes net income from rentals (other than ancillary enterprises), library fines and fines for other similar charges, and any income not reported elsewhere.

h) Interfund Transfers

When income from one fund is used to finance expenditures in another fund, report the amount as an interfund transfer. Total interfund transfers must net to zero.

5. Types of Expenditures

a) Salaries and Wages

Salaries and wages (excluding fringe benefits) as well as payments for leave of absence, shown under the appropriate functions and programs, are to be broken down into the following two categories:

i) Teachers

Included in this category are salaries and wages paid to full-time and part-time teaching staff.

ii) Other

This category includes all salaries not reported in part (i) above. Specifically, it includes salaries and wages paid to tutors, monitors, demonstrators, markers, laboratory technicians, maintenance personnel, office and technical staff, research and teaching assistants, etc..

b) Fringe Benefits

This includes the institution's contribution (in respect of all salaries and wages) to pensions, group life insurance, workmen's compensation, unemployment insurance, Canada pension, salary contribution insurance, long term disability insurance and other similar benefits. Also include staff development costs paid for by the institution.

c) Library Acquisitions

This includes all purchases of books, periodicals, audio/visual material and other reference material for the library. Costs of binding may also be included if normally considered part of the acquisition costs.

d) Operational Supplies and Expenses

This includes all expenditures for supplies which are normally consumed in the fiscal year, including postage, teaching supplies, photocopying, publications, long distance telephone charges, repair materials, all supplies to operate laboratories, etc..

e) Utilities

This includes all expenditures for fuel, electricity, water, gas, telephone equipment rental, etc..

f) Furniture and Equipment

This includes all expenses for furniture and equipment, such as laboratory equipment (other than consumables), administrative equipment and furnishings, copying and duplicating equipment, computing equipment maintenance equipment, etc.. Rental and maintenance costs as well as other related operating expenses should be shown under the appropriate operational function. Costs for replacing or acquiring new furniture and equipment should be reported under the capital fund.

g) Scholarships and Other Related Students Support

This includes all payments to students including scholarships, bursaries, prizes, fee remissions, gifts, etc..

h) Fees and Contracted Services

This includes all expenses for services contracted to external agencies (except for renovations, alterations and major repairs). Examples would be cleaning contracts, security services, snow removal, etc.. Also included are fees paid to legal counsellors (including retainers for negotiations of collective contracts), auditors' fees, consultant's fees, etc..

i) Debt Services

This includes all payments made to service debts of the institution such as bank interest, mortgage or debenture interest payments, and related charges. Principal payments on loans, mortgages, debentures or repayable grants should be excluded.

j) Buildings

This includes all capital expenditures which are normally considered part of construction costs, except for furniture and equipment as well as land and site services which are to be reported under their respective item. Costs for space rental, building insurances, taxes, minor renovations and alterations on buildings, and all other related operating expenses should be shown under the Physical Plant operational function. Depreciation is not to be included as an expenditure.

k) Land and Site Services

This includes capital expenditures on acquisitions of and improvements to land such as landscaping, sewers, tunnels, roads, etc.. Capitalized professional fees and planning costs related to this category are also to be included. Rental, maintenance and insurance costs as well as other related operating expenses for this item should be shown under the Physical Plant operational function.

l) Miscellaneous

This is to be used when the institution has an operating or capital expenditure not classified in the other categories.

m) Transfers To/From

This item is used for internal transfers of costs between funds or functions whenever it is not feasible to directly adjust the appropriate expenditure items.

The total internal transfers of costs should net to zero.

n) Ancillary Enterprises (gross)

Includes all gross expenditures incurred in the operating of ancillary enterprises (see section 4 (e) above).

It should be noted that the reporting officer is asked to report, on the Supporting Schedule A, a breakdown of total expenditures for the institution's ancillary enterprises.

VIII. Supporting Schedule A

Additional information is to be provided in this section for the total revenue and expenditures of institutional ancillary enterprises (bookstores, residences, food services and parking).

IX. Suggestions

Statistics Canada would welcome any suggestions made to improve this survey.