Service characteristics

1. As of April 8, 2026, please select whether there was regular ongoing child care services provided at this location for each of the following age groups:

Regular ongoing child care services include full time, part time, before and after school, overnight and weekend services provided on a fixed or flexible schedule and drop in child care.

If this organization is providing child care services at more than one address, please respond for this location only.

If this organization is a school, please report for the activities taking place at the child care service only.

Select all that apply.

• Children aged 5 or younger
• Children aged 6 to 12 years old
  Or
• None of the above

Flow condition: If none of the above is selected, exit survey. Otherwise, go to Q2.

2. As of April 8, 2026, what type of child care services did this location provide?

• Home-based
  e.g. , family child care
• Centre-based
  e.g. , early childhood centre, daycare, nursery school, preschool, before and after school program

Flow condition: If home-based is selected in Q2, go to Q3. Otherwise, got to exit.

3. To which of the following categories does this home child care service belong?

• Licensed by the provincial or territorial or local government directly
  e.g. , licensed by the province or territory, city or municipality
  • In what year was it licensed?
    Year:

• Approved or registered by a child care agency, association or coordinating office
  • In what year was it approved or registered?
    Year:

• Not licensed by the provincial or territorial or local government directly and not approved or registered by a child care agency, association, or coordinating office
  • Has this home child care service previously been licensed by the provincial or territorial or local government or approved or registered by a child care agency?
    • Yes
    • No

By: Uchenna Mgbaja, Nazmus Sakeef, Kendrick Moreno, Catrina Llamas, and Roe Alincastre; NorQuest College

Introduction

The Edmonton Food Drive (EFD) Project is a collaborative effort between NorQuest College, LDS Church, etc. to improve the logistics of one of Alberta’s largest community food donation initiatives. The current food donation management system faces challenges in coordinating drop-off locations, pick-up processes, and route planning. There is a need to automate and enhance these processes to ensure timely collection of donations and minimize logistical complexities.

This multi-stakeholder project supports over 40,000 people monthly by distributing over 400,000 meals to people in need. These figures show the significant demand within the community and highlight the critical role of collaborative efforts in combating food insecurity.

The objective of this project was to develop a machine learning solution to enhance the management of food donation activities in Alberta. The project aims to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of drop-off and pick-up processes, streamline route planning, and improve resource allocation.

Proposed Solutions

A key component of the Edmonton Food Drive is the role played by Wards and Stakes, organizational units within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), which facilitate volunteer participation and logistical coordination.

In the LDS Church, a ward is a local congregation that serves a specific geographic area, while a stake is a larger administrative unit composed of multiple Wards. In the context of the EFD Project, Stakes oversee multiple Wards, providing organizational support and resources, while Wards coordinate volunteer efforts, donation collection, and route management within their respective areas.

Building on the objectives of the project, the following solutions were proposed and developed to tackle the identified challenges:

• Data Collection Improvements:

Create data-acquisition forms to collect data from Wards via structured surveys, enabling volunteers to answer questions as quickly and efficiently as possible.

• Trend Analysis:

Use data visualization and statistical techniques to perform a year-over-year analysis, revealing critical trends and performance indicators.

• Interactive Dashboards:

Create user-friendly, interactive dashboards that allow stakeholders to easily explore and compare data, facilitating more informed decision-making.

• Predictive Modeling:

Implement machine learning techniques to develop a predictive model that forecasts donation patterns and identifies emerging trends.

• Efficiency Forecasting:

Build a predictive model to estimate which Wards or Stakes will have the greatest impact in terms of efficiency for 2025.

• Route Mapping Application:

Develop a route digitization application that automatically generates digitized maps for volunteers, improving operational efficiency. Create a route mapping application that generates interactive maps for volunteers, focusing on high-demand or hot-zone addresses for long-term operational efficiency.

These proposed solutions aimed to streamline operational processes, enhance stakeholder engagement, and leverage predictive insights to improve the planning and execution of future food drives.

Methodology

Data Collection

Data on donation volumes, routes, and volunteer participation were gathered during the Edmonton Food Drive in September 2023 & September 2024.  Data was collected from 6 assigned Stakes and 27 Wards. This data was systematically collected from designated drop-off centers, as assigned by client representatives, ensuring accurate coverage of specific routes and regions. While comprehensive within the assigned scope, the data did not represent all collection points across Edmonton, limiting its full-city applicability.

Datasets:

We started our analysis on data collected in 2023 from Wards. In 2024, we added data validation rules to mitigate the risks of wrong data entries while ensuring that the time required for volunteers to complete the form remains as short as before.

The data collected in 2023 focused on essential information related to donation collection, volunteers, and routes. While it provided a solid foundation, it was limited in terms of data validation and feature richness. The dataset consisted of 13 features and 454 samples.

Column Name	Description
Date	The date of the food drive activity took place.
Location	The specific area or neighborhood where the food drive was conducted.
Stake	The organization or group responsible for managing the volunteers in the area.
# of Adult Volunteers	The number of adult volunteers who participated in the activity.
# of Youth Volunteers	The number of youth volunteers who participated in the activity.
Donation Bags Collected	The total number of donation bags collected during the activity.
Time to Complete (min)	The total time (in minutes) taken to complete the assigned route(s).
Completed More Than One Route	Indicates whether more than one route was completed (e.g., Yes/No).
Ward	The municipal ward where the food drive activity occurred.
Routes Completed	The total number of routes were completed by the volunteers.
Doors in Route	The total number of doors covered within the assigned route.
Route Number/Name.1	The identifier or name of the route assigned to the volunteers.
Time Spent	The total duration volunteers spent during the food drive activity.
# of Adult Volunteers	The number of adult volunteers who participated in the activity.

Table 1: Feature Information of EFD 2023 dataset

Description: This dataset comprises data collected via a Google Form during the Edmonton Food Drive 2023. Number of features: 13; Number of samples: 454

Column Name	Description
ID	A unique identifier assigned to each form submission.
Start time	The time the volunteer began filling out the form.
Completion time	The time the volunteer completed the form.
Email	The email address provided by the volunteer.
Name	The name of the volunteer.
How did you receive the form?	The method through which the volunteer received the form (e.g., email, link).
Email address	The contact email address for further communication.
Drop Off Location	The primary location where donations were dropped off.
Other Drop-off Locations	Additional locations where donations were dropped off.
Stake	The specific stake responsible for organizing the volunteer's participation.
Bonnie Doon Stake	Indicates involvement with the Bonnie Doon Stake.
Edmonton North Stake	Indicates involvement with the Edmonton North Stake.
Gateway Stake	Indicates involvement with the Gateway Stake.
Riverbend Stake	Indicates involvement with the Riverbend Stake.
Sherwood Park Stake	Indicates involvement with the Sherwood Park Stake.
YSA Stake	Indicates involvement with the Young Single Adults (YSA) Stake.
Route Number/Name	The identifier or name of the donation collection route.
Time Spent Collecting Donations	The total time spent collecting donations for the route.
# of Adult Volunteers who participated in this route	The number of adult volunteers involved in this specific route.
# of Youth Volunteers who participated in this route	The number of youth volunteers involved in this specific route.
# of Doors in Route	The total number of doors covered within the route.
# of Donation Bags Collected	The total number of donation bags collected from the route.
Did you complete more than 1 route?	Indicates whether the volunteer completed more than one route (e.g., Yes/No).
How many routes did you complete?	The total number of routes completed by the volunteer.
Additional Routes completed (2 routes)	Details about a second additional route completed, if applicable.
Additional routes completed (3 routes)	Details about a third additional route completed, if applicable.
Additional routes completed (3 routes)2	Details about another third route completed, if applicable.
Additional routes completed (More than 3 Routes)	Details about additional routes completed beyond three, if applicable.
Additional routes completed (More than 3 Routes)2	Further details about routes completed beyond three, if applicable.
Additional routes completed (More than 3 Routes)3	Further details about routes completed beyond three, if applicable.
Comments or Feedback	Any additional comments, suggestions, or feedback provided by the volunteer.

Table 2: Feature Information of EFD 2024 dataset

Description: This dataset comprises data collected via a Microsoft Form during the Edmonton Food Drive 2023. Number of features: 31; Number of samples: 653

Geographical Information Extraction: City of Edmonton Neighborhood Dataset

To complement the food drive data, the City of Edmonton Neighborhood Dataset [Link] was integrated into the analysis. This dataset provided geographic coordinates and neighborhood names, enabling a geospatial analysis of donation trends and route efficiency.

Geographical information was extracted from the Property Assessments dataset and merged to the Food Drive Data using the unique Neighborhood Names. This data was then used to generate maps that provide visual insights into neighborhood-level donation patterns and trends. The columns shown in Table 3 were specifically extracted for this purpose:

Column Name	Description
Neighborhood Name	The official name of the neighborhood in the City of Edmonton.
Latitude	The geographic coordinate specifying the north-south position of the neighborhood.
Longitude	The geographic coordinate specifying the east-west position of the neighborhood.

Table 3: Feature Information of City of Edmonton Neighborhood dataset

Description: The City of Edmonton Neighborhood Geographical coordinates data provides comprehensive information about neighborhood boundaries, demographics, land use, and other characteristics for urban planning and analysis. Number of features: 3; Number of samples: 427

This information was crucial for creating interactive geospatial visualizations and digitized route mapping for the Edmonton Food Drive

Exploratory Data Analysis

The collected data was cleaned and prepared for analysis to ensure accuracy and consistency. Key visualizations were generated to provide comparative insights, focusing on identifying trends and patterns in donation volumes, volunteer allocation, and route efficiency. Insights were limited to the data collected from the assigned drop-off centers, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive data collection strategy in future drives. Our Exploratory Data Analysis strategy involved examining each feature individually and performing detailed analyses for each.

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Edmonton Food Drive data, focusing on uncovering patterns and relationships to improve the understanding of key variables and enhance future efforts. The analysis began by examining the frequency and distribution of drop-off locations, exploring their relationship with variables such as the number of donation bags collected, and the number of volunteers involved. The frequency of different "Stake" values was assessed, and their impact on numerical features, including the number of doors and donation bags, was closely analyzed.

Further, we explored time-related aspects, analyzing the frequency of various time categories and investigating how the time spent differed across "Stakes" and "Wards". The distribution of data across Wards was another area of focus, examining how specific Wards influenced other variables, such as the number of donation bags and routes. Volunteer participation was also analyzed, with particular attention given to the correlation between adult volunteers and other numerical features, as well as the overall distribution of volunteers across different areas.

The distribution of the number of doors was assessed in relation to categorical variables, and the average number of doors by "Stake" was calculated. Additionally, the relationship between donation bags and the number of routes was analyzed, comparing variations in donation bags across locations and Wards. Yearly trends were also explored, identifying changes in donation volumes and total volunteer numbers over time.

Through this analysis, we uncovered valuable insights into the relationships between drop-off locations, volunteers, and donation trends.

Data Refinement:

For the EFD 2024 dataset, we identified the following issues and applied the respective methods to address them.

Issues Detected	Refining Method
Too long column names	Rename column names for clarity
Inconsistent string formats	Removed leading and trailing spaces Converted to title format Removed unnecessary characters
Incorrect and inconsistent data types	Converted variables to the correct data types
Detected null values	Numeric Variables: Performed mean imputation to replace null values, preserving the dataset's distribution by using the feature's average. Categorical Variables: No null values detected
Detected empty values	Tagged empty categorical fields with placeholders (e.g., "Unknown Routes")
Duplicated values	Dropped duplicated values and columns
Too many irrelevant data	Dropped irrelevant columns
Identified outliers	Detected using IQR method and imputed using mean
Table 4: Identified Issues in the EFD 2024 Dataset and Their Respective Solutions

After performing data refining on the EFD 2024 dataset, we merged it with the EFD 2023 dataset and the City of Edmonton Neighborhood dataset. We used our final cleaned dataset for further analysis.

Data Visualization:

We created interactive visualizations using Tableau to make our EDA findings easy to understand. These visualizations allow users to explore the data and gain insights through dynamic charts and maps. The dashboard includes various charts and maps that present the key aspects of our analysis in a simple and clear way. Figure 2 shows the visualizations included in the dashboard that help support our overall analysis.

Key features of the dashboard include:

• KPI Card for Key Features: Displays the total number of donation bags, houses, routes, volunteers, and average time spent, based on the selected criteria.
• Total Number of Donation Bags by Ward: This map of Edmonton shows the distribution of donation bags across different wards, providing a clear comparison of how they are spread throughout the city.
• Leading 10 Wards in Efficiency: Highlights the top 10 wards with the highest efficiency, showcasing their performance across key metrics.
• Overall Volunteer Count: A bar chart comparing volunteer counts over different years, offering insights into trends and changes over time.
• Contribution Leaders by Ward: A heatmap showing the contributions from each ward, using color gradients to highlight the areas with the highest and lowest contributions.
• Donation Bags vs. Time Spent Chart: A visualization comparing the number of donation bags to the time spent, providing insights into the efficiency of the donation process.

Machine Learning

Before developing and evaluating machine learning models, we performed several data preparation steps to ensure high-quality inputs

Feature Engineering

To enhance the dataset, we introduced three new features:

• Total Volunteers: The sum of Total Adult Volunteers and Total Youth Volunteers.
• Donation Bags per Door: The number of donation bags divided by the number of doors.
• Donation Bags per Route: The number of donation bags divided by the number of routes.

Additionally, we applied one-hot encoding to the Wards feature to handle categorical data and ensure all variables were properly formatted for modeling.

Data Splitting and Normalization

We split the data into training and testing sets, using 2023 data for training and 2024 data for testing. This approach allowed us to validate model performance on unseen data. To maintain consistency across numerical features, we applied normalization, ensuring all values were on a comparable scale before feeding them into the models.

Model Development and Evaluation

Following data preparation, we implemented and tested six different machine learning models for two prediction tasks:

• Total number of donation bags.
• Time spent for each ward.

Each model was evaluated to identify the most accurate one for each prediction task. The results below summarize their performance and effectiveness.

Model	MSE	RMSE	MAE	R²	Adjusted R²
Linear Regression	3393.986256	58.257929	26.828851	-0.100185	-0.168338
Polynomial Regression	49.838645	7.059649	2.388835	0.983844	1.146869
Decision Tree Regression	2356.665557	48.545500	8.232945	0.236070	0.188747
Random Forest Regression	1990.524740	44.615297	8.457754	0.354757	0.314786
Gradient Boosting Regression	2144.987415	46.314009	8.164502	0.304687	0.261615
K-Nearest Neighbors Regression	3092.228686	55.607811	17.474875	-0.002368	-0.064461
Table 5: Performance Metrics for Models Predicting Total Donation Bags

Based on the results, the best model for predicting total donation bags is Polynomial Regression, as it achieves the lowest RMSE (7.059649) and MAE (2.388835) while attaining the highest R² score (0.983844), indicating a strong fit and high predictive performance.

Model	MSE	RMSE	MAE	R²	Adjusted R²
Linear Regression	1.583989	1.258566	0.917151	0.075887	2.771216
Polynomial Regression	0.708581	0.841772	0.634814	0.586608	1.014787
Decision Tree Regression	0.192435	0.438674	0.356527	0.887732	1.215181
Random Forest Regression	0.216073	0.464836	0.377927	0.873941	1.241613
Gradient Boosting Regression	0.256885	0.506838	0.391840	0.850131	1.287249
K-Nearest Neighbors Regression	0.278344	0.527583	0.394887	0.837612	1.311244
Table 6: Performance Metrics for Models Predicting Time Spent

For predicting time spent, the Decision Tree Regression model stands out as the best among the listed options. It achieves the lowest RMSE (0.438674) and MAE (0.356527), coupled with a high positive R² (0.887732) and Adjusted R² (1.215181), indicating superior accuracy and a strong fit to the data compared to the other models.

Model Optimization:

For the Polynomial Regression model used to predict total donation bags, we opted not to perform additional tuning to avoid the risk of overfitting. Since the metrics were already acceptable, with an R² score of 0.98, further increasing model complexity could lead to diminished generalization and overfitting the training data.

Advanced Analysis:

We used the Polynomial Regression and Decision Tree models to predict the number of donation bags and time spent per Ward for 2025. Below are some key insights based on the predicted values.

The predicted number of donation bags for next year shows a steady increase. Starting at 14,817 in 2023 and 14,751 in 2024, the total number of donation bags is expected to grow, reaching 16,600 in 2025.

The 12-month outlook for donation bags reveals the top and bottom-performing Stakes. The top three Stakes, which are expected to contribute the most to donation bags, are Gateway, Bonnie Doon, and Riverbend. On the other hand, the bottom three Stakes, contributing fewer donation bags, are YSA, Edmonton North, and Riverbend.

The 12-month outlook for donation bags reveals the top and bottom-performing Wards. The top 10 Wards expected to contribute the most donation bags are Lee Ridge, Crawford Plains, Silver Berry, Clareview, Blackmud Creek, Griesbach, Londonderry, Griesbach, Ellerslie, Rabbit Hill and Terwillegar. On the other hand, the bottom 10 Wards, which are projected to contribute fewer donation bags, include Mill Creek YSA, Lago Lindo, Onoway, Whitemud Creek YSA, Devon, Beaumont, Wild Rose, Wainwright, Windsor Park, and Pioneer. These insights show a notable variation in donation contributions across different Wards.

The top 3 Stakes with the highest effectiveness (i.e., they are expected to generate the most donation bags per unit of time spent) are Gateway, Riverbend and Bonnie Doon. On the other hand, the bottom 3 Stakes with the lowest effectiveness, meaning they are expected to have the least donation bags per unit of time spent, are YSA, Edmonton North, and Riverbend.

The top 10 Wards with the highest effectiveness, meaning they are expected to generate the most donation bags per unit of time spent, are Lee Ridge, Silver Berry, Clareview, Rio Vista, Woodbend, Coronation Park, Londonderry, Greenfield, Clareview, Blackmud Creek and Griesbach. These Wards are predicted to be more efficient in converting time spent into donation bags.

In contrast, the bottom 10 Wards with the lowest effectiveness, meaning they are expected to have the least donation bags per unit of time spent, include Mill Creek YSA, Lago Lindo Branch, Onoway, Whitemud Creek YSA, Devon, Beaumont, Strathcona Married Student, Wild Rose, Namao and Forest Heights. These Wards are projected to require more time to achieve similar numbers of donation bags, reflecting a lower efficiency in their donation efforts.

Deployment

The final application was divided into six sections: the Information Page, Dashboard Page, Trends Page, Donation Bags Prediction Page, Time Spent Prediction Page, and Route Mapping Application Page. Each page has a distinct feature designed to deliver specific insights and valuable information to its users, ensuring a comprehensive experience. Together, these sections allow users to easily navigate through different functionalities, making data-driven decisions more accessible and efficient. Figure 8 shows the application’s dashboard page.

The application was deployed on Tableau, where interactive visualizations were created to represent donation trends, volunteer participation, and route mapping insights.

• Route mapping was further enhanced using Hugging Face's Gradio, which allowed users to interactively explore donation routes.
• A chatbot, also embedded using Gradio, provided users with quick responses to queries related to routes and donation processes.

Route Mapping Application:

The Route Mapping Application was developed in response to the client's recurring challenges with generating accurate and efficient maps for volunteer routes. The previous process involved manually printing portions of the Edmonton map, highlighting routes by hand, and then distributing the maps to volunteers, which was time-consuming and prone to errors. This manual approach not only slowed down operations but also increased the risk of mistakes that could affect the efficiency of the donation collection process. Our application simplifies and automates route generation and visualization, enhancing overall efficiency, accuracy, and ease of use for volunteers. Below are images of the manually printed maps that were previously used, highlighting the need for this more efficient solution.

The application offers two modes: Fixed Mode and Custom Mode. The Fixed Mode aims to digitize the map generation process for our client, streamlining their workflow. Custom Mode, on the other hand, is designed for long-term planning, generating maps based on identified hot zones to enhance route efficiency.

To generate maps in Fixed Mode, the client only needs to select the desired ward and route, click "Submit," download the generated map, and then easily email it to the volunteers. This streamlined process eliminates the need for manual map creation, saving time and effort. The provided image shows the before and after results of generating maps using Fixed Mode, highlighting the efficiency and ease of the new approach.

This methodology not only highlights the strengths of the analysis but also shows areas for improvement in data collection and coverage to enhance future decision-making processes.

Results & Findings

The Edmonton Food Drive Project yielded several valuable insights and practical outcomes through the analysis and modeling of the collected data. These findings are categorized into key areas of operational improvement: Data collection, Data Analysis, Predictive Modelling, and Application Deployment.

Data Collection

Key Observations:

The data revealed notable year-over-year trends, with some Wards exhibiting consistent donation patterns, while others showed significant variability in donation volumes.

Belmead Ward, despite being the focus of detailed analysis, highlighted limitations in data completeness, as not all routes were accounted for due to the granularity of volunteer-reported data.

Data Analysis

Compared to the 2023 food drive, the 2024 results showed a decrease in several key metrics: the number of donation bags, number of volunteers, number of houses, and average time spent per route decreased by 0.4%, 38.17%, 38.17%, and 6.67%, respectively.

The top Stakes in 2024 remained largely consistent with 2023, with Gateway, Bonnie Doon, Riverbend, Edmonton North, and YSA leading the rankings. However, Riverbend and Bonnie Doon swapped positions, indicating a slight shift in their relative performance between the two years.

In 2024, Crawford Plains stayed in the top 5, just like in 2023. Some new Wards, like Terwillegar Park and Griesbach, joined the top ranks. On the other hand, Wards like Coronation Park, Drayton Valley, and Pioneer moved into the bottom 5 in 2024, replacing last year's bottom Wards like Devon and Mill Creek YSA.

Predictive Modeling

Prediction of Total Donation Bags

We developed six machine learning models to predict the total number of donation bags for each ward for 2025. Key insights from the model evaluation are summarized below:

Best Model: Polynomial Regression emerged as the most effective model, achieving the lowest RMSE (7.0596) and MAE (2.3888), coupled with the highest R² score (0.9838). This indicates excellent accuracy and consistency in predicting donation volumes.

Key Observations: Polynomial Regression outperformed other models, such as Random Forest and Gradient Boosting, due to its ability to capture non-linear relationships in the data effectively.

Prediction of Time Spent
For predicting the time required to complete donation routes, six models were evaluated. The following insights were observed:

Best Model: Decision Tree Regression provided the most accurate predictions, achieving the lowest RMSE (0.4387) and MAE (0.3565), along with a high R² score (0.8877) and Adjusted R² (1.2152). This model effectively balanced simplicity and performance.

Key Observations: Decision Tree Regression outperformed Polynomial Regression and Gradient Boosting for this task due to its flexibility in handling variations in the data, such as route complexities and volunteer differences.

Additionally, a geospatial analysis was integrated to design digitized donation route maps, identifying areas with the highest potential for donations. This task aimed to streamline logistics and maximize resource allocation in future drives.

We performed hyperparameter tuning on the Decision Regression model for predicting time spent, but it did not result in significant improvements. The tuned model achieved a Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 0.2041, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 0.4517, Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.3652, R-squared (R²) of 0.8810, and Adjusted R-squared of 1.2282.

These visualizations from the model evaluation highlight the model's strengths, such as its low error rates and high predictive performance for most predictions, while also identifying areas, like residual biases, that could be optimized for better results.

The models successfully predicted both donation volumes and time spent, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions for future food drives.

Application Deployment

The application was deployed to provide stakeholders with an interactive, user-friendly platform for predicting donation outcomes and enhancing logistics. The best performing model was deployed on Hugging Face's Gradio and embedded in Tableau to aid decision-making for future food drives.

Application Input Parameters for Prediction:

Ward: Selects the specific ward for which predictions are needed.
Time Spent (Minutes): Captures the estimated time volunteers spend completing routes.
Number of Doors: Inputs the total number of doors covered in the selected ward.
Number of Routes: Allows users to specify the number of routes included in the analysis.
Year: Enables predictions for future food drives, ranging from 2025 to 2030.
Total Volunteers: Specifies the number of volunteers assigned to the task.

The application uses the provided inputs to generate a Predicted Total Donation Bags value. This prediction helps stakeholders gauge the effectiveness of their planning and resource allocation for upcoming drives.

Challenges Faced:

The Edmonton Food Drive Project encountered several challenges that impacted data collection, analysis, and prediction accuracy. These challenges, though significant, provided valuable insights for improving future food drives.

Data Collection Limitations:

Due to resource constraints, data was collected only from select drop-off locations in Bearspaw, Londonderry, Riverbend, Gateway, and Bonnie Doon. This limited coverage resulted in incomplete datasets that did not fully represent all participating areas in Edmonton.

Multiple volunteers managing the same route and dropping off large numbers of donation bags led to incomplete or duplicate data entries, further complicating the accuracy of the collected data.

Inconsistencies in Dataset Structures:

The datasets for 2023 and 2024 contained discrepancies due to adaptations made in the new form to improve user entries. While these changes aimed to enhance usability, they introduced differences in feature structures, requiring significant effort to reconcile and standardize the data for analysis. Additionally, the absence of uniform data entry standards across Wards contributed to inconsistencies, creating additional challenges during preprocessing.

Prediction Discrepancies:

Predicted donation growth figures based on the collected data did not align with the client’s internal reports, which indicated an overall increase in donations in 2024 compared to 2023.

To address this discrepancy, data refilling was performed to adjust the 2024 figures and bring them closer to actual trends.

Operational Challenges:

The granularity of route information made it difficult to standardize data inputs across multiple Wards.
The lack of a centralized system for data entry led to variations in how data was recorded and submitted, further complicating the analysis.

Conclusions & Recommendations:

To enhance overall effectiveness, a more balanced allocation of volunteers should be considered, with a focus on both improving the performance of lower-performing areas and maintaining the momentum in top-performing wards and stakes. The following recommendations are proposed:

• Polynomial Regression is recommended for forecasting donation volumes, particularly when capturing complex patterns in historical data.
• Decision Tree Regression is ideal for predicting time spent, providing actionable insights for route optimization and volunteer allocation.

These predictions can guide planning and resource allocation by Identifying wards expected to generate the highest donation volumes and estimating the time required for volunteers to complete routes efficiently, improving logistical coordination.

Continued improvement in data collection processes (e.g., standardizing volunteer data and digitizing route information) will further enhance prediction accuracy and the utility of these models.

By combining data insights and predictive modeling, this project provides actionable recommendations for improving the logistics of Edmonton's Food Drive initiative.

The project successfully achieved its goals of recommending improvements in the food donation process in the Edmonton Food Drive. Tools to predict donation trends and time requirements were introduced, helping volunteers and organizers plan better. The route mapping application simplifies volunteer coordination and saves significant effort compared to the traditional manual processes. Additionally, interactive dashboards make it easier for stakeholders to understand and analyze the data, leading to better decision-making. Overall, the project streamlines operations and contributes to a more effective and efficient food donation drive.

References

Edmonton's Food Bank Fundraising Efforts. (n.d.). Edmonton Journal.
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmontons-food-bank-fundraising

Where to Build Food Banks: A Machine Learning Approach. (n.d.). Purdue University.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1661&context=jpur

Edmonton’s Food Bank. (2024) Winter Gleanings 2024.
https://www.edmontonsfoodbank.com/documents/267/Winter_Gleanings_2024_-_Final.pdf

Food Bank Operations Web-Based Software. (n.d.). Gao Group, Cornell University.
https://gao.cee.cornell.edu/software-2/food-bank-operations-web-based-software/

Researchers Use Machine Learning to Assist State Food Pantries with Distribution. (2022). Auburn University Newsroom.
https://ocm.auburn.edu/newsroom/news_articles/2022/10/070927-researchers-machine-assists-food-pantries.php

Where to Build Food Banks and Pantries: A Two-Level Machine Learning Approach. (n.d.). arXiv.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.15420

Automating Food Drop: The Power of Two Choices for Dynamic and Fair Food Allocation. (2024). arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.06363

Edmonton Food Drive Dashboard. (2024). Tableau Public.
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/kendrick.kent.moreno/viz/EFD2024Dashboard/EFDDashboard-Main

Government of Alberta. (n.d.). Property assessments: Edmonton region. Alberta Regional Dashboard. https://regionaldashboard.alberta.ca/region/edmonton/property-assessments/#/?from=2018&to=2022

In this talk, we explore the role of survey weights and replicate weights in analyzing complex survey data. Using analogies and accessible language, we highlight the key intuitive ideas behind why these tools are essential for drawing sound statistical conclusions from survey data. To bridge theory and practice, we also review software options for working with survey data and demonstrate how to apply different types of weights—including cross-sectional, longitudinal, normalized (or standardized), and bootstrap weights.

Presenter: Claude Girard, Senior Methodologist, Data Analysis Resource Centre

To register for the English webinar, fill out the following form:

• Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET (10:00am – 11:00am PT / 11:00 – 12:00pm MT / 12:00pm – 1:00pm CT / 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET / 2:00pm – 3pm AT)

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The Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), established through Budget 2021, is a whole-of-government approach led by Statistics Canada to collect, analyze, and disseminate disaggregated data pertaining to the four employment equity (EE) groups: women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized populations, and persons with disabilities. Where relevant and possible, it also covers lower levels of geography and other equity- and rights-seeking groups (e.g., Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people and those who use other terms related to gender or sexual diversity [2SLGBTQI+ population]; immigrants; low-income populations; children; and seniors). The DDAP aims to support governmental and societal efforts to address known inequalities by integrating fairness and inclusion considerations into decision making. Budget 2021 allocated $172 million to support the DDAP's first five years, and another $36.3 million was allocated to sustain ongoing related activities.

The DDAP governance structure included agency-level and interdepartmental governance bodies. Within Statistics Canada, the Assistant Chief Statisticians (ACS) Steering Committee is supported by the Director General Governance Committee and its related working groups. External bodies include the Assistant Deputy Minister Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data and the Federal Advisory Committee on the Disaggregation of Justice and Community Safety Statistics. Administrative and logistical support is provided by the DDAP Secretariat.

The DDAP is expected to contribute to building a more equitable Canada by advancing more representative data collection, enhancing statistics on diverse populations, addressing systemic racism and gender discrimination, and integrating fairness and inclusion into decision-making processes to achieve the intended impact. The DDAP included various projects aimed at enhancing the agency's capacity to disaggregate data. Agency leadership also promoted a cultural shift toward prioritizing disaggregated data and analysis. Although the majority (66%) of funding was allocated to the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field (Field 8), almost all fields benefited from DDAP initiatives.

Since its inception, the DDAP has supported a variety of projects and activities through core funding and targeted calls for applications. Ten core-funded projects formed the foundational of the DDAP's commitment, receiving continuous funding across multiple fiscal years or until project completion. Projects funded through the call for applications process were selected based on criteria aligned with the DDAP's goals and were intended to support early-stage or ongoing work. By 2024/2025, the DDAP supported 74 projects and activities. As the initiative moves into the final year of its five-year funding, the $172 million has been fully allocated.

The objective of this evaluation is to provide credible and neutral information on the relevance, design and delivery, and performance of the DDAP. The scope of the evaluation covered the DDAP's design and delivery, including its governance structure; the sustainability of new activities within the agency's ongoing operations; and progress toward its intended short-, medium-, and long-term results.

Key findings and recommendations

The DDAP is supporting Canada's information needs and aligns with government-wide priorities, as well as Statistics Canada's strategic priorities and core responsibilities. DDAP projects and activities align with the federal government's data priorities and needs outlined in recent federal budgets, strategies, and reports, as well as agency-wide priorities for more disaggregated data, leading-edge methods and data integration described in mandate letters and strategic documents.

The DDAP governance structure and mechanisms facilitate oversight across the federal government and the agency, but they focus primarily on monitoring implementation rather than tracking progress toward intended outcomes. While the governance structure provides some elements of accountability, gaps remain, and the emphasis on implementation over strategic direction limits its ability to facilitate the achievement of medium- and long-term outcomes.

Consultative efforts informed some DDAP priorities and projects; however, concerns remain that some disaggregated data products are released without sufficient consultation, risking the advancement of a deficit narrative. While DDAP activities built upon, and in some cases improved, existing infrastructure, resources and capabilities, initiatives dependent on oversampling are unsustainable. Efforts to sustain new DDAP-funded activities by integrating them within the agency's ongoing operations were limited. Cost-recovery agreements could help, but the current fiscal climate limits this option.

Although the DDAP is making progress toward its intended results, some areas require further attention. Awareness-raising and training activities have helped participants better understand data disaggregation, yet some barriers to applying and acquiring disaggregated data knowledge were identified. The DDAP is helping to address information gaps, but the reliance on oversampling to produce disaggregated data from flagship surveys was identified as a challenge to sustainably doing so. The action plan is improving certain aspects of data quality; however, some issues with relevance and accessibility persist.

The DDAP is supporting and reinforcing a cultural shift that prioritizes disaggregated data and intersectional analysis by expanding the availability of disaggregated data and related products. However, further progress will require greater emphasis on awareness and training. Some early evidence suggests that the DDAP is positively impacting data users, but these impacts are limited in part by data users' and decision makers' capacities to understand and use disaggregated data and analytical products. There is also some concern that the DDAP's long-term outcome is outside Statistics Canada's influence and mandate.

In light of these findings, the following recommendations are proposed.

Recommendation 1

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that the DDAP governance is strengthened to directly support the initiative in achieving its intermediate and ultimate outcomes by:

1. updating DDAP oversight committees' mandates to clearly articulate accountabilities, particularly around the provision of strategic direction and the achievement of the DDAP's medium- and long-term objectives
2. focusing future projects and activities on sustainability
3. establishing effective communication (e.g., leveraging proposed governance tables) to ensure that priorities, expected outcomes, and performance measures are well understood by staff, key partners and stakeholders (e.g., on a regular basis, using two-way dialogue).

Recommendation 2

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that outreach and engagement efforts are comprehensive and consistent, so that the ongoing needs of data users, including those from EE groups, are understood and being met by the DDAP's disaggregated data and analytical products.

Evaluation Division
July 2025

Contents

• The report in short
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• What is covered
• What we learned
  • Relevance
  • Design and delivery
  • Performance
• How to improve the program
• Management response and action plan
• Appendix A: Evaluation questions and indicators
• Appendix B: Interview quantification scale

The report in short

The Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), established through Budget 2021, is a whole-of-government approach led by Statistics Canada to collect, analyze, and disseminate disaggregated data pertaining to the four employment equity (EE) groups: women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized populations, and persons with disabilities. Where relevant and possible, it also covers lower levels of geography and other equity- and rights-seeking groups (e.g., Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people and those who use other terms related to gender or sexual diversity [2SLGBTQI+ population]; immigrants; low-income populations; children; and seniors). The DDAP aims to support governmental and societal efforts to address known inequalities by integrating fairness and inclusion considerations into decision making. Budget 2021 allocated $172 million to support the DDAP's first five years, and another $36.3 million was allocated to sustain ongoing related activities.

The DDAP governance structure included agency-level and interdepartmental governance bodies. Within Statistics Canada, the Assistant Chief Statisticians (ACS) Steering Committee is supported by the Director General Governance Committee and its related working groups. External bodies include the Assistant Deputy Minister Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data and the Federal Advisory Committee on the Disaggregation of Justice and Community Safety Statistics. Administrative and logistical support is provided by the DDAP Secretariat.

The DDAP is expected to contribute to building a more equitable Canada by advancing more representative data collection, enhancing statistics on diverse populations, addressing systemic racism and gender discrimination, and integrating fairness and inclusion into decision-making processes to achieve the intended impact. The DDAP included various projects aimed at enhancing the agency's capacity to disaggregate data. Agency leadership also promoted a cultural shift toward prioritizing disaggregated data and analysis. Although the majority (66%) of funding was allocated to the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field (Field 8), almost all fields benefited from DDAP initiatives.

Since its inception, the DDAP has supported a variety of projects and activities through core funding and targeted calls for applications. Ten core-funded projects formed the foundational of the DDAP's commitment, receiving continuous funding across multiple fiscal years or until project completion. Projects funded through the call for applications process were selected based on criteria aligned with the DDAP's goals and were intended to support early-stage or ongoing work. By 2024/2025, the DDAP supported 74 projects and activities. As the initiative moves into the final year of its five-year funding, the $172 million has been fully allocated.

The objective of this evaluation is to provide credible and neutral information on the relevance, design and delivery, and performance of the DDAP. The scope of the evaluation covered the DDAP's design and delivery, including its governance structure; the sustainability of new activities within the agency's ongoing operations; and progress toward its intended short-, medium-, and long-term results.

Key findings and recommendations

The DDAP is supporting Canada's information needs and aligns with government-wide priorities, as well as Statistics Canada's strategic priorities and core responsibilities. DDAP projects and activities align with the federal government's data priorities and needs outlined in recent federal budgets, strategies, and reports, as well as agency-wide priorities for more disaggregated data, leading-edge methods and data integration described in mandate letters and strategic documents.

The DDAP governance structure and mechanisms facilitate oversight across the federal government and the agency, but they focus primarily on monitoring implementation rather than tracking progress toward intended outcomes. While the governance structure provides some elements of accountability, gaps remain, and the emphasis on implementation over strategic direction limits its ability to facilitate the achievement of medium- and long-term outcomes.

Consultative efforts informed some DDAP priorities and projects; however, concerns remain that some disaggregated data products are released without sufficient consultation, risking the advancement of a deficit narrative. While DDAP activities built upon, and in some cases improved, existing infrastructure, resources and capabilities, initiatives dependent on oversampling are unsustainable. Efforts to sustain new DDAP-funded activities by integrating them within the agency's ongoing operations were limited. Cost-recovery agreements could help, but the current fiscal climate limits this option.

Although the DDAP is making progress toward its intended results, some areas require further attention. Awareness-raising and training activities have helped participants better understand data disaggregation, yet some barriers to applying and acquiring disaggregated data knowledge were identified. The DDAP is helping to address information gaps, but the reliance on oversampling to produce disaggregated data from flagship surveys was identified as a challenge to sustainably doing so. The action plan is improving certain aspects of data quality; however, some issues with relevance and accessibility persist.

The DDAP is supporting and reinforcing a cultural shift that prioritizes disaggregated data and intersectional analysis by expanding the availability of disaggregated data and related products. However, further progress will require greater emphasis on awareness and training. Some early evidence suggests that the DDAP is positively impacting data users, but these impacts are limited in part by data users' and decision makers' capacities to understand and use disaggregated data and analytical products. There is also some concern that the DDAP's long-term outcome is outside Statistics Canada's influence and mandate.

In light of these findings, the following recommendations are proposed.

Recommendation 1

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that the DDAP governance is strengthened to directly support the initiative in achieving its intermediate and ultimate outcomes by:

1. updating DDAP oversight committees' mandates to clearly articulate accountabilities, particularly around the provision of strategic direction and the achievement of the DDAP's medium- and long-term objectives
2. focusing future projects and activities on sustainability
3. establishing effective communication (e.g., leveraging proposed governance tables) to ensure that priorities, expected outcomes, and performance measures are well understood by staff, key partners and stakeholders (e.g., on a regular basis, using two-way dialogue).

Recommendation 2

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that outreach and engagement efforts are comprehensive and consistent, so that the ongoing needs of data users, including those from EE groups, are understood and being met by the DDAP's disaggregated data and analytical products.

Acronyms and abbreviations

2SLGBTQI+

Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people and those who use other terms related to gender or sexual diversity

ACS

Assistant chief statistician

ADM

Assistant deputy minister

CSDS

Centre for Statistical and Data Standards

CSPS

Canada School of Public Service

DDAP

Disaggregated Data Action Plan

DG

Director general

EDI

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

EE

Employment equity

Field 6

Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis Field

Field 7

Census, Regional Services and Operations Field

Field 8

Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field

GBA Plus

Gender-based Analysis Plus

GC

Government of Canada

OGD

Other government department

SMC

Strategic Management Committee

UCASS

University and College Academic Staff System

What is covered

Background

Statistics Canada's mandate is to produce objective, high-quality data to help Canadians better understand their social, economic and environmental conditions to inform the development and evaluation of public policies and programs and improve decision making. However, as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in uneven social and economic realities for various groups, Canadians' social, economic and environmental conditions are not universal. To address these disparities, more detailed data that are broken down—or disaggregated—into sub-categories such as gender, ethnocultural characteristics, age, sexual orientation, disability, and geography, are needed.

The Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP), established through Budget 2021, is a whole-of-government approach led by Statistics Canada to collect, analyze, and disseminate disaggregated data pertaining to the four employment equity (EE) groups: women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized populations and persons with disabilities. Where relevant and possible, it also covers lower levels of geography and other equity- and rights-seeking groups (e.g., Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people and those who use other terms related to gender or sexual diversity [2SLGBTQI+ population]; immigrants; low-income populations; children; and seniors). The DDAP aims to support governmental and societal efforts to address known inequalities by integrating fairness and inclusion considerations into decision making. Budget 2021 allocated $172 million to support the DDAP's first five years, and another $36.3 million was allocated to sustain ongoing related activities.

The DDAP is guided by the following four principles:

1. Data and analyses should be disaggregated at the lowest possible level of population detail while including Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) considerations and respecting quality and confidentiality.
2. Analysis should focus on intersectionality (e.g., young, Black, women), as opposed to binary interactions. A GBA Plus lens should be applied to data analysis.
3. Statistics Canada's approved standards should be used for disaggregation across all programs.
4. Data should be released at the lowest possible level of geography.

The DDAP activities are organized into five pillars outlined in Table 1.

Table 1. Pillars of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan^{Footnote 1}

Expanding disaggregated data assets	Increasing intersectional and longitudinal insights	Access to enhanced disaggregated data	Statistical standards	Enhanced engagement and communication
To provide more information on populations at various levels of geography	To shed light on inequities and promote fairness and inclusion	To give access for the public, all levels of government, and other data users	To review, develop and promote statistical standards to enable data comparisons over time and across jurisdictions	To better reflect the experiences of population groups and meet the needs of data users

Governance

The DDAP's governance structure included agency-level and interdepartmental governance bodies (see Figure 1).

Within Statistics Canada, the Strategic Management Committee (SMC), the agency's senior governance body chaired by the chief statistician and composed of assistant chief statisticians (ACSs), provides broad strategic direction for the agency, including the DDAP.

The ACS Steering Committee makes high-level decisions and is responsible for coordinating, facilitating, and monitoring the implementation of the DDAP within Statistics Canada. This committee is co-chaired by the ACS of the Social, Health, and Labour Statistics Field (Field 8) and the ACS of the Census, Regional Services and Operations Field (Field 7).

The Directors General (DG) Governance Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the ACS Steering Committee for decisions and supporting the monitoring of the DDAP projects. The DG Governance Committee is co-chaired by the DGs in the Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis Field (Field 6) and Field 8.

In the first two fiscal years of the DDAP, six agency-level working groups were established to address its five pillars: Engagement and Communication, Data Standards, Data Development and Acquisition, Access and Dissemination, Analytical Insights, and Statistical Infrastructure. These groups reported to the DG Governance Committee and were responsible for making recommendations to support DDAP activities.

The DDAP Secretariat, in the Centre for Population and Social Statistics of Field 8, provides administrative and logistical support to the agency and external DDAP committees, except the SMC.

The external Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data advises Statistics Canada on DDAP implementation and is responsible for promoting collaboration and coordination among federal departments; identifying and addressing data needs; and promoting program-level disaggregated data collection strategies, including the use of national data standards. The committee is co-chaired by the ACS of Field 8 and the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Priorities and Planning and Results and Delivery Unit, of the Privy Council Office. Membership includes ADMs from across the federal government.^{Footnote 2} Four interdepartmental working groups established in 2023 reported to the ADM committee: Engagement and Collaboration, Access to Disaggregated Data, Privacy and Confidentiality, and Expanding Data Assets.

The external Federal Advisory Committee on the Disaggregation of Justice and Community Safety Statistics is leveraged to provide advice specific to justice-related DDAP projects.

Description - Figure 1. Disaggregated Data Action Plan governance structure

Figure 1 depicts an organizational chart of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) governance structure.

Within Statistics Canada, there are the following committees:

• The Strategic Management Committee (SMC) chaired by the chief statistician and composed of assistant chief statisticians (ACSs).
• The ACS Steering Committee co-chaired by the ACS of the Social, Health, and Labour Statistics Field (Field 8) and the ACS of the Census, Regional Services and Operations Field (Field 7).
• The Directors General (DG) Governance Committee co-chaired by the DGs in the Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis Field (Field 6) and Field 8. The DG Governance Committee is supported by six working groups, each co-led by the directors of Field 6 and Field 7:
  1. Engagement and Communication
  2. Data Standards
  3. Data Development and Acquisition
  4. Access and Dissemination
  5. Analytical Insights
  6. Statistical Infrastructure.

The DDAP Secretariat, located in Field 8, provides administrative and logistical support to the agency and external DDAP committees, except the SMC.

Outside of Statistics Canada, there are the two following committees:

• The external Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data, which is co-chaired by the ACS of Field 8.
• The external Federal Advisory Committee on the Disaggregation of Justice and Community Safety Statistics, which is co-chaired by the DG of Field 8.

Expected outcomes

The DDAP is expected to contribute to building a more equitable Canada by advancing more representative data collection, enhancing statistics on diverse populations, addressing systemic racism and gender discrimination, and integrating fairness and inclusion into decision making processes to achieve the intended impact. The DDAP's expected immediate, intermediate, and long-term outcomes are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2. Disaggregated Data Action Plan outcomes^{Footnote 3}

Timeline	Outcomes	Associated performance indicators
Immediate outcomes (1 to 3 years)	An increased awareness and understanding of the need for disaggregated data and Gender-based Analysis Plus. Increased data quality and decreased information gaps. Increased and enhanced access to disaggregated data and detailed statistical information.	Proportion of indicators disaggregated for employment equity group (women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized populations, and persons with disabilities)
Intermediate outcome (3 to 5 years)	A change in culture that prioritizes the use and collection of disaggregated data, and—where possible—intersectional analyses to meet policy makers' and other data users' needs.	Not applicable
Long-term outcome (5 years and more)	Increasingly fair and inclusive policy, program, and legislation development across all levels of government and within society.	Not applicable

To achieve these outcomes, Statistics Canada has pursued and will continue to pursue the following core activities:

1. administrative data development
2. disaggregation of labour market indicators
3. disaggregation of social indicators
4. disaggregation of population health indicators
5. disaggregation of web panel surveys
6. longitudinal social data development program
7. universal crime reporting expansion
8. survey on not-for-profit board diversity
9. survey on business conditions
10. enhancements to the Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics.

Funded projects and activities

The DDAP included various projects aimed at enhancing the agency's capacity to disaggregate data. Agency leadership also promoted a cultural shift towards prioritizing disaggregated data and analysis. Although the majority (66%) of funding was allocated to Field 8, almost all fields benefited from DDAP initiatives.

Since its inception, the DDAP has supported a variety of projects and activities through core funding and targeted calls for applications. Ten core-funded projects, which formed the foundation of the DDAP's commitment, and other specific activities for communication, engagement and training to support consultation and promotion for the DDAP received continuous funding across multiple fiscal years or until project completion. Projects funded through the call for applications process were selected based on criteria aligned with the DDAP's goals. These projects were reviewed and selected by the DG Governance Committee and were intended to support early-stage or ongoing work. For fiscal years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, projects funded through the call for applications process received annual or multi-year funding. However, the call for applications in 2023/2024 was not as widely advertised as in 2022/2023, and only a few projects selected in Field 8 were chosen.

In 2022/2023, the DDAP's projects faced budgetary constraints as a result of the broader financial context within the agency, which affected project leads' ability to fully implement activities as planned. As new initiatives were funded, uncertainty arose about whether some projects could meet staffing requirements. To address this, additional funding amounts beyond the original allocations were planned for 2022/2023, and corrective actions were taken midway, including delaying some projects, reducing overall project budgets, and realigning funds to prioritize projects directly aligned with the DDAP's core objectives. By 2024/2025, the DDAP supported 74 projects and activities. As the initiative moves into the final year of its five-year funding, the $172 million has been fully allocated.

About the evaluation

Authority

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Results and Statistics Canada's Risk-Based Audit and Evaluation Plan (2024/2025 to 2028/2029).

Objective and scope

The objective of the evaluation is to provide credible and neutral information on the relevance, design and delivery, and performance of the DDAP.

The scope of the evaluation covered the design and delivery of the DDAP, including its governance structure; sustainability of new activities within the agency's ongoing operations; and progress towards its intended short-, medium-, and long-term results. The scope was established in collaboration with the office of primary interest, and the evaluation was conducted from November 2024 to February 2025. It followed a pre-consultation process with senior managers and project leads and included the development of a logic model during the planning phase.

Approach and methodology

The following three evaluation questions were identified:

1. To what extent is the DDAP relevant in supporting federal needs and priorities, including Statistics Canada's?
2. To what extent are the design and delivery of the DDAP facilitating the achievement of its intended outcomes?
3. To what extent is the DDAP progressing towards its intended outcomes in the short, medium, and long term?

More information about the evaluation questions and related indicators can be found in Appendix A.

The data collection methods outlined in Figure 2 were used to inform the evaluation. The findings outlined in this report are based on the triangulation of these data collection methods.

Description - Figure 2. Data collection methods

Figure 2 outlines the methods used by the evaluation for data collection.

• Internal interviews: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the DG and ACS governance committees and project leads. 27 internal interviews were conducted with 33 people.
• External interviews: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders and data users from federal, provincial, and territorial governments; academia; and other organizations. 21 external interviews were conducted with 22 people.
• Case studies: Three case studies were carried out, using a mixed methodology focusing on the DDAP Administrative Data Fund, statistical standards and internal training. Data collection methods for the case studies included:
  • a file review
  • a survey of Statistics Canada's Training participants. The sample size was 23 with a response rate of 31%.
  • 8 internal and external interviews
• External survey: A survey of data users from federal, provincial, and territorial government, academia, and other organizations was conducted. The sample size was 370 with a response rate of 29%.
• Document Review: A review of Statistics Canada's files and documents was carried out.

Two main limitations were identified, and mitigation strategies were employed, as outlined in Table 3.

Table 3. Limitations and mitigation strategies

Limitations	Mitigation strategies
The perspectives gathered through external interviews may not be fully representative, as disaggregated data funded by the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) are not always distinguishable as Statistics Canada data or as disaggregated data.	Interviewees were selected using specific criteria to maximize strategic reach. Multiple recruitment strategies were used. Evaluators were able to find consistent overall patterns.
Detailed financial information on DDAP spending and its allocation across the agency was limited.	The evaluation attempted to fill these gaps, to the extent possible, through the other lines of evidence, including interviews with key informants.

What we learned

Relevance

To what extent is the Disaggregated Data Action Plan relevant in supporting federal needs and priorities, including Statistics Canada's?

The Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) is supporting Canada's information needs and aligns with government-wide priorities, as well as Statistics Canada's strategic priorities and core responsibilities. DDAP projects and activities align with the federal government's data priorities and needs outlined in recent federal budgets, strategies, and reports, as well as agency-wide priorities for more disaggregated data, leading-edge methods and data integration described in mandate letters and strategic documents.

DDAP projects and activities align with the federal government's data priorities and needs outlined in recent federal budgets, strategies, and reports.

DDAP projects and activities that contribute to expanding disaggregated data assets, increasing intersectional analysis and enhancing access to disaggregated data align with several federal priorities and strategies seeking to understand social, economic and environmental issues; advance equity; address issues affecting vulnerable communities; and support evidence-based policy making.

• In 2018, the Government of Canada (GC) called for greater data disaggregated by gender and other intersecting identify factors to support the implementation of its Gender Results Framework and its Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
• Disaggregated data broken down by race or ethnocultural origins and intersecting identities were collected and analyzed to support Building a Foundation for Change: Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy 2019–2022 and Changing Systems, Transforming Lives: Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy 2024–2028.
• Budget 2021 prioritized the collection and use of disaggregated data to modernize Canada's justice system, strengthen evidence-based policy making and support the Quality of Life Framework to inform federal decision making and budgeting. Also in 2021, Canada's Federal Implementation Plan for the 2030 Agenda identified the need for federal departments to identify gaps in disaggregated data that inform the Sustainable Development Goals and to work in partnership with Statistics Canada to address data gaps.

The DDAP is well aligned with the 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service, which calls on federal organizations to develop a whole-of-government approach to data standards to generate greater insights, reduce data duplication and enable interoperability. Both initiatives share a common vision and emphasize the importance of developing and integrating statistical standards and building capacity within the public service.

In addition to aligning with federal strategies and priorities, the DDAP's whole-of-government approach and pillars align with several recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General calling for

• greater collaboration amongst federal departments, including Statistics Canada, to identify and prioritize disaggregated data needs to inform the Sustainable Development Goals
• increased collection and use of disaggregated data to support GBA Plus to inform and evaluate policies and programs.

DDAP projects and activities are also aligned with agency-wide priorities and departmental strategies.

DDAP projects and activities are reflected in the agency's 2021 mandate letter, which called on Statistics Canada to support a whole-of-government approach to improving the collection, analysis and availability of disaggregated data. The DDAP's focus on enhanced access, data standards, and engagement and collaboration aligns with Statistics Canada's modernization strategy, which emphasizes user-centric service delivery, leading-edge methods and data integration, statistical capacity building and leadership, and sharing and collaboration. It also aligns with the Statistics Canada Data Strategy—specifically data discovery and interoperability.

Design and delivery

To what extent are the design and delivery of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan facilitating the achievement of its intended outcomes?

The Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) governance structure and mechanisms facilitate oversight across the federal government and the agency, but they focus primarily on monitoring implementation rather than tracking progress toward intended outcomes. While the governance structure provides some elements of accountability, gaps remain, and the emphasis on implementation over strategic direction limits its ability to facilitate the achievement of medium- and long-term outcomes.

Consultative efforts informed some DDAP priorities and projects; however, concerns remain that some disaggregated data products are released without sufficient consultation, risking the advancement of a deficit narrative. While DDAP activities built on, and in some cases improved, existing infrastructure, resources and capabilities, initiatives dependent on oversampling are unsustainable. Efforts to sustain new DDAP-funded activities by integrating them within the agency's ongoing operations were limited. Cost-recovery agreements could help, but the current fiscal climate limits this option.

The DDAP governance structure and mechanisms facilitate oversight across the federal government and the agency, supporting the achievement of DDAP project and activity deliverables and the management of DDAP funds.

The external ADM Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data provided sufficient oversight to ensure the work plan priorities pursued by the four interdepartmental working groups were on track to achieve their expected deliverables. The ADM committee's quarterly meetings, supported by the DDAP Secretariat, served to monitor progress on the working groups' deliverables through regularly scheduled presentations from the working group co-leads. The oversight efforts of the ADM committee supported the timely completion of working group deliverables. According to ADM committee meeting minutes, all expected deliverables, including the launch of the Disaggregated Data Resource Hub, were on track to be completed by early 2025. However, the evaluation evidence does not clearly indicate the extent to which the ADM committee is prepared to monitor the deployment and uptake of the work plan deliverables across the federal government.

The DG Governance Committee, with support from the DDAP Secretariat, provided sufficient oversight to ensure that the deliverables of agency-led projects and activities were on track or revised to reflect changing circumstances. Every quarter, the DG Governance Committee reviewed the project dashboard report^{Footnote 4} to determine whether any steps were required to address projects that were off track, delayed or cancelled. The quarterly project reports enabled the DG Governance Committee to anticipate projects expecting a budget surplus and quickly identify others that could use the funding.^{Footnote 5} The DG Governance Committee also provided sufficient monitoring to support the achievement of agency-level working group deliverables via presentations by the working group co-leads. Before disbanding, each working group presented its recommendations and any associated tools or strategies to the DG Governance Committee. However, the extent to which the committee's oversight supported the effectiveness of the working groups and their deliverables was unclear. Some agency representatives reported that the working groups primarily functioned as discussion groups and lacked clear direction on the issues they were aiming to resolve.

The DG and ACS committees provided financial oversight to manage the allocation of DDAP funding. Financial oversight was informed through the quarterly project trackers and project-level and strategic-level costing workbooks. The financial oversight efforts of the ACS Steering Committee resulted in a reduction of project funding to address the planned funding overallocation in 2022/2023.

Oversight of some performance indicators provided by DDAP governance helped achieve some short-term outcomes, but the limited number of performance indicators restricted the extent to which DDAP governance could monitor progress on expected results.

The DG Governance Committee provided some oversight of progress in addressing information gaps via the DDAP Secretariat's annual reports on the proportion of indicators disaggregated by the four EE groups. This oversight highlighted that the proportion of indicators disaggregated by racialized populations and persons with disabilities was falling short of its target. To address this, committee members were asked to work with their respective teams to increase indicators for racialized populations. The committee determined that no further action was required for persons with disabilities because the release of the five-year Canadian Survey on Disability was expected to fill this gap. The absence of additional developed performance indicators limited the ability of DDAP governance to oversee progress toward expected results.

Recent changes to oversight efforts within the DG Governance Committee are intended to facilitate monitoring project outcomes to better understand how they contribute to achieving intended results.

In 2024/2025, the DG Governance Committee extended its oversight of DDAP projects and activities to include progress towards intended project outcomes to improve its ability to monitor the alignment of DDAP projects with expected results. To support this expanded oversight, the DG Governance Committee implemented additional efforts. These included returning to monthly meetings (instead of quarterly); revising quarterly project reports to integrate more variables around risks—specifically, the capacity to drive progress and the degree of challenge in achieving the milestones; and inviting project teams to present on their progress, including how the DDAP funds were used.

DDAP governance provides some elements of accountability, and steps were taken to improve governance accountability to ensure projects align with DDAP goals.

Evidence suggests that mechanisms were established to uphold governance accountability. These mechanisms included governance mandates and terms of reference for the DDAP Secretariat, the DG Governance Committee, the ACS Steering Committee, the ADM Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data, and agency-level committees and working groups that outline their purpose, roles and responsibilities, and reporting structure. The mechanisms also included a formalized evaluation approach to inform the selection and funding of projects through calls for proposals, regular project-level reporting, and a few established performance indicators. However, challenges in governance accountability contributed to issues with the recommendation and approval of DDAP projects.

DDAP projects funded through the call for applications process were selected by the DG Governance Committee and approved by the ACS Steering Committee. The DDAP Secretariat used an evaluation matrix to ensure the initial list of potential projects brought to the DG Governance Committee aligned with the DDAP's core principles. However, neither committee appeared to have additional mechanisms to verify that the recommendation and approval of funded projects aligned with the DDAP's expected results. It was reported that having very little time to deliberate on funding recommendations further limited the ACS Steering Committee's accountability for approving recommended projects. The gaps in project recommendation and approval accountability created a risk that some DDAP-funded projects could be misaligned with the expected outcomes. In 2022/2023, the ACS Steering Committee issued a directive to strengthen accountability in project selection by requiring all projects to align with core DDAP commitments. As a result, some projects were scaled down or defunded to complement the financial corrective actions noted above.

Internal interviewees noted a lack of transparency and communication in the call for applications and project selection processes. Better communication of expectations throughout these processes would have improved the alignment of proposals, although some mechanisms existed to provide support. During the first year of implementation, some projects also faced initial challenges because of unclear expectations and undefined reporting mechanisms, which were eventually resolved. The timing of funding decisions was another concern, as it did not align with project planning, leaving project teams with little time to plan activities and secure resources.

Gaps in governance accountability potentially impede the achievement of medium- and long-term outcomes.

Working group deliverables were intended to advance the culture change within the agency and across the federal government. Gaps in accountability for the implementation of working group deliverables were noted for the DG and the ADM committees. The DG Governance Committee did not have a clear plan or dedicated resources to implement and monitor the agency working groups' recommendations, hindering their full execution. The ADM Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data does not appear to have a plan to support the uptake and application of the resources generated by the interdepartmental working groups and made available through the Disaggregated Data Resources Hub. While the data hub is part of the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) platform, it is unclear whether the ADM committee is accountable for monitoring and updating it.

The investment in oversampling flagship surveys was used to enable the timely production of disaggregated data to support the achievement of short-term outcomes. However, the DG and the ACS committees recognized that this oversampling was an unsustainable means of producing disaggregated data given the relatively high costs and declining response rates. While some noted steps were taken to address the reliance on oversampling within the DG Governance Committee,^{Footnote 6} the evaluation found little evidence to indicate that either committee was accountable for advancing the development or application of alternative methods. This accountability gap in directing efforts to address oversampling challenges hinders the achievement of medium- and long-term outcomes. Without viable alternatives, key interviewees reported that surveys are expected to revert to more aggregated datasets.

Strategic direction to support the achievement of intended outcomes was limited because of inadequate foundational documents, and a short-term focus over a long-term vision.

The extent to which DDAP governance could provide strategic direction was limited by its absence from the mandates and priorities of the DG, ACS and ADM committees. At the agency-level, the priorities of the DG and ACS committees focused on allocating funding and implementing projects and activities rather than providing strategic guidance. The external ADM committee prioritized implementing the work plan to address barriers to the collection and use of disaggregated data, but there was limited evidence of additional efforts to strategically plan for a whole-of-government approach to achieving the medium- and long-term expected outcomes.

The priorities and direction of the DDAP were largely reported to be informed by foundational documents. However, these documents did not include a logic model that clearly articulated the expected outcomes, performance indicators and measurement strategy specific to the DDAP. Instead, they included a more generic logic model aligned with the agency's departmental results. Including a DDAP-specific logic model in the foundational documents could have facilitated more strategic thinking by DDAP governance to guide the development, monitoring and adjustments of the action plan. The evaluation found no evidence that performance indicators of medium- and long-term outcomes were being measured, monitored or reported by DDAP governance, indicating limitations in its ability to identify performance gaps and strategically adjust the plan.

Various consultative efforts informed some DDAP projects and activities to meet the needs of data users.

DDAP consultation efforts included online questionnaires; targeted engagement with partners, stakeholders, underrepresented and marginalized groups, provinces and territories, and academic subject-matter experts; and internal (agency and GC) discussions. The extent to which all DDAP projects and activities incorporated stakeholder consultations could not be determined through the evaluation. However, according to some internal documents, over one-third of DDAP projects reported planned or completed consultation activities. In addition to formal stakeholder consultations, standing stakeholder meetings with data users (e.g., provincial and territorial focal points or the Federation of Canadian Municipalities) were reported to inform some projects.

Consultation feedback is an important component of accountability and helps clarify and confirm stakeholders' needs to ensure that the disaggregated data and analytical products are relevant. According to the surveyed data users who reported participating in disaggregated data consultations, 63%^{Footnote 7} (n=177) reported receiving a summary or updates on the feedback provided to Statistics Canada, and 90% were satisfied with Statistics Canada's efforts to understand their disaggregated data needs and perspectives. A few data users reported that improvements to Statistics Canada consultations over the last five years, particularly with Indigenous Peoples, had resulted in greater satisfaction with disaggregated data and analytical products.

Consultations improved the relevance of some DDAP projects. However, there were some concerns that disaggregated data and associated products released without sufficient consultation risked reinforcing a deficit narrative.

Input from consultations was reported to have influenced some projects. Project leads reported several improvements to their projects as a result of stakeholder consultations, helping to ensure that the needs of data users were being met. Examples include:

• revisions to survey content to better meet the needs of data users and align with DDAP priorities (e.g., labour market indicators and the Diversity of Charity and Non-profit Boards crowdsourcing questionnaire)
• the development of a guidelines document and analytical framework and the establishment of a special purpose committee under the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to support jurisdictions' development of a data collection approach for police-reported Indigenous and racialized identity data
• adjustments to the scope of the project related to environmental, social and governance Indigenous indicators to focus on creating a guideline for developing Indigenous indicators, following a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in their creation.

Some concerns were raised that consultations on various DDAP project-related data or analytical products did not sufficiently involve representatives of the population group before release. Releasing data without sufficient input from these representatives can inadvertently support deficit narratives, as important contextual factors may be overlooked, resulting in data that do not meet stakeholders' needs (e.g., Indigenous Peoples). While some DDAP projects engaged with communities to inform DDAP deliverables (e.g., portraits for selected racialized population groups), some key interviewees recommend that the agency spend more time engaging with external stakeholders to inform the messaging of disaggregated data products.

Some DDAP projects are delivered efficiently through existing infrastructure, improved methodological and sampling approaches, and internal expertise. A few projects reported advancing Statistics Canada's capabilities and resources.

Most of the project leads reported that they had sufficient internal skills and partnerships to meet the needs of their project and that DDAP funding helped secure staff to address any outstanding knowledge or resource gaps. There is evidence that some DDAP projects helped minimize additional costs by using existing infrastructure, resources, and capabilities, such as:

• using corporate survey infrastructure already in place for collecting, processing, and disseminating data
• using data from other surveys or linked databases (e.g., Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, census, Longitudinal Immigration Database) to support data disaggregation
• applying current methodological approaches (e.g., small area estimation) to generate greater data granularity in the Labour Force Survey
• leveraging the work of other government department (OGD) initiatives to advance DDAP outcomes, such as the partnership with the CSPS to advance disaggregated data training programs and resources
• creating survey samples targeting specific population groups (e.g., racialized people) from the census and associated administrative data sources to increase response rates and reduce sample sizes
• using the expertise and experience within Statistics Canada's communications team and the Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships to support consultation and communication activities.

A few DDAP initiatives reported advancing Statistics Canada capabilities and resources. For example, one project focused on advancing methodological capabilities by working with the data science team to apply machine learning to address survey non-response. The working groups produced several resources to support agency employees' and other federal employees' disaggregated data collection, analysis and communication needs, including a disaggregated data hub with resources and links to OGD- or agency-developed disaggregated data resources, guides and training materials. However, the extent to which these resources have improved skills or knowledge within the agency is unclear.

Some DDAP activities were designed to support ongoing data disaggregation beyond the funding timeline, but efforts to sustain DDAP-funded activities were not adequately prioritized.

Some DDAP activities were designed to support outcomes long after the DDAP funding envelope concludes. Standards and data acquisition activities aim to fill information gaps and avoid additional surveys, while the development of accessible resources and a disaggregated data hub for federal staff is intended to increase awareness and understanding of the need for disaggregated data and foster a culture that prioritizes them. DG Governance Committee representatives described the funding provided through the call for applications process as seed money to help projects get off the ground and demonstrate their value to stakeholders. However, efforts to sustain project activities were not reported to be consistently prioritized, and there is an expectation that continued funding is necessary for ongoing data disaggregation. This reliance on DDAP financial support underscores the need for a more strategic approach to ensure the long-term viability of the DDAP's outcomes.

Oversampling is an unsustainable practice, yet relatively little focus was devoted to exploring or adopting alternative methodological approaches.

When the DDAP was developed, oversampling was used to produce disaggregated data. Most agency staff involved in projects relying on ongoing oversampling stated that no alternative method could produce similar data results. Agency staff recognized the high costs of oversampling, but given the ongoing challenges of declining response rates, any reduction in oversampling funding was reported to limit the ability of flagship surveys to produce disaggregated data.

Evidence suggests that DDAP funding contributed to methodological efforts to support efficient sampling;^{Footnote 8} improve understanding of non-response and develop guidelines for synthetic data. However, there was limited evidence that efforts to advance methodological solutions to oversampling were strategically prioritized early in the initiative. Some agency representatives expect the Methodological Acceleration initiative to identify emerging techniques for application to the DDAP, but the extent of the progress being made in this regard remains unclear.

Disaggregated Data Action Plan Administrative Data Fund

The Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) Administrative Data Fund aims to provide external partners with an opportunity to enhance their disaggregated administrative data holdings by providing funding to cover direct costs. Divisions that have identified partners are invited to submit proposals through a formal application process. Currently, five projects from various sectors have been funded or are ongoing. Collaboration with external partners, government departments and Statistics Canada across multiple projects has been essential in advancing data modernization efforts.

For example, the University and College Academic Staff System (UCASS) Modernization project demonstrates how the DDAP supported innovative problem-solving to sustainably address compound challenges, such as response burden, while advancing its priorities. By adding variables to staff surveys and combining them with data from other sources (e.g., the Census of Population), the pilot project provided valuable insights for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives and identified areas for improvement within the universities, without compromising survey respondents' privacy. The UCASS Modernization project has since been expanded to include data on groups previously unrepresented in the system. There are plans to add UCASS data to Statistics Canada's Social Data Linkage Environment, and this could provide a robust framework for EDI analysis across various demographic indicators. External partners are optimistic about the project's future and its continued positive impact, but, as with other DDAP projects, securing future funding sources remains a priority to ensure ongoing success.

Cost-recovery agreements can help sustain some DDAP projects, but the current fiscal climate significantly limits the viability of this option.

Key interviewees reported that the more limited ongoing DDAP funding will be used to support mission-critical projects, such as the Labour Force Survey, while other projects can expect funding reductions. To address project sustainability, DDAP governance is discussing the potential for some DDAP initiatives to transition into cost-recovery projects.

At least one project (the Indigenous satellite account) transitioned to a cost-recovery agreement with Indigenous Services Canada to continue for a second year, and a few other projects reported exploring cost-recovery options with federal (e.g., Canadian Heritage, Employment and Social Development Canada) and provincial and territorial partners. However, many interviewees noted that while the DDAP is generating data and analysis that meet the needs of data users, cost-recovery opportunities are limited and more challenging given the current fiscal climate. Furthermore, some interviewees reported that data users are less inclined to use their own funds, as Statistics Canada received substantial funding to expand and enhance disaggregated data and analysis.

Performance

To what extent is the Disaggregated Data Action Plan progressing towards its intended outcomes in the short, medium, and long term?

Although the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) is making progress toward its intended results, some areas require further attention. Awareness-raising and training activities have helped participants better understand data disaggregation, yet some barriers to applying and acquiring disaggregated data knowledge were identified. The DDAP is helping to address information gaps, but the reliance on oversampling to produce disaggregated data from flagship surveys was identified as a challenge to sustainably doing so. The action plan is improving certain aspects of data quality; however, some issues with relevance and accessibility persist.

The DDAP is supporting and reinforcing a cultural shift that prioritizes disaggregated data and intersectional analysis by expanding the availability of disaggregated data and related products. However, further progress will require greater emphasis on awareness and training. Some early evidence suggests that the DDAP is positively impacting data users, though these impacts are limited in part by data users' and decision makers' capacities to understand and use disaggregated data and analytical products. There is also some concern that the DDAP's long-term outcome is outside Statistics Canada's influence and mandate.

DDAP awareness-raising and training activities are contributing to, and sustaining, strong awareness and understanding of the importance of disaggregated data and GBA Plus.

Numerous activities have been implemented to increase awareness of the need for disaggregated data and GBA Plus within and outside Statistics Canada. By the end of 2022/2023, the DDAP Secretariat delivered over 100 presentations across the agency, to OGDs and to external stakeholders^{Footnote 9} to raise awareness of the importance of disaggregated data and the DDAP's priorities. Other internal and external awareness-raising efforts include a dedicated agency intranet webpage; a government-wide disaggregated data hub; presentations at the agency's research forum; social media posts; podcasts; conference and workshop presentations; and a two-part introduction to disaggregated data video, which received over 850 views in its first five months. The majority (79%) of surveyed data users (n=370) reported that they were familiar with the concept of disaggregated data.

In response to an identified need for training to support stakeholders' understanding of disaggregated data and GBA Plus, the DDAP funded six training programs^{Footnote 10} for agency and other federal government staff. The courses covered a variety of key areas related to the use and importance of disaggregated data (e.g., privacy, confidentiality, accessibility, utility, ethics, small area estimation, data types and formats, frameworks, guidelines, application, strategies, case studies). From 2022 to 2024, over 350 federal (agency and non-agency) staff participated in the synchronous programs.

Most highly knowledgeable, long-time users of Statistics Canada data reported that their awareness and understanding of the need for disaggregated data and GBA Plus have remained unchanged over the past four years, as they were already at a high level. While a few data users reported a greater awareness and importance attributed to disaggregated data among their stakeholders, the increase could not be attributed to the DDAP.

DDAP training activities are contributing to participants' understanding of data disaggregation, but some barriers to applying and acquiring disaggregated data knowledge were identified.

Statistics Canada participants reported high satisfaction with DDAP training courses. According to the case study survey, the initial Disaggregated Data Analytical Workshop positively influenced participants' knowledge and awareness of the DDAP and its components, including ethical considerations, confidentiality practices and data standards. The workshop effectively enhanced the application of knowledge for most participants. Furthermore, the training courses strengthened and expanded the community network of disaggregated data users, as participants learned about and established new contacts they could later reach out to during their work. However, participants also noted some barriers to fully using the skills they learned during training. These included insufficient disaggregated data to perform the required level of analysis, the need for additional analytical training, a lack of resources (budget, staff or technology), and limited time to apply what they learned.

Outside Statistics Canada, some evidence suggests that the disaggregated data training programs could benefit from additional awareness-raising efforts. Just over half (53%) of surveyed data users who were federal government employees (n=231) reported being unaware of the training, while 15% had participated in at least some of the training. Of those who participated, the most commonly reported outcome was an increased understanding of disaggregated data and how they can inform policy making.

The DDAP is helping to address information gaps by increasing the proportion of disaggregated indicators for the four EE groups, but few data users reported specific impacts from the increase in disaggregated data.

Since 2020/2021, the percentage of socioeconomic indicators disaggregated for gender, racialized populations, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities has increased. By 2023/2024, gender indicators exceeded the target by 17 percentage points, indicators for racialized populations were 1 percentage point away from reaching their target, and indicators for Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities increased but remained 6 and 8 percentage points, respectively, from their targets (see Figure 3).

Description - Figure 3. Percentage of statistical indicators regularly produced by the Socio-economic Statistics program that relate to people and are disaggregated by employment equity group, 2020/2021 to 2023/2024

Figure 3 is a chart with columns that shows the percentage of statistical indicators regularly produced by the Socio-economic Statistics program that relate to people and are disaggregated by employment equity group for the fiscal years 2020/2021 to 2023/2024.

For gender, the target is 80% and the percentage for each fiscal year was as follows:

• 2020/2021: 64%
• 2021/2022: 65%
• 2022/2023: 80%
• 2023/2024: 97%

For Indigenous Peoples, the target is 70% and the percentage for each fiscal year was as follows:

• 2020/2021: 47%
• 2021/2022: 48%
• 2022/2023: 49%
• 2023/2024: 64%

For racialized populations, the target is 70% and the percentage for each fiscal year was as follows:

• 2020/2021: 43%
• 2021/2022: 49%
• 2022/2023: 60%
• 2023/2024: 69%

For persons with a disability, the target is 50% and the percentage for each fiscal year was as follows:

• 2020/2021: 23%
• 2021/2022: 26%
• 2022/2023: 19%
• 2023/2024: 42%

Approximately 65% of surveyed data users who responded to the question regarding the extent to which Statistics Canada's disaggregated data are filling information gaps since 2021 (n=342) reported that they are indeed filling information gaps, with 23% reporting that gaps were filled to a large or very large extent. Data users' perception of Statistics Canada's effectiveness in producing data to better understand EE groups is highest for women (55%), followed by racialized populations (44%), Indigenous Peoples (42%), and persons with a disability (34%). However, few interviewees could report whether, and how, the increase in disaggregated data was contributing to decision making, research or policy debates. Data users who could speak to the contribution of the DDAP on their organization reported that the increase in disaggregated data is informing the kinds of research questions members of their organization are pursuing, providing the evidence to advocate for funding and investment revisions, and informing organizational research and data collection activities. 

As already stated, the sustainability of oversampling to produce disaggregated data from flagship surveys was identified as a challenge to addressing information gaps. However, it is unclear to what extent the agency has increased its capacity to avoid or reduce its dependency on oversampling by advancing methodologies that help address the declining response rates.

The DDAP is enhancing some dimensions of data quality, but a few relevance and accessibility gaps were noted.

The DDAP is producing data that many data users reported to be meeting their needs. However, key interviewees and surveyed data users also reported a need for greater disaggregation beyond the four EE groups, especially for the 2SLGBTQI+ population and at lower geographic levels.^{Footnote 11} Although disaggregation for the 2SLGBTQI+ population and at smaller geographic levels is included in the DDAP's priorities, projects prioritizing populations outside of the four EE groups have reportedly not been prioritized. Data users recommended that Statistics Canada focus on developing appropriate estimation or sampling methods to address privacy or confidentiality concerns that contribute to the ongoing gaps.

DDAP standards are contributing to data coherence and comparability. The DDAP supported the approval and adoption of two disaggregated data standards^{Footnote 12} within the federal government and the approval and adoption of sexual orientation and gig employment standards within the agency. Efforts to improve the usability of the standards include providing a dedicated web page and making DDAP standards accessible through the Reference Data as a Service application programming interface. However, the development of standards is a complex and lengthy process, and adoption is required outside of Statistics Canada to ensure interoperability across government and non-government agencies.

Statistical standards

To address the inconsistent use of statistical standards for disaggregated data across Statistics Canada and the Government of Canada (GC), and to meet the need for more user-centric products, services, and communications, Statistics Canada's Centre for Statistical and Data Standards (CSDS) launched several initiatives in support of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan. These initiatives provide guidance on survey methodologies, improve interoperability, and engage extensively with internal and external stakeholders. The CSDS has also focused on expanding the accessibility of standards through an enhanced website and consultations with key groups. Additionally, the team has developed training resources to support analysts and survey managers in effectively applying these standards.

The CSDS used established processes, tools and governance structures, along with data standards repositories and consultation networks, to help set key statistical standards across the GC. For instance, it developed a proof of concept using some quality of life variables to disseminate disaggregated data at the lowest level possible while still respecting data confidentiality and quality. Furthermore, consultations with over 300 groups and individuals have informed the development of inclusive data collection frameworks. This has helped harmonize data on gender and sexual orientation across various surveys and refine these standards.

Looking forward, the focus is on securing sustainable funding, integrating new standards into legacy systems and educating stakeholders on the value of standardization, as adapting survey questions across jurisdictions requires careful attention to underlying concepts to ensure consistency.

The DDAP also supported greater accessibility to disaggregated data and analytical products by updating Statistics Canada's Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub and launching the Centre for Municipal and Local Data; releasing more analytical publications and data tables online and through Statistics Canada's official release bulletin, The Daily; and promoting new disaggregated data and analysis through social media. Some data users reported that the DDAP has increased access to disaggregated data for more organizations because data that used to be accessible only through cost-recovery report requests are now accessible through the Statistics Canada website at no additional cost. However, less than half (35%) of surveyed data users (n=370) reported that it was somewhat easy or better to access Statistics Canada's disaggregated data. Barriers included website navigation issues, limited hub value for advanced needs, limited data linking with external sources and users' limited internal capacity.

Priorities related to data sovereignty were identified as a potential challenge to enhancing access to disaggregated data by collecting and integrating data from other sources. Key interviewees recognized that the agency is still developing its approach to supporting data sovereignty for various jurisdictions and populations, but expressed ongoing concern that sharing data with the agency would result in losing control of the data and how they are used. To address this concern, key interviewees recommended that the agency continue to work with other data stewards to determine how the data can be shared in a way that respects the needs and commitments of those involved. 

The DDAP is reinforcing a cultural shift that prioritizes disaggregated data and intersectional analysis by expanding the availability of disaggregated data and analytical products. To advance the cultural shift outside the agency, greater emphasis should be placed on awareness and training efforts.

Interviewees within the agency reported that the DDAP is supporting a culture change. This can be seen by the increased attention to disaggregated statistics and greater intersectional analysis in branches outside Field 8, such as those in the Economic Statistics Field. They also indicated that considering disaggregated data earlier in the process has increased since the implementation of the DDAP.

Results from the case study survey align with this, as 78.3% of respondents indicated that the agency fosters an environment that promotes horizontality for disaggregated data work, as well as the importance of intersectional analysis and longitudinal insights. However, a slightly lower proportion (61.7%) of participants who responded to the question reported an emphasis on applying the GBA Plus lens to all projects and initiatives.

Evidence of a cultural change within the federal government included an increased demand for disaggregated data among federal data users. However, a few interviewees noted that the cultural change is not progressing at the same pace within every department. A department's data literacy, its mandate for research and its leadership's commitment appear to have a greater influence on its use of disaggregated data.

Interviewed data users reported that the DDAP supports a cultural shift toward prioritizing the collection and use of disaggregated data and GBA Plus. However, many noted that this shift started before the implementation of the DDAP. Data users also reported that because Statistics Canada is perceived as a data leader, the increased availability of disaggregated data and analytical products is helping to spread and solidify this cultural change. To further advance a cultural change that prioritizes the collection and analysis of disaggregated data, some data users recommended that greater awareness and training efforts be directed to non-federal data users to help them better understand what information is available and how it can be used in their work.

Some early evidence suggests that the DDAP is positively impacting data users' decision making, research and policy debates, but these impacts are limited by data users' and decision-makers' capacity to understand and use disaggregated data.

As the DDAP enters the final year of its five-year funding, some signs of progress toward achieving its long-term outcome can be seen. Among surveyed data users who responded to the question about whether Statistics Canada's disaggregated data are enhancing their research, decision making or policy debates (n=340), 61% reported they were having a positive impact. However, evidence also shows that some data users are still determining the overall impact of Statistics Canada's disaggregated data, given that just under one-quarter (23%) of respondents reported not knowing whether the data were enhancing their work. Specific benefits of Statistics Canada's disaggregated data include filling or identifying information gaps, highlighting specific trends or inequalities, informing interventions or policies, and targeting resources or recommendations.

As noted, few key interviewees could report any tangible DDAP-related impacts on their decision making, research or policy debates. Disaggregated data had a positive impact on the implementation and effectiveness of GBA Plus in federal budgets. The long-term outcome of increasingly fair and inclusive policy, program or legislation development is limited by data users' and decision-makers' capacities to understand and use disaggregated data and corresponding analytical products. Key interviewees reported that smaller jurisdictions, non-governmental organizations and government staff often lack the capacity or resources to understand and use disaggregated data, limiting the impact of the DDAP on policy and program development. Suggestions to address these capacity gaps include sustained awareness and training efforts within and outside the federal government, particularly at the federal leadership levels.

There is some concern that the DDAP's long-term outcome is outside Statistics Canada's influence and mandate.

Some concerns were reported that the DDAP's long-term outcome of increasingly fair and inclusive policy, programs and legislation is outside Statistics Canada's mandate. While DDAP activities are primarily focused on increasing disaggregated data and analytical products, Statistics Canada has limited influence on whether, and how, the data are considered in program and policy development. Achieving the DDAP's long-term outcome is considered more the collective responsibility of leaders across the federal government. However, doubts have been raised about whether the current ADM Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data is effectively designed to advance the federal leadership's commitment to applying disaggregated data and intersectional analysis.

How to improve the program

Recommendation 1

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that the DDAP governance is strengthened to directly support the initiative in achieving its intermediate and ultimate outcomes by:

1. updating DDAP oversight committees' mandates to clearly articulate accountabilities, particularly around the provision of strategic direction and the achievement of the DDAP's medium- and long-term objectives
2. focusing future projects and activities on sustainability
3. establishing effective communication (e.g., leveraging proposed governance tables) to ensure that priorities, expected outcomes, and performance measures are well understood by staff, key partners, and stakeholders (e.g., on a regular basis, using two-way dialogue).

Recommendation 2

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that outreach and engagement efforts are comprehensive and consistent, so that the ongoing needs of data users, including those from the EE groups, are understood and being met by DDAP's disaggregated data and analytical products.

Management response and action plan

Recommendation 1

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that the DDAP governance is strengthened to directly support the initiative in achieving its intermediate and ultimate outcomes by:

1. updating DDAP oversight committees' mandates to clearly articulate accountabilities, particularly around the provision of strategic direction and the achievement of the DDAP's medium- and long-term objectives
2. focusing future projects and activities on sustainability
3. establishing effective communication (e.g., leveraging proposed governance tables) to ensure that priorities, expected outcomes, and performance measures are well understood by staff, key partners, and stakeholders (e.g., on a regular basis, using two-way dialogue).

Management response

Management agrees with the recommendation.

1. The terms of reference for the DG, ACS and ADM committees will be revised to include accountability pertaining to the provision and communication of strategic direction and around the achievement of the DDAP's medium- and long-term objectives.
2. 1. An integrated annual plan will be developed, incorporating Statistics Canada's strategic direction for the DDAP and disaggregation of data as a key principle, with a detailed workplan to guide implementation and monitoring. The integrated annual plan will integrate considerations of sustainability (e.g., alternative methodological approaches beyond oversampling) and alignment with the DDAP's medium- and long-term outcomes. The DG Governance Committee will recommend the integrated annual plan to the ACS Steering Committee for approval.
   2. The ADM Committee will track DDAP outcomes and capture how disaggregated data have informed OGDs' policy formulation and program implementation/evaluation. These outcomes will form part of the 2024/2025 annual achievements report released by Statistics Canada.
3. Existing communication and dissemination opportunities (e.g., the CSPS collaboration space, OGDs' dissemination mechanisms) will be leveraged to promote, share and showcase disaggregated data outcomes, best practices, and training opportunities, and to raise their awareness.

Deliverables and timelines

1. Revised and approved terms of references for the DG, ACS, and ADM committees. (September 2025)
2. 1. Approved integrated annual plan (October 2025, ongoing afterwards) that incorporates a detailed work plan and logic framework approach, which includes:
      • the DDAP's medium- and long-term objectives
      • measurable indicators to be used to monitor progress against these objectives
      • an approach that will be used to monitor progress against these objectives
      • clear articulation on how priorities will be determined with a focus on sustainability.
   2. Annual achievements report for 2024/2025 will include for the first time outcomes/impacts shared by OGDs. (December 2025).
3. Robust and updated CSPS collaborative space to showcase best practices, leverage CSPS training opportunities and raise awareness. (November 2025).

Recommendation 2

The ACS of Field 8 should ensure that outreach and engagement efforts are comprehensive and consistent, so that the ongoing needs of data users, including those from the EE groups, are understood and being met by DDAP's disaggregated data and analytical products.

Management response

Management agrees with the recommendation.

An outreach and engagement plan will be developed to establish communication with DDAP partners and stakeholders, including emphasis on leveraging external networks at the ADM and ACS levels (internal and external to GC).

The plan may include the organization of engagement sessions or surveys among EE groups (and those beyond the four EE groups, as needed and as possible).

Deliverables and timelines

Outreach and engagement plan approved by the ADM Federal Advisory Committee on Disaggregated Data (April 2026).

Appendix A: Evaluation questions and indicators

Evaluation questions and indicators

Evaluation questions	Evaluation indicators
1. To what extent is the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) relevant in supporting federal needs and priorities, including Statistics Canada's?	1.1 Extent of the alignment between Statistics Canada's DDAP projects and activities and (a) the agency's strategic priorities and (b) government-wide DDAP priorities.
2. To what extent are the design and delivery of the DDAP facilitating the achievement of its intended outcomes?	2.1 Extent to which the DDAP's governance provides effective strategic direction, oversight, and accountability across all levels (federal government, agency, program, and project levels). Extent to which the governance structure ensures effective communication, coordination and collaboration across the different levels. Extent to which mechanisms are in place to ensure effective priority setting, oversight, accountability and timely course corrections across all levels. 2.2 Extent to which consultation was conducted to inform priorities and projects. Number of consultations, by format, by type of intended users and fiscal year. Extent to which the processes for analyzing and reporting on needs following consultations are effective. Extent to which input from consultations informed DDAP priorities and projects. 2.3 Extent to which DDAP activities built on or enhanced existing infrastructure, resources and capabilities (skills, partnerships), minimizing additional cost and effort. 2.4 Extent to which measures have been taken to ensure the sustainability of the new activities within the agency's ongoing operations.
3. To what extent is the DDAP progressing towards its intended outcomes in the short, medium and long term?	3.1 Extent to which internal and external barriers to achieving expected results were identified and mitigated. 3.2 Extent of progress toward short-term results. Extent to which the DDAP has contributed to an increased awareness and understanding of the need for disaggregated data and Gender-based Analysis Plus. Extent to which the DDAP has contributed to enhancing data quality and filling information gaps. Evidence of greater or enhanced access to disaggregated data Evidence of greater or enhanced planning for, and the collection, analysis, production and dissemination of, disaggregated data, from 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 (partial year). 3.3 Extent of progress toward medium-term results. Extent to which the DDAP has contributed to a change in culture that prioritizes the use of existing, and the collection of new, disaggregated data and—where possible—intersectional analyses to meet policy makers' and other data users' needs. 3.4 Extent of progress toward long-term outcomes. Extent to which the DDAP has contributed to date to enhanced decision making, research or policy debate by providing a more detailed representation of various populations and their experience and environment. Extent to which the DDAP has contributed to the establishment of standards specific to disaggregated data.

Appendix B: Interview quantification scale

Interview responses are quantified and categorized in this report using the scale shown in the table below.

Interview quantification scale

Term	Definition
One	One is used when one participant provided the answer.
Few	Few is used when 4% to 15% of participants responded with similar answers. The sentiment of the response was articulated by these participants but not by other participants.
Some	Some is used when 16% to 45% of participants responded with similar answers.
About half	About half is used when 46% to 55% of participants responded with similar answers.
Most or a majority	Most, or a majority, is used when 56% to 89% of participants responded with similar answers.
Almost all	Almost all is used when 90% to 99% of participants responded with similar answers.
All	All is used when 100% of participants responded with similar answers.

If you participated in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) between January 2023 and December 2024, we are now seeking your informed consent to allow the biospecimens you provided during the survey to be used in genetic health research projects. Your consent will help support important research into how human genetic information is linked to health outcomes.

What you need to know:

Your sample and genetics

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the molecule that contains genetic information. It is found in many parts of the body, including cells, skin and blood. DNA can be taken from your blood sample to help us understand what makes people sick and what keeps them healthy. Genetic information collected from your samples can be used in research and shared as combined data from groups of people (aggregated or pooled data). Your samples and genetic data will not be used or published at the individual level.

What is genetic research?

Genetic research studies human DNA to learn how genes and environmental factors affect health and disease. This research can help us discover what causes diseases, improve how they are detected and treated, and even help prevent them.

Keeping your data safe

To protect your privacy, each biological sample has a barcode instead of your name or personal details. Your samples are frozen and stored safely at the Statistics Canada Biobank in the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory. This secure facility follows international standards. Strict security measures are in place to ensure the risk of anyone identifying you from your samples is very low.

Only authorized Statistics Canada employees can access your information when needed for their work. A small number of employees can connect the barcode on your sample to your personal information, which is stored separately at our head office. No one outside Statistics Canada will have access to your personal details.

Authorized researchers can use your samples for research, but only if they

1. apply for access to the samples
2. get approval from the Statistics Canada Biobank Advisory Committee.

This process ensures that your information is always protected. The approval process includes

• a research project application submitted to Statistics Canada
• a review by a committee of scientists, experts and ethicists to ensure the research adheres to all guidelines.

All health research is carefully monitored by the Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada Research Ethics Board, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the researcher's institutional ethics board. This ensures the research follows ethical guidelines and protects your privacy.

Statistics Canada follows strict privacy laws under the Statistics Act. Published research results will show only combined data from groups of people, and no personal or identifiable information will be shared.

Your right to withdraw

If you no longer want to participate in any part of this survey, including the genetic research, you can withdraw at any time. To remove your genetic samples from current or future research, you can send a written request by email to statcan.biobankinfo-infobiobanque.statcan@statcan.gc.ca. Please include your full name, the approximate date and home address at the time of your visit at the temporary examination centre, and your date of birth. This information will be used only to ensure that the correct samples are identified and properly destroyed. Please note that any data already used in research and published before your withdrawal request cannot be removed.

Genetic research can help identify genes linked to diseases. With the advances in genetic research, researchers have discovered and continue to discover genes or variations of genes that are associated with an increase in the risk of certain diseases. In future genetic research studies using your biological samples, if researchers discover genetic information that could impact your health, it will not be shared with you or your doctor. Your sample will be used solely for research purposes, and the findings will not influence your medical care. By consenting to the storage and use of your samples for genetic research, you understand that you will not receive any personal genetic results or health information.

Genetic research at the individual level

DNA is like a giant instruction book that tells your body how to grow, develop and function. Researchers can read this book using DNA sequencing, which helps them understand different things about you. To do so, researchers use a DNA sequencing laboratory method that analyzes your DNA, providing information about your genetic traits, the risks of getting certain diseases and other health-related characteristics. For this cycle of the CHMS, the publishing of genetic research involving data outputs at the individual level will not be permitted with your samples.

Genetic research at the population level

When genetic data are used at the population level, your results are combined with those of other CHMS participants. This means your personal information and individual results are not included. Any genetic data that could potentially reveal your identity or the identity of other participants are removed before research results are published. Here is a summary:

• Your DNA results will be included in statistical summaries (for example, showing the prevalence of certain genetic traits or diseases).
• Your genetic data will be combined with data from many other participants, with no personal details included.
• The data shared in research publications cannot be linked back to any individual, ensuring robust privacy protection.
• The goal of this research is to identify patterns and relationships within large groups of people, helping scientists better understand genetics and disease.

For more information, please visit

• Information for Survey Participants - Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)
• Surveys and statistical programs - Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) Cycle 7

Please use the secure access code included in the invitation you received from Statistics Canada to access our secure web portal and provide your consent.

Getting started

Why are we conducting this survey?

This survey collects information on the behaviours, practices, and awareness level of Canadian households regarding the environment. Results from this survey will help us to understand how Canadians are interacting with the environment.

Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.

Although voluntary, your participation is important so that the information collected is as accurate and complete as possible.

Other important information

Authorization and confidentiality

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with other survey or administrative data sources.

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns about record linkage:

Email: infostats@statcan.gc.ca

Telephone: 1-877-949-9492

Mail:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Environment Accounts and Statistics Division
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6

Address confirmation

Is the following address your household's primary dwelling?

[Address Line 1]
[Address Line 2]
[City], [Province]
[Postal Code]

• Yes
• No

What is the street address of your primary dwelling?

Please do not enter the address at which you receive your mail if it is different.

• Street number
• Suffix
  • 1/4
  • 1/2
  • 3/4
  • Bsmt
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
• Apartment number
• Street name
• Select a street type from the dropdown menu below.
  • Street type
• Street direction
  • E (East)
  • N (North)
  • NE (Northeast)
  • NW (Northwest)
  • W (West)
  • S (South)
  • SE (Southeast)
  • SW (Southwest)
• P.O. Box or Rural Route number
• City, municipality, town, village
• Province or territory
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Yukon
  • Northwest Territories
  • Nunavut
• Postal code

Household mailing address

Is this also the mailing address for this household?

• Yes
• No

What is the mailing address?

• Street number
• Suffix
  • 1/4
  • 1/2
  • 3/4
  • Bsmt
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
• Apartment number
• Street name
• Select a street type from the dropdown menu below.
  • Street type
• Street direction
  • E (East)
  • N (North)
  • NE (Northeast)
  • NW (Northwest)
  • W (West)
  • S (South)
  • SE (Southeast)
  • SW (Southwest)
• P.O. Box or Rural Route number
• City, municipality, town, village
• Province or territory
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Yukon
  • Northwest Territories
  • Nunavut
• Postal code

Dwelling

What type of dwelling is this?

Is it:

• Single-detached house
• Semi-detached house
• Row or terrace
• Duplex
• Apartment or flat
• Institution
• Hotel, rooming or lodging house, camp
• Mobile home
• Other
  • Specify type of dwelling

How many floors are there in your building?

Count all floors that have apartments or condo units.

• Floors in your building

Household composition

The next few questions ask for important basic information about the people in this household.

List all persons (names or initials) that usually live at this address. These will be used to help you answer questions about each person.

Include:

those who regard this dwelling as their usual residence or are staying in the dwelling and have no other usual place of residence
those who reside at this dwelling, even if they are temporarily away, at school, at hospital, or somewhere else.

People usually living or staying at this address.

• First name
• Last name
• Age

Persons removed from list. If incorrect, then press the "Add this person" button.

Sex at birth and gender

The following questions are about sex at birth and gender.

What was the sex at birth of [First name] [Last name] (age [Age])?

Sex refers to sex assigned at birth.

• Male
• Female

What is the gender of [First name] [Last name] (age [Age])?

Gender refers to current gender which may be different from sex assigned at birth and may be different from what is indicated on legal documents.

• Male
• Female
• Or please specify
  • Specify this person's gender

Disability

Does [First name] [Last name] (age [Age]) identify as a person with a disability?

A person with a disability is a person who has a long-term difficulty or condition, such as vision, hearing, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain, learning, developmental, memory or mental health-related impairments, that limits their daily activities inside or outside the home, such as at school, work, or in the community in general.

• Yes
• No

Indigenous Identity

Is [First name] [Last name] (age [Age]) First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)?

First Nations (North American Indian) includes Status and Non-Status Indians.
If "Yes", select the responses that best describes this person now.

• No, not First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)
  OR
• Yes, First Nation (North American Indian)
• Yes, Métis
• Yes, Inuk (Inuit)

Sociodemographic characteristics

This question collects information in accordance with the Employment Equity Act and its Regulations and Guidelines to support programs that promote equal opportunity for everyone to share in the social, cultural, and economic life of Canada.

Which population group or groups best describe this person?

Select all that apply.

[First name] [Last name] (age [Age])

• White
• South Asian
  e.g. East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan
• Chinese
• Black
• Filipino
• Arab
• Latin American
• Southeast Asian
  e.g. Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai
• West Asian
  e.g. Iranian, Afghan
• Korean
• Japanese
• Other
  • Specify other group

Educational diploma or certificate

What is the highest certificate, diploma or degree that [First name] [Last name] (age [Age]) has completed?

• Less than high school diploma or its equivalent
• High school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate
• Trades certificate or diploma
• College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma (other than trades certificates or diplomas)
• University certificate or diploma below the bachelor's level
• Bachelor's degree
  e.g. B.A., B.A. (Hons), B.Sc., B.Ed., LL.B.
• University certificate, diploma or degree above the bachelor's level

Dwelling characteristics

The word "dwelling" refers to a separate set of living quarters with a private entrance either from outside or from a common hall, lobby, vestibule or stairway inside the building. The entrance to the dwelling must be one that can be used without passing through the living quarters of someone else.

What is the heated area of your dwelling?

Exclude the basement, attic and garage.

• Unit of measure
  • Square feet (ft²)
  • Square metres (m²)
• Area
  OR
• Don't know

Please provide your best estimate of the heated area.

Exclude the basement and garage.

• 600 ft² (55 m²) or less
• 601 to 1,000 ft² (56 to 95 m²)
• 1,001 to 1,500 ft² (96 to 140 m²)
• 1,501 to 2,000 ft² (141 to 185 m²)
• 2,001 to 2,500 ft² (186 to 230 m²)
• 2,501 to 3,000 ft² (231 to 280 m²)
• 3,001 to 3,500 ft² (281 to 325 m²)
• 3,501 to 4,000 ft² (326 to 371 m²)
• 4,001 ft² (372 m²) or more
• Don't know

Does your dwelling have a basement?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

What is the heated area of your basement?

• Unit of measure
  • Square feet (ft²)
  • Square metres (m²)
• Area
  OR
• Basement not heated
  OR
• Don't know

Please provide your best estimate of the heated area of your basement.

• 600 ft² (55 m²) or less
• 601 to 1,000 ft² (56 to 95 m²)
• 1,001 to 1,500 ft² (96 to 140 m²)
• 1,501 to 2,000 ft² (141 to 185 m²)
• 2,001 to 2,500 ft² (186 to 230 m²)
• 2,501 to 3,000 ft² (231 to 280 m²)
• 3,001 to 3,500 ft² (281 to 325 m²)
• 3,501 to 4,000 ft² (326 to 371 m²)
• 4,001 ft² (372 m²) or more
• Don't know

How much insulation does the basement have?

• All of the exterior walls
• Half or more of the exterior walls
• Less than half of the exterior walls
• None of the exterior walls
• Don't know

How many stories does your dwelling have?

i.e., total number of floors at ground level and above

• Number of stories
  OR
• Don't know

Does your dwelling have an attic?

• Yes, a partially or fully heated attic
• Yes, an unheated attic
• No
• Don't know

What is the heated area of the attic?

• Unit of measure
  • Square feet (ft²)
  • Square metres (m²)
• Area
  OR
• Don't know

Please provide your best estimate of the heated area of your attic.

• 600 ft² (55 m²) or less
• 601 to 1,000 ft² (56 to 95 m²)
• 1,001 to 1,500 ft² (96 to 140 m²)
• 1,501 to 2,000 ft² (141 to 185 m²)
• 2,001 to 2,500 ft² (186 to 230 m²)
• 2,501 to 3,000 ft² (231 to 280 m²)
• 3,001 to 3,500 ft² (281 to 325 m²)
• 3,501 to 4,000 ft² (326 to 371 m²)
• 4,001 ft² (372 m²) or more
• Don't know

Does your dwelling have a garage?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Is it attached to the dwelling?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

What is the heated area of the attached garage?

• Unit of measure
  • Square feet (ft²)
  • Square metres (m²)
• Area of attached garage
  OR
• Attached garage is not heated
  OR
• Don't know

What is the heated area of the detached garage?

• Unit of measure
  • Square feet (ft²)
  • Square metres (m²)
• Area of detached garage
  OR
• Detached garage is not heated
  OR
• Don't know

Please provide your best estimate of the heated area of your garage.

• 600 ft² (55 m²) or less
• 601 to 1,000 ft² (56 to 95 m²)
• 1,001 to 1,500 ft² (96 to 140 m²)
• 1,501 to 2,000 ft² (141 to 185 m²)
• 2,001 to 2,500 ft² (186 to 230 m²)
• 2,501 to 3,000 ft² (231 to 280 m²)
• 3,001 to 3,500 ft² (281 to 325 m²)
• 3,501 to 4,000 ft² (326 to 371 m²)
• 4,001 ft² (372 m²) or more
• Garage is not heated
• Don't know

How much insulation does the garage have?

• Full insulation - all walls, and garage doors are insulated
• Full insulation - all walls, but not the garage doors are insulated
• Partial insulation - some walls are insulated
• None
• Don't know

In what year was this dwelling originally built? 

Provide your best estimate.

• Year

When was this dwelling built?

Was it:

• Before 1946
• Between 1946 and 1960
• Between 1961 and 1977
• Between 1978 and 1983
• Between 1984 and 1995
• Between 1996 and 2000
• Between 2001 and 2009
• In 2010 or later
• Don't know

Is this dwelling owned by a member of this household?

Would you say:

• Yes, owned, even if it is still being paid for
• No, rented, even if no cash rent is paid

Is this dwelling part of a condominium development?

• Yes
• No

Is [the condominium corporation/the landlord or property manager] responsible for paying any of the energy bills for this dwelling?

Include bills for electricity, natural gas, heating oil and propane.

• Yes
• No

How long [have you/has your household] lived in this dwelling?

Include the length of time that at least one household member has lived in the current dwelling.

Provide best estimate in months, years or since what year.

• Unit of time
  • Months
  • Years
• Number
  OR
• Since what year

Secondary residence

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] own a secondary residence in Canada, that was lived in by members of your household for at least part of the year?

A secondary residence is any other dwelling used by the household as secondary living quarters, such as cottages, hobby farms and summer residences.

Exclude income properties, time-shares, and moveable secondary residences, such as trailers and motor homes.
Exclude properties outside of Canada.

• Yes
• No

What is the address of the secondary residence?

• Street number
• Suffix
  • 1/4
  • 1/2
  • 3/4
  • Bsmt
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
• Apartment number
• Street name
• Select a street type from the dropdown menu below.
  • Street type
• Street direction
  • E (East)
  • N (North)
  • NE (Northeast)
  • NW (Northwest)
  • W (West)
  • S (South)
  • SE (Southeast)
  • SW (Southwest)
• P.O. Box or Rural Route number
• City, municipality, town, village
• Province or territory
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Yukon
  • Northwest Territories
  • Nunavut
• Postal code

During the last 12 months, when was this secondary residence used?

Was it:

• All year
• Partial year
• Not used during the last 12 months

Months when the secondary residence was used:

Select all that apply.

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

What type of dwelling is this?

Is it:

• Single-detached house
• Semi-detached house
• Row or terrace
• Duplex
• Apartment or flat
• Institution
• Hotel, rooming or lodging house, camp
• Mobile home
• Other
  • Specify type of dwelling

How many floors are there in your building?

Count all floors that have apartments or condo units. 

• Floors in your building

When was this secondary residence built?

Provide your best estimate.

• Year

When was this secondary residence built?

Was it:

• Before 1946
• Between 1946 and 1960
• Between 1961 and 1977
• Between 1978 and 1983
• Between 1984 and 1995
• Between 1996 and 2000
• Between 2001 and 2009
• In 2010 or later
• Don't know

What is the heated area of your secondary residence?

Include a heated basement, heated attic, and heated attached garage.

• Unit of measure
  • Square feet (ft²)
  • Square metres (m²)
• Area
  OR
• Don't know

Please provide your best estimate of the heated area.

Include a heated basement, heated attic and heated attached garage.

• 600 ft² (55 m²) or less
• 601 to 1,000 ft² (56 to 95 m²)
• 1,001 to 1,500 ft² (96 to 140 m²)
• 1,501 to 2,000 ft² (141 to 185 m²)
• 2,001 to 2,500 ft² (186 to 230 m²)
• 2,501 to 3,000 ft² (231 to 280 m²)
• 3,001 to 3,500 ft² (281 to 325 m²)
• 3,501 to 4,000 ft² (326 to 371 m²)
• 4,001 ft² (372 m²) or more
• Don't know

Is this secondary residence connected to the electricity grid?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

What is the main source of off-grid electricity?

• Solar panels
• Wind turbine
• Micro-hydro

Small-scale hydroelectric systems, such as micro-hydro turbines, can produce enough energy to power off-grid homes. The system pumps water in a pond or a river through a turbine to power an electric generator, which produces electricity that can be stored or used.

• Generator
  e.g., using diesel, gasoline, natural gas, propane, or biogas (e.g., methane)
• Other
  • Specify the other main source of off-grid electricity
• Don't know
• Secondary dwelling does not use electricity

What is the secondary dwelling's main type of heating?

Is it:

• A forced air furnace
  e.g., hot air vents
• Centralized HVAC system
• Electric baseboards
• A heating stove
• Fireplace
• A boiler with hot water or steam radiators
• Electric radiant heating
  Exclude in-floor heating
• A heat pump
  Include central and mini-split.
• Heated floors
• Other
  • Specify other type of heating equipment
• Don't know

What source of energy does your [forced air furnace/centralized HVAC system/heating stove/fireplace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heated floor system/mini-split heat pump/other type of heating equipment] use?

Select all that apply.

Is it:

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Heating oil
• Wood

Exclude wood pellets.

• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Other
  • Specify other source of energy
  
  OR
• Don't know

[Do you/Does anyone in your household] own any secondary dwellings used as income properties located within Canada?

Include only income properties.

Exclude:
time-shares, and movable secondary residences, such as trailers and motor homes
properties outside of Canada.

• Yes
• No

How many income properties do you own?

Exclude: properties outside of Canada
the secondary residence at [Address] in [City] you told us about already/[the secondary residence you told us about already.]

• Number of income properties

What is the primary use of [this income property/the oldest of the income properties]?

• Timeshare vacation property

Shared ownership with other households.

• Vacation property owned fully by your household
• Long-term rental property for investment purpose or additional source of income
• A property for children, parents, or friends to stay without paid rent
• A second home
  e.g., stay in the dwelling during work days or weekends only
• Other
  • Specify its primary use

Energy use and home heating

The next questions are about how you heat [your primary dwelling/your dwelling].

What is [your primary dwelling/your dwelling]'s main type of heating equipment?

Is it:

• A forced air furnace
  e.g., hot air vents
• Centralized HVAC system
• Electric baseboards
• A heating stove
• Fireplace
• A boiler with hot water or steam radiators
• Electric radiant heating
  Exclude in-floor heating
• A heat pump
  Include central and mini-split.
• Heated floors
• Other
  • Specify other type of heating equipment
• Don't know

What type of heat pump do you have?

• Air source central system
  i.e., distributes forced air through ducts
• Air-source wall-mounted system
  Include mini-split, multi-split
• Air-to-water system
• Ground source system
• Other
  • Specify other type of heat pump
• Don't know

Is it a cold-weather heat pump?

A cold-weather heat pump functions in temperatures as low as -30 °C.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In addition to electricity, does your heat pump also use natural gas or propane?
Select all that apply.

• Yes, natural gas
• Yes, propane
  OR
• No, electricity only

What source of energy does your [forced air furnace/centralized HVAC system/heating stove/fireplace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heated floor system/other type of heating equipment] use?

Select all that apply.

Is it:

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Heating oil
• Wood

Exclude wood pellets.

• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Other
  • Specify other source of energy
  
  OR
• Don't know

What is the efficiency rating of the furnace?

• High

i.e., the exhaust pipe is plastic and vents through the side of the house

• Medium

i.e., the exhaust pipe or chimney is metal and vents through the side of the house or through the roof

• Low

i.e., the exhause pipe or chimney is metal and vents through the roof

• Don't know

In addition to the [forced air furnace/centralized HVAC system/electric baseboards/heating stove/fireplace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/electric radiant heating/heat pump/heated floor system/other type of heating equipment], do you have another type of heating equipment?

• Yes
• No

Is it:

• A forced air furnace
  e.g., hot air vents
• Centralized HVAC system
• Electric baseboards
• A heating stove
• Fireplace
• A boiler with hot water or steam radiators
• Electric radiant heating
  Exclude in-floor heating
• A heat pump
  Include central and mini-split.
• Heated floors
• Other
  • Specify other type of heating equipment
• Don't know

What type of heat pump do you have?

• Air source central system
  i.e., distributes forced air through ducts
• Air-source wall-mounted system
  Include mini-split, multi-split
• Air-to-water system
• Ground source system
  i.e., geothermal
• Other
  • Specify other type of heat pump
• Don't know

Is it a cold-weather heat pump?

A cold-weather heat pump functions in temperatures as low as -30 °C.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In addition to electricity, does your heat pump also use natural gas or propane?
Select all that apply.

• Yes, natural gas
• Yes, propane
  OR
• No, electricity only

What source of energy does your [forced air furnace/centralized HVAC system/heating stove/fireplace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heated floor system/other type of heating equipment] use?

Select all that apply.

Is it:

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Heating oil
• Wood

Exclude wood pellets.

• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Other
  • Specify other source of energy
  
  OR
• Don't know

Wood [– primary dwelling]

The following questions pertain to your primary dwelling.

[In addition to the forced air furnace that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the heating stove that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the boiler with hot water or steam radiators that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the heated floors that use wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the fireplace that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the main heating system that uses wood or wood pellets, d/D]id you use wood or wood pellets in any other appliances inside [your primary dwelling/your home], such as for supplemental heating or cooking, in the past 12 months?

• Yes
• No

In which appliances?

Select all that apply.

• Heating stove that does not use wood pellets
• Heating stove that does use wood pellets
• Wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood
• Wood fireplace that has an insert for wood
• Cook stove with oven
• Water heater
• Hydronic heater
  e.g., wood-fired boiler
• Forced air furnace
• Other
  • Specify other appliances

[Including the forced air furnace you mentioned earlier, w/Including the heating stove you mentioned earlier, w/Including the boiler with hot water or steam radiators you mentioned earlier, w/Including the heated floors you mentioned earlier, w/Including the other type of heating equipment you mentioned earlier, w/W]hich one did you use most often in the past 12 months?

• Heating stove that does not use wood pellets
• Heating stove that does use wood pellets
• Wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood
• Wood fireplace that has an insert for wood
• Cook stove with oven
• Water heater
• Hydronic heater
  e.g., wood-fired boiler
• Forced air furnace
• [Forced air furnace/Heating stove/Boiler with hot water or steam radiators/Heated floors/Fireplace/Other type of heating equipment] (main heating system)

Thinking of your heating stove, is it a cook stove with oven?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Thinking of your fireplace that does not have an insert, is it open (i.e., it does not have doors)?

• Yes, it is open
• No
• Don't know

Thinking of your fireplace that does have an insert, is it open (i.e., it does not have doors)?

• Yes, it is open
• No
• Don't know

How old is your [heating stove that does not use wood pellets/heating stove that does use wood pellets/wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood/wood fireplace that has an insert for wood/cook stove with oven/water heater/hydronic heater/forced air furnace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heating stove/heated floor system/fireplace/main heating system/appliance]?

Provide age in years or year purchased.

• Age in years
  • Age in years

Enter "0" if less than 12 months.

• Year purchased
  • Year
• Same age as the primary dwelling
• Don't know

Does your [heating stove that does not use wood pellets/heating stove that does use wood pellets/wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood/wood fireplace that has an insert for wood/cook stove with oven/water heater/hydronic heater/forced air furnace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heating stove/heated floor system/fireplace/main heating system/appliance] have a gasket or rope seal around the door?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

When was the last time the chimney or flue connected to your [heating stove that does not use wood pellets/heating stove that does use wood pellets/wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood/wood fireplace that has an insert for wood/cook stove with oven/water heater/hydronic heater/forced air furnace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heating stove/heated floor system/fireplace/main heating system/appliance] was cleaned?

Exclude chimney cleaning logs.

• Within the last year
• 1 year to less than 3 years ago
• 3 years to less than 5 years ago
• 5 or more years ago
• Never
• Don't know

Do you have an outdoor wood oven or fireplace, a fire pit or something similar outside [your primary dwelling/your home]?

e.g., outdoor wood oven, for bread or pizza; outdoor metal or stone fireplace; outdoor tabletop fireplace

• Yes
• No

How many times did you use it in the past 12 months?

• Number of times

How often did you use your outdoor wood oven or fireplace, fire pit or something similar outside [your primary dwelling/your home]?

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• A few times a year
• Other
  • Specify other frequency

Excluding wood pellets and manufactured logs, how much wood have you burned at home for heating, cooking and outdoors in the past 12 months?

• Unit of measure
  • Full or bush cords (8 feet long by 4 feet high by 4 feet wide; or 3 to 4 face cords)
  • Face cords (8 feet long by 4 feet high by 12 to 16 inches wide)
  • Full-sized pick-up trucks (8 foot box)
  • Compact-sized pick-up trucks (6 foot box)
  • Bags (64 bags = 1 full cord)
  • Logs (1 log = 16 inches in length)
  • Cubic feet
  • Cubic metres
  • Other – specify
    • Specify other unit of measure
• Quantity
  OR
• Not applicable

How much of this wood was burned during the winter heating season?

Was it:

• All
• At least half or more
• Less than half
• None

What type of wood was burned?

Was it:

• Mostly hard wood
• Mostly soft wood
• Mixed
• Don't know

Where do you obtain most of your wood from?

Is it:

• From trees on land around your home, including deadfall
• From trees on land [you own/your household owns] elsewhere
  e.g., your secondary residence
• From trees on land [you rent or lease/your household rents or leases]
• From trees cut on public land or Crown land
• From an individual, including neighbours
• From a store other than a lumber store
• From a lumber store
• From a wood or lumber or forestry company
• Other
  • Specify other source of your wood

For the wood that you burned, how was it cut?

Was it:

• Mostly cut to length, but not split
  e.g., round wood
• Mostly cut to length and split
• Other
  • Specify how it was cut

Do you usually store your wood at home prior to burning?

• Yes
• No, it is usually burned immediately

How long is it typically stored for?

• Unit of time
  • Days
  • Weeks
  • Months
  • Seasons
  • Years
  • Other – specify
    • Specify other unit of time
• Length of time

Is your wood stored primarily indoors or outdoors?

It is stored:

• Primarily indoors

Include garages and sheds as indoors.

• Primarily outdoors

Is it covered or protected from the elements?

e.g., by a tarp or shelter

• Yes, covered on top and sides
• Yes, partially covered on top only
• Yes, partially covered on sides only
• No

In the past 12 months, did you use manufactured logs?

Manufactured logs, also known as eco logs, are made from sawdust and wood-shavings that have been formed into briquettes of high-energy fuel.

Exclude pressure-treated wood and logs to clean your chimney.

• Yes
• No

How many have you used at home?

• Unit of measure
  • Logs
  • Bags
  • Boxes/Cases
  • Pallets
  • Kilograms
  • Tonnes (metric)
  • Pounds
  • Tons (imperial)
  • Tons (United States)
  • Other – specify
    • Specify other unit of measure
• Quantity

How many logs are in a [bag/box/case/pallet]?

• Number of logs

Do you know the quantity of wood pellets used at home in the past 12 months?

• Yes
  • Unit of measure
    • Kilograms
    • Tonnes (metric)
    • Pounds
    • Tons (imperial)
    • Tons (United States)
    • Skid
    • Other – specify
      • Specify other unit of measure
  • Quantity
• No
• Did not use wood pellets

Would you say it is:

• 100 pounds (45 kilograms) or less
• 101 to 250 pounds (46 to 113 kilograms)
• 251 to 500 pounds (114 to 227 kilograms)
• 501 to 1,000 pounds (228 to 454 kilograms)
• 1,001 to 2,500 pounds (455 to 1,136 kilograms)
• 2,501 to 4,000 pounds (1,137 to 1,818 kilograms)
• 4,001 to 5,500 pounds (1,819 to 2,500 kilograms)
• 5,501 pounds (2,501 kilograms) or more
• Don't know

How do you purchase your wood pellets?

Select all that apply.

• Bags or boxes
• Bulk
• Other
  • Specify other type of purchase

Wood - secondary residence

The following questions pertain to your secondary residence.

[In addition to the forced air furnace that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the heating stove that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the boiler with hot water or steam radiators that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the heated floors that use wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the fireplace that uses wood or wood pellets, d/In addition to the main heating system that uses wood or wood pellets, d/D]id you use wood or wood pellets in any other appliances inside your secondary residence, such as for supplemental heating or cooking, in the past 12 months?

• Yes
• No

In which appliances?

Select all that apply.

• Heating stove that does not use wood pellets
• Heating stove that does use wood pellets
• Wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood
• Wood fireplace that has an insert for wood
• Cook stove with oven
• Water heater
• Hydronic heater
  e.g., wood-fired boiler
• Forced air furnace
• Other
  • Specify other appliances

[Including the forced air furnace you mentioned earlier, w/Including the heating stove you mentioned earlier, w/Including the boiler with hot water or steam radiators you mentioned earlier, w/Including the heated floors you mentioned earlier, w/Including the fireplace you mentioned earlier, w/Including the other type of heating equipment you mentioned earlier, w/W]hich one did you use most often in the past 12 months at your secondary residence?

• Heating stove that does not use wood pellets
• Heating stove that does use wood pellets
• Wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood
• Wood fireplace that has an insert for wood
• Cook stove with oven
• Water heater
• Hydronic heater
  e.g., wood-fired boiler
• Forced air furnace
• [Forced air furnace/Heating stove/Boiler with hot water or steam radiators/Heated floors/Fireplace/Other type of heating equipment] (main heating system)

Thinking of your heating stove, is it a cook stove with oven?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Thinking of your fireplace that does not have an insert, is it open (i.e., it does not have doors)?

• Yes, it is open
• No
• Don't know

Thinking of your fireplace that does have an insert, is it open (i.e., it does not have doors)?

• Yes, it is open
• No
• Don't know

How old is your [heating stove that does not use wood pellets/heating stove that does use wood pellets/wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood/wood fireplace that has an insert for wood/cook stove with oven/water heater/hydronic heater/forced air furnace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heating stove/heated floor system/fireplace/main heating system/appliance]?

Provide age in years or year purchased.

• Age in years
  • Age in years

Enter "0" if less than 12 months.

• Year purchased
  • Year
• Same age as the secondary residence
• Don't know

Does your [heating stove that does not use wood pellets/heating stove that does use wood pellets/wood fireplace that does not have an insert for wood/wood fireplace that has an insert for wood/cook stove with oven/water heater/hydronic heater/forced air furnace/boiler with hot water or steam radiators/heating stove/heated floor system/fireplace/main heating system/appliance] have a gasket or rope seal around the door?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

When was the last time the chimney or flue connected to it was cleaned at your secondary residence?

Exclude chimney cleaning logs.

• Within the last year
• 1 year to less than 3 years ago
• 3 years to less than 5 years ago
• 5 or more years ago
• Never
• Don't know

Do you have an outdoor wood oven or fireplace, a fire pit or something similar outside your secondary residence?

e.g., outdoor wood oven, for bread or pizza; outdoor metal or stone fireplace; outdoor tabletop fireplace

• Yes
• No

How many times did you use it in the past 12 months?

• Number of times

How often did you use your outdoor wood oven or fireplace, fire pit or something similar outside your secondary residence?

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• A few times a year
• Other
  • Specify other frequency

Excluding wood pellets and manufactured logs, how much wood have you burned at your secondary residence for heating, cooking and outdoors in the past 12 months?

• Unit of measure
  • Full or bush cords (8 feet long by 4 feet high by 4 feet wide; or 3 to 4 face cords)
  • Face cords (8 feet long by 4 feet high by 12 to 16 inches wide)
  • Full-sized pick-up trucks (8 foot box)
  • Compact-sized pick-up trucks (6 foot box)
  • Bags (64 bags = 1 full cord)
  • Logs (1 log = 16 inches in length)
  • Cubic feet
  • Cubic metres
  • Other – specify
    • Specify other unit of measure
• Quantity
  OR
• Not applicable

How much of this wood was burned during the winter heating season at your secondary residence?

Was it:

• All
• At least half or more
• Less than half
• None

What type of wood was burned?

Was it:

• Mostly hard wood
• Mostly soft wood
• Mixed
• Don't know

Where do you obtain most of your wood from at your secondary residence?

Is it:

• From trees on land around your secondary residence, including deadfall
• From trees on land [you own/your household owns] elsewhere
  e.g., your primary dwelling
• From trees on land [you rent or lease/your household rents or leases]
• From trees cut on public land or Crown land
• From an individual, including neighbours
• From a store other than a lumber store
• From a lumber store
• From a wood or lumber or forestry company
• Other
  • Specify other source of your wood

For the wood that you burned at your secondary residence, how was it cut?

• Mostly cut to length, but not split
  e.g., round wood
• Mostly cut to length and split
• Other
  • Specify how it was cut

Do you usually store your wood at your secondary residence prior to burning?

• Yes
• No, it is usually burned immediately

How long is it typically stored for?

• Unit of time
  • Days
  • Weeks
  • Months
  • Seasons
  • Years
  • Other – specify
    • Specify other unit of time
• Length of time

Is your wood stored primarily indoors or outdoors?

It is stored:

• Primarily indoors

Include garages and sheds as indoors.

• Primarily outdoors

Is it covered or protected from the elements?

e.g., by a tarp or shelter

• Yes, covered on top and sides
• Yes, partially covered on top only
• Yes, partially covered on sides only
• No

In the past 12 months, did you use manufactured logs at your secondary residence?

Manufactured logs, also known as eco logs, are made from sawdust and wood-shavings that have been formed into briquettes of high-energy fuel.

Exclude pressure-treated wood and logs to clean your chimney.

• Yes
• No

How many have you used at your secondary residence?

• Unit of measure
  • Logs
  • Bags
  • Boxes/Cases
  • Pallets
  • Kilograms
  • Tonnes (metric)
  • Pounds
  • Tons (imperial)
  • Tons (United States)
  • Other – specify
    • Specify other unit of measure
• Quantity

How many logs are in a [bag/box/case/pallet]?

• Number of logs

Do you know the quantity of wood pellets used at your secondary residence in the past 12 months?

• Yes
  • Unit of measure
    • Kilograms
    • Tonnes (metric)
    • Pounds
    • Tons (imperial)
    • Tons (United States)
    • Skid
    • Other – specify
      • Specify other unit of measure
  • Quantity
• No
• Did not use wood pellets

Would you say it is:

• 100 pounds (45 kilograms) or less
• 101 to 250 pounds (46 to 113 kilograms)
• 251 to 500 pounds (114 to 227 kilograms)
• 501 to 1,000 pounds (228 to 454 kilograms)
• 1,001 to 2,500 pounds (455 to 1,136 kilograms)
• 2,501 to 4,000 pounds (1,137 to 1,818 kilograms)
• 4,001 to 5,500 pounds (1,819 to 2,500 kilograms)
• 5,501 pounds (2,501 kilograms) or more
• Don't know

How do you purchase your wood pellets?

Select all that apply.

• Bags or boxes
• Bulk
• Other
  • Specify other type of purchase

Information - primary dwelling

The next questions are about [your primary dwelling/your dwelling].

Energy use and home heating [– primary dwelling]

The next questions are about the use of energy in [your primary dwelling/your dwelling].

[Do you/Does your household] use any alternative energy sources in your dwelling besides electricity, natural gas, heating oil, propane, wood or wood pellets?

• Yes
• No

Which alternative energy sources do you use?

Select all that apply.

• Geothermal
• Solar panels used to heat water
• Solar panels used to generate electricity
  e.g., photovoltaic
• Wind power
• Biofuels
  e.g., biodiesel
• Other
  • Specify other alternative energy sources

Which of the following types of air conditioners does your dwelling have?

Select all that apply. 

• A central air system
• A stand-alone unit in a window or elsewhere
• Ductless air conditioner
• A heat pump - central ducted
• A heat-recovery ventilation unit (HRV)
• Other
  • Specify other type of air conditioner
  
  OR
• This dwelling does not have an air conditioner

How many stand-alone units in a window or elsewhere are in your dwelling?

• Number of stand-alone units

What is the cooling capacity of the standalone unit used most often?

If you don't know the cooling capacity, enter "0".

• Cooling capacity in BTUs

Does your dwelling have a thermostat?

A thermostat can control or regulate the temperature in your dwelling.

• Yes
• No

Do you have more than one thermostat?

• Yes
• No

[Is it/Is your main thermostat] programmable?

[The main thermostat is the one you use most often.]
A programmable thermostat can be set to automatically change the temperature according to the time of day.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Is it programmed?

• Yes
• No

Are any of the thermostats in your dwelling connected to the Internet?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

During the winter season, at what temperature is the dwelling usually kept?

Round up to the nearest degree.

When you are there and awake

• Temperature

Report in °C or °F
OR

• Heating system turned off
• Don't know

When you are asleep

• Temperature

Report in °C or °F
OR

• Heating system turned off
• Don't know

Compared to when you are there and awake, what is the temperature when you are asleep?

Is it:

• Higher
• Lower
• Same

When using your air conditioner during the summer season, at what temperature is the dwelling usually kept?

Round up to the nearest degree.

When you are there and awake

• Temperature

Report in °C or °F
OR

• Air conditioner turned off
• Don't know

When you are asleep

• Temperature

Report in °C or °F
OR

• Air conditioner turned off
• Don't know

Compared to when you are there and awake, what is the temperature when you are asleep?

Is it:

• Higher
• Lower
• Same

When using your air conditioner during the summer season, at what temperature is the dwelling usually kept when you are not at home?

Round up to the nearest degree.

• Temperature

Report in °C or °F
OR

• Air conditioner turned off
• Don't know

The next questions are about [your primary dwelling/your dwelling].

Do you have any of the following types of energy saving lights?

Select all that apply.

Such as:

• Compact fluorescent lights
  e.g., corkscrew or spiral
• Fluorescent tubes
• Halogen lights
• LED lights (exclude holiday lights)
• LED holiday lights
  OR
• None of the above

What proportion of all of the lights in your dwelling are LEDs? 

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half

Has an energy audit ever been conducted for your dwelling?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Thinking about your energy audit, provide the following details.

a. Was it conducted in the last 10 years?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

b. Were any changes made to the dwelling as a result of the audit?

e.g., replacing windows, upgrading insulation, replacing or upgrading furnace, or installing programmable thermostats

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

c. Was a government grant received as part of a home energy retrofit program?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

How many windows do you have in your dwelling?

Include all exterior windows, windows in exterior doors (including patio doors), basement windows and windows that cannot be opened.

• Number of windows 

Thinking of the majority of the windows in your dwelling, what type are they?

Exclude windows in doors and patio doors.

• Standard single pane with storm window

A storm window is an extra window pane installed either outside or inside of the main glass window to give extra wind protection and weather insulation.

• Standard single pane
• Standard double pane (with or without argon gas)
• Standard triple pane sealed unit (with or without argon gas)
• Other
  • Specify the other type
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, were any of the following improvements made to your dwelling?

Select all that apply.

• Replaced or upgraded the heating equipment
• Replaced or upgraded the water heater 
• Replaced windows
• Re-caulked windows
• Replaced or added insulation 
• Replaced or installed exterior wall siding
• Replaced exterior doors
• Installed or upgraded a thermostat
• Installed solar photovoltaic panels
• Installed a solar hot water system
• Installed drain-water heat recovery system
• Replaced or installed central air conditioning or ventilation
• Repaired the foundation
• Replaced roof
• Upgraded the electrical panel (standard or smart)
• Upgraded electrical service
• Installed EV charging station
• Installed battery energy storage system
• Installed thermal storage system
• Other
  • Specify the other improvements
  
  OR
• None of the above in the past 12 months

What proportion of the windows in the dwelling were replaced?

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half
• Don't know

What proportion of the windows in the dwelling were re-caulked?

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half
• Don't know

What proportion of the exterior doors in the dwelling were replaced?

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half
• Don't know

Is it a bi-directional charger that supports V2X?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Do you plan to make any of the following improvements in the next 5 years?

Select all that apply.

• Replace or upgrade the heating equipment
• Replace or upgrade the water heater 
• Replace windows
• Re-caulk windows
• Replace or add insulation 
• Replace or install exterior wall siding
• Replace exterior doors
• Install or upgrade a thermostat
• Install solar photovoltaic panels
• Install a solar hot water system
• Install drain-water heat recovery system
• Replace or install central air conditioning or ventilation
• Repair the foundation
• Replace roof
• Upgraded the electrical panel (standard or smart)
• Upgraded electrical service
• Installed EV charging station
• Installed battery energy storage system
• Installed thermal storage system
• Other
  • Specify the other improvements
  
  OR
• None of the above
  OR
• Don't know

What proportion of the windows in the dwelling are planned to be replaced?

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half
• Don't know

What proportion of the windows in the dwelling are planned to be re-caulked?

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half
• Don't know

What proportion of the exterior doors in the dwelling are planned to be replaced?

• All
• More than half
• Half
• Less than half
• Don't know

Will it be a bi-directional charger that supports V2X?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

What type of heating system do you plan to install?

• A forced air furnace
  e.g., hot air vents
• Centralized HVAC system
• Electric baseboards
• A heating stove
• Fireplace
• A boiler with hot water or steam radiators
• Electric radiant heating
  Exclude in-floor heating
• A heat pump
  Include central and mini-split.
• Heated floors
• Other
  • Specify other type of heating equipment
• Don't know

What type of water heater do you plan to install?

• Water tank heater
• Tankless water heater
• Packaged (one unit) heat pump water heater
  i.e., storage tank with a large fan grille on top
• Split-system heat pump water heater
  i.e., heat pump and storage tank are separate units
• Solar water heater
• Electric point-of-use
• Other
  • Specify other type of water heater

Appliances [– primary dwelling]

How many refrigerators [do you/does your household] have?

Exclude refrigerators that are not regularly used or are not plugged in.
If [you do/your household does] not have any refrigerators, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

How many stand-alone freezers [do you/does your household] have?

Include upright and chest freezers.
If [you do/your household does] not have any stand-alone freezer, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] stand-alone freezer, what type is it?

• Upright
• Chest
• Don't know

What size is this [upright/chest] freezer?

• Very small (less than 7.0 cubic feet)
• Small (7.1 to 13.9 cubic feet)
• Medium (14.0 to 17.9 cubic feet)
• Large (18.0 to 22.9 cubic feet)
• Very large (23 cubic feet or larger)
• Don't know

How many regular stoves or ranges [do you/does your household] have?

Include gas, conventional electric and electric induction ranges and stoves that have both an oven and a stovetop.
Exclude built-in ovens that have no cooktops, and separate cooktops that have no oven.
If [you do/your household does] not have any regular stoves or ranges, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the stove or range [most frequently used], what is its source of energy?

Select all that apply.

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Oil
• Wood

Exclude wood pellets.

• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Other
  • Specify the other source of energy
  
  OR
• Don't know

What type is it?

• Convectional electric
• Induction

Electric stove that uses electromagnetism to heat cookware.

• Don't know

How many minutes a day is this stove or range used?

Provide your best estimate.

• Less than 30 minutes a day
• 30 minutes to less than 60 minutes a day
• 60 minutes to less than 90 minutes a day
• 90 minutes to less than 2 hours a day
• 2 hours a day or more
• Don't know

How many separate cook-tops [do you/does your household] have?

A separate cook-top is a cooking stove that does not have an oven below it.
Include built-in countertop, cook-tops, and cooking surfaces.
Exclude plug-in devices such as hot-plates, air fryers, electric grills, BBQs, etc.
If [you do/your household does] not have any separate cook-top, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the separate cook-top [most frequently used], what is its source of energy?

Select all that apply.

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Oil
• Wood

Exclude wood pellets.

• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Other
  • Specify the other source of energy
  
  OR
• Don't know

What type is it?

• Convectional electric
• Induction

Electric stove that uses electromagnetism to heat cookware.

• Don't know

How many built-in ovens [do you/does your household] have?

A built-in oven is an oven that is not part of a cook-top.
Exclude toaster ovens.
If [you do/your household does] not have any built-in oven, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

How many dishwashers [do you/does your household] have?

If [you do/your household does] not have any dishwashers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the most frequently used dishwasher, are the dishes rinsed before they are put in the dishwasher?

• Always or almost always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never
• Don't know
• Dishwasher never used

How are the dishes usually dried?

• Heated dry cycle
• Unheated dry, door closed
• Air dried, door open
• Don't know

How many clothes washing machines [do you/does your household] have?

[Report the number of clothes washing machines in your apartment unit. Exclude communal clothes washers.]
If [you do/your household does] not have any clothes washing machines, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] clothes washing machine, what type is it?

• A top load washing machine
• A front load washing machine
• A combination washer-dryer
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] clothes washing machine, what is its size?

• Mini (compact — less than 45 litres / 10 gallons)
• Standard (full size — greater than or equal to 45 litres / 10 gallons)
• Don't know

What water temperature is most often used for the following cycles?

a. Wash cycle

• Hot
• Warm
• Cold
• Don't know

b. Rinse cycle

• Hot
• Warm
• Cold
• Don't know

In an average week, how many loads of laundry are washed in your dwelling?

• Number of loads in the summer
• Number of loads in the winter
  OR
• Don't know

[Do you/Does your household] use the steam setting of the washing machine?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know
• Washing machine does not have a steam setting

How many clothes dryers [do you/does your household] have?

[Report the number of clothes dryer machines in your apartment unit. Exclude communal clothes dryers.]
If [you do/your household does] not have any clothes dryers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

In an average week, how many loads of laundry are dried using the clothes dryer in your dwelling?

• Number of loads in the summer
• Number of loads in the winter
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the clothes dryer used most often, what is its source of energy?

Select all that apply. 

• Electricity only
• Natural gas only
  OR
• Electricity and natural gas
• Oil
• Wood

Exclude wood pellets.

• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Other
  • Specify the other source of energy
  
  OR
• Don't know

What size is this clothes dryer?

• Compact (less than 125 litres / 28 gallons capacity)
• Standard (125 litres / 28 gallons capacity or more)
• Don't know

[Do you/Does your household] use the steam setting of this clothes dryer?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know
• Clothes dryer does not have a steam setting

Humidifier: Adds extra moisture to the air.

How many portable humidifiers [do you/does your household] have?

If [you do/your household does] not have any portable humidifiers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] portable humidifier, how often is it used during summer?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never

Thinking of the [most frequently used] portable humidifier, how often is it used during winter?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never

How many built-in humidifiers [do you/does your household] have?

Built-in humidifiers are typically part of a forced air system.
If [you do/your household does] not have any built-in humidifiers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] built-in humidifier, how often is it used during the summer?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never
• System operates automatically

Thinking of the [most frequently used] built-in humidifier, how often is it used during the winter?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never
• System operates automatically

Dehumidifier: Removes excess moisture from the air.

How many portable dehumidifiers [do you/does your household] have?

If [you do/your household does] not have any portable dehumidifiers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] portable dehumidifier, how often is it used during the summer?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never

Thinking of the [most frequently used] portable dehumidifier, how often is it used during the winter?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never

How many built-in dehumidifiers (excluding devices used only for work purposes) [do you/does your household] have?

Built-in dehumidifiers are typically part of a forced air system.
If [you do/your household does] not have any built-in dehumidifiers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] build-in dehumidifier, how often is it used during the summer?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never
• System operates automatically

Thinking of the [most frequently used] build-in dehumidifier, how often is it used during the winter?

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a month
• A few times in the season
• Rarely or never
• System operates automatically

How many ceiling fans are in the dwelling?

If this dwelling does not have ceiling fans, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Thinking of the [most frequently used] ceiling fan, does it have lights?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

How many hours a day is this ceiling fan typically used during the summer?

• Number of hours
  OR
• Don't know

How many hours a day is this ceiling fan typically used during the winter?

• Number of hours
  OR
• Don't know

How many air purifiers does the dwelling have?

If this dwelling does not have air purifiers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

How many water coolers does the dwelling have?

Exclude water coolers built into a refrigerator and picnic coolers.
If this dwelling does not have water coolers, enter "0".

• Number
  OR
• Don't know

Electronic devices [– primary dwelling]

Excluding devices used only for work purposes, how many of each of the following electronic devices [do you/does your household] own?

a. Cell phones, including smart phones, for personal use

• Quantity

b. Televisions

• Quantity

c. Devices used with a television

e.g., receiver boxes, video game consoles, Blu-ray, DVD players

• Quantity

d. Sounds systems, including home theatre systems

Include radios, stereos, Bluetooth speakers and Bluetooth headphones.

• Quantity

               
e. Smart home devices

e.g., Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod

• Quantity

f. Small portable media devices

e.g., portable gaming devices, iPods, MP3 players

• Quantity

g. Computers or tablets for personal use

Include desktop, laptop, notebook computers, e-readers.

• Quantity

h. Computer monitors for personal use

Exclude tablets, iPads.

• Quantity

               
i. Printers and scanners for personal use

j. Landline phones with or without cords, VoIP phones

Include the number of handsets.
Exclude cell phones and smart phones.

• Quantity               

k. Network equipment

e.g., modems, routers, Wifi hotspots

• Quantity

Water [– primary dwelling]

The next questions are about the use of water in your dwelling.

What is your dwelling's main source of water?

Is it:

• Water supplied by your city, town or municipality
• Water from a private well
• Water from a surface source
  e.g., spring, lake, river or dugout
• Other
  • Specify other source of water

During the past 12 months, what type of water did [you/your household] primarily use for drinking at home? 

Was it:

• Tap water
• Bottled water

Include purchased water in a water cooler, tank or other dispenser.

• Other
  • Specify other type of water

During the past 12 months, did [you/your household] occasionally use [bottled water/tap water] for drinking at home?

• Yes
• No

During the past 12 months, did you do any of the following to the main water source?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Use a filter or purifier on the main water supply pipe
• Use a filter or purifier on the taps
  Include built-in water dispensers in your refrigerator.
• Use a jug filter
  e.g., Brita system
• Boil water in order to make it safe for drinking
  OR
• Did nothing

In the past 12 months, were you informed of a boil water advisory for your area?

• Yes
• No

How many times were you informed of a boil water advisory?

• Number of times
  OR
• Don't know

What did you do in response to the boil water advisory?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Boil your water
• Use bottled water instead of tap water
• Filter your water before drinking it
• Treat your water with chlorine or water purification tablets
• Other
  • Specify other action taken

What type of filter or purifier was used on the main water supply pipe?

Select all that apply.

Was it:

• An activated charcoal or carbon filter
• A ceramic filter
• A reverse osmosis system
• An ultraviolet light system
• A distilled water system
• A water softener
• Other
  • Specify other type of filter or purifier

[Other than due to a boil water advisory, why/Why] did you treat the main water source?

Select all that apply.

Was it:

• To improve the appearance, taste or odour
• To remove water treatment chemicals such as chlorine
• To soften the water
• To remove metals or minerals other than for hard water problems
• To remove possible bacterial contamination
• Only treated because of the boil water advisory
• The treatment device was already installed or pre-existing
• Other
  • Specify other reason for treatment

In the past 12 months, did you have your water tested by a laboratory?

A laboratory is a public or private establishment where the quality of water is tested and analysed.
Exclude home testing kits.

• Yes
• No

Were any problems found?

• Yes
• No

What type of sewer or septic system is your dwelling connected to?

Is it:

• The sewer system of your city, town or municipality
• A private septic system, including holding tanks
• A communal septic system
• Other
  • Specify other type of system      

When was the last time your septic tank or system was pumped, maintained or inspected?

Was it:

• Within the last year
• 1 year to less than 3 years ago
• 3 years to less than 5 years ago
• 5 or more years ago
• Never
• Don't know

Were there any problems found the last time your septic system was pumped, maintained or inspected?

• Yes
• No

Is your water heater located in your dwelling?

• Yes
• No, it is centralized and shared with other units
• No, it is located outside the dwelling
  e.g., in an out-building or shed
• • Specify the outside location of your water heater
• No, it is located somewhere else
  • Specify the location of your water heater
• Don't know

What is your dwelling's water heating equipment?

• Water tank heater
• Tankless water heater
• Packaged (one unit) heat pump water heater
  i.e., storage tank with a large fan grille on top
• Split-system heat pump water heater
  i.e., heat pump and storage tank are separate units
• Solar water heater
• Electric point-of-use
• Other
  • Specify other type of water heater
• Don't know

Does your water heating system also provide space heating?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

What source of energy does your water heating equipment use?

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Heating oil
• Wood
  Exclude wood pellets.
• Wood pellets
• Propane
• Solar
• Other
  • Specify other source of energy
  OR
• Don't know

Did [you/your household] replace a previous water heater with your current hot water heater?

• Yes
• No

What was the main reason for replacing the hot water heater? Was it:

• Planned or scheduled replacement
• Emergency replacement
• To save energy on water heating
• To change energy sources
  e.g., from electricity to natural gas
• Other
  • Specify the other reason for replacing the water heater
• Don't know

Water — secondary residence

The following questions are about your secondary residence.

What type of sewer or septic system is your secondary dwelling connected to? 

Is it:

• The sewer system of your city, town or municipality
• A private septic system with a leaching bed
• Private holding tanks
• A communal septic system
• An outhouse or latrine
• A composting toilet
• An incinerator toilet
• Other
  • Specify other type of system

When was the last time the septic tank or system at your secondary dwelling was pumped, maintained or inspected?

Was it:

• Within the last year
• 1 year to less than 3 years ago
• 3 years to less than 5 years ago
• 5 or more years ago
• Never

Were there any problems found the last time the septic system at your secondary dwelling was pumped, maintained or inspected?

• Yes
• No

Water [– primary dwelling]

The next questions are about [your primary dwelling/your dwelling].

Do you have any of the following at [your primary dwelling/your dwelling]?

a. A meter to measure your water use

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

b. A water saving, low-flow showerhead

Low flow showerheads are able to regulate the flow of water. Traditionally they run at a higher pressure than regular flow showerheads.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

c. A low-volume toilet

Include high efficiency toilets or toilets where the water volume has been modified.
e.g., adding a brick or bottle to the tank

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

d. A water-saving, low-flow faucet

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

e. An in-ground swimming pool

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

f. A permanent above ground swimming pool

Not removed and stored seasonally.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

g. A temporary above ground swimming pool

Removed and stored seasonally.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

h. A hot tub

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

i. A sauna

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Do you have a lawn or an area with grass?

• Yes
• No

Last summer, did [you/anyone in your household] water your lawn?

Include automatic sprinkler and irrigation systems.

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable

No lawn or area with grass last summer.

How was your lawn usually watered?

Select all that apply.

Was it:

• By hand using a watering can or a hose

Include soaker hoses.

• With a stand-alone sprinkler

Exclude a sprinkler system.

• With a sprinkler system
• Other

Was it connected to a timer?

• Yes
• No

Was it connected to a timer?

• Yes
• No

How old is the sprinkler system?

Provide best estimate in years. For systems installed within the last 12 months, enter "0".

• Age in years

Do you have a garden or areas with trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables on your property?

• Yes
• No

Last summer, did [you/anyone in your household] water these areas?

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable

No garden or areas with trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables last summer.

How were these areas usually watered?

Select all that apply.

Was it:

• By hand using a watering can or a hose

Include soaker hoses.

• With a stand-alone sprinkler or sprinkler system
• Other

Was the sprinkler or sprinkler system connected to a timer?

• Yes
• No

Do you have a barrel or cistern to collect rain water?

• Yes
• No

Fertilizer and pesticide use [– primary dwelling]

The following questions are about fertilizer and pesticide use.

In the past 12 months, were any chemical fertilizers applied to your [lawn/garden or flowerbed/lawn, garden or flowerbed]?

Chemical fertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth. They are usually applied either via the soil or by spraying.

Include chemical fertilizers applied by commercial operators.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, were any organic or natural fertilizers applied to your [lawn/garden or flowerbed/lawn, garden or flowerbed]?

Natural or organic fertilizers can include such items as compost, manure and mulch or products sold at retail establishments labelled as "natural" or "organic".

Include natural or organic fertilizers applied by commercial operators.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, were any chemical pesticides such as weed killers (herbicides), bug killers (insecticides), or fungicides applied to your [lawn/garden or flowerbed/lawn, garden or flowerbed]?

Include fertilizer and herbicide mixes such as "Weed and Feed".

Include chemical pesticides applied by commercial operators.

• Yes
• No

What types of chemical pesticides were applied to your [lawn/garden or flowerbed/lawn, garden or flowerbed]?

Select all that apply.

• Weed killer (herbicides)
• Bug killer (insecticides)
• Fungicide

In the past 12 months, were any organic or natural pesticides applied to your [lawn/garden or flowerbed/lawn, garden or flowerbed]?

Include all natural, organic and barrier methods such as natural sprays, beer traps, and beneficial nemotodes.

Include natural or organic pesticides applied by commercial operators.

• Yes
• No

Recreational vehicles and outdoor equipment

The next questions are about recreational vehicles and outdoor equipment.

[Have you/Has anyone in your household] owned any of the following recreational vehicles in the last 12 months?

Select all that apply.

• All-terrain vehicle (ATV)
• Snowmobile
• Dirt bike or motocross motorcycle
• Personal watercraft
  e.g., Jet Ski or Sea-Doo
• Motorboat with an inboard or outboard motor
  OR
• Household does not own any of these recreational vehicles

Recreational vehicles and outdoor equipment [– primary dwelling]

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use a lawnmower?

• Yes
• No

What type of engine did it have?

If you used more than one lawnmower, select all that apply.

• Gas
• Battery-powered
• Electric
• Manual

e.g., push reel

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use a grass trimmer?

Also known as string trimmer, weed trimmer, whipper snipper or Weed Eater.

• Yes
• No

What type of engine did it have?

If you used more than one grass trimmer, select all that apply.

• Gas
• Battery-powered
• Electric

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use a leaf blower?

• Yes
• No

What type of engine did it have?

If you used more than one leaf blower, select all that apply.

• Gas
• Battery-powered
• Electric

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use a chain saw at home?

• Yes
• No

What type of engine did it have?

If you used more than one chain saw, select all that apply.

• Gas
• Battery-powered
• Electric

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use a snow blower?

• Yes
• No

What type of engine did it have?

If you used more than one snow blower, select all that apply.

• Gas
• Battery-powered
• Electric

Indoor environment [– primary dwelling]

Have you ever heard of radon?

• Yes
• No

Do you consider radon to be a health hazard?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

There are many substances that have similar characteristics to radon. Which of the following statements best describes radon?

Radon is:

• A gas that comes from natural gas in furnaces and water heaters, and at high levels can cause death
• A gas that comes from the ground and can cause lung cancer
• A gas that comes from carpets, furniture and paints, and can cause irritation in the eyes, nose and throat
• A gas found in air conditioners and refrigerators that can damage the ozone layer
• Don't know

Has your dwelling ever been tested for radon?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Was it tested in the last 10 years?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Did the results of the test indicate a problem?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Have you taken any steps to reduce radon in your home, such as installing a radon reduction system?

e.g., a sub-slab depressurization system

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Composting [– primary dwelling]

The next questions are about composting.

During the past 12 months, did [you/your household] separate any kitchen waste from the rest of your garbage and put it out for compost collection, take it to a depot or put it in a compost bin or pile?

• Yes
• No

How was your kitchen waste composted?

Select all that apply.

• Collected by your city or private company
• Taken to a depot
• Put in a compost bin, pile or garden
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/your household] separate any yard waste such as leaves, plants, or grass clippings from the rest of your garbage and put it out for collection, take it to a depot, or put it in a compost bin or pile, or garden?

• Yes
• No

How was your yard waste composted?

Select all that apply.

• Collected by your city or private company
• Taken to a depot
• Put in a compost bin, pile or garden
• Other

During the past 12 months, did [you/your household] separate any compostable bioplastics from the rest of your garbage and put it out for compost collection, take it to a depot or put it in a compost bin or pile?

Examples include some types of drink cups and take out food packaging. Typically, these items are labelled as compostable.

• Yes
• No

How were your compostable bioplastics composted?

Select all that apply.

• Collected by your city or private company
• Taken to a depot
• Put in a compost bin, pile or garden
• Other

[Do you/Does your household] have access to a municipal composting or organics collection program for [kitchen waste/yard waste/compostable bioplastics/kitchen waste and yard waste/kitchen waste and compostable bioplastics/yard waste and compostable bioplastics/kitchen waste, yard waste, and compostable bioplastics]?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Air quality [– primary dwelling]

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] burn yard waste on your property?

Include leaves, branches and grass clippings.

• Yes
• No

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] burn household waste on your property?

Include all household items that can be burned.

Exclude yard waste and materials generated from the operation of a business.

• Yes
• No

Hazardous waste [– primary dwelling]

The next questions are about the disposal of hazardous products.

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any leftover or expired medication to dispose of?

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer, including a pharmacy or doctor
• Poured them down the drain, sewer, toilet, sink, or on the ground
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any medical sharps to dispose of?

Include syringes, needles, insulin pens and lancets.

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Used a medical sharps disposal program
• Returned them to a pharmacy or doctor
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any leftover paint or solvents to dispose of?

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Donated or gave them away
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any unwanted engine oil or anti-freeze to dispose of?

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Still have them
• Other

Excluding car batteries, in the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any dead or unwanted batteries to dispose of?

Include general purpose batteries such as AA batteries, cellphone, PDA, laptop computer, hearing aid and watch batteries.

Exclude car, motorcycle, boat (marine) and tractor batteries.

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any leftover pesticides to dispose of?

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any mattresses to dispose of?

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Donated or gave them away
• Sold them
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any textiles to dispose of?

Textiles are composed of natural fibres such as wool , silk, linen or cotton, and synthetic material such as polyester or nylon.

e.g., towels, shoes, purses, clothing, curtains and carpets

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Donated or gave them away
• Sold them
• Still have them
• Other

In the past 12 months, which of the following unwanted electronic products did [you/anyone in your household] have to dispose of?

Select all that apply.

• Computers
• Printers or fax machines
• Televisions or computer displays
• Audio-video equipment

Include DVD players, VCRs, speakers, portable digital music players.

• Set-top boxes
  e.g., cable TV boxes, PVRs
• Electronic gaming equipment
• Wearable electronics
  e.g., smart watches, fitness trackers
• Cellular phones
• Landline telephones, including cordless phones

Exclude cell phones.

• Microwave ovens
• Small appliances

e.g., coffee makers, kettles, hand mixers, power drills, power saws
OR

• None of the above

What did you do with your unwanted computers?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted computers?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted printers or fax machines?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted printers or fax machines?
Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted televisions or computer displays?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted televisions or computer displays?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted set-top boxes?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted set-top boxes?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted audio-video equipment?

Include DVD players, VCRs, speakers, portable digital music players.

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted audio-video equipment?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted electronic gaming equipment?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted electronic gaming equipment?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted wearable electronics?

e.g., smart watches, fitness trackers

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted wearable electronics?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted cellular phones?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted cellular phones?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted landline phones, including cordless phones?

Exclude cell phones.

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted landline phones?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted microwave ovens?

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted microwave ovens?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

What did you do with your unwanted small appliances?

e.g., coffee makers, kettles, hand mixers, power drills, power saws

Exclude microwave ovens.

Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Put them in the garbage
• Take or send them to a depot or drop off centre
• Return them to a supplier or retailer
• Donate or give them away
• Repair them
• Sell them
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have your unwanted small appliances?

Select all that apply. 

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any dead or unwanted compact fluorescent light bulbs to dispose of?

Compact fluorescent lights, also known as corkscrew or spiral light bulbs, are similar to and can replace most incandescent lights. They typically use 75% less energy and can last up to ten times as long as a conventional incandescent light bulb.

Exclude fluorescent tubes.

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have them?

Select all that apply.

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] have any dead or unwanted fluorescent tubes to dispose of?

Fluorescent tubes are glass tubes of various lengths whose inner walls are coated with a material that fluoresces when an electrical current causes a vapour within the tube to discharge electrons.

Exclude compact fluorescent lights.

• Yes
• No

What did you do with them?

Select all that apply.

• Put them in the garbage
• Took or sent them to a depot or drop off centre
• Returned them to a supplier or retailer
• Still have them
• Other

Why do you still have them?

Select all that apply.

• They still work
• Waiting for date to bring them at the drop-off centre 
• Planning to reuse them
• Planning on selling them
• Planning on giving them away  
• Other
  OR
• Do not know how or where to dispose of them

Interactions with nature

The following questions are about your [household's] interactions with nature.

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers or plants for personal use?

• Yes
• No

Where were they grown?

Select all that apply.

• Outside in the yard
• On a balcony, porch or deck
• In a community garden or allotment garden
• Indoors
• In a rooftop garden
• Greenhouse
• Somewhere else

Are there any shrubs or hedges on your property?

• Yes
• No

Are there any trees on your property?

• Yes
• No

In the past 5 years, were any trees planted on your property?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 5 years, were any trees cut down or removed on your property?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] make any purchases to feed or shelter birds on your property?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In which seasons do [you/you or someone in the household] feed birds at home?

Select all that apply. 

• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Fall
  OR
• I only feed birds elsewhere

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] make any purchases to watch birds, such as binoculars or bird books, or travel for bird watching trips?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, have [you/anyone in your household] observed a bird accidentally crash into a window at your home?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

How many cats [do/does] [you/your household] own?

If [you do/your household does] not have cats, please enter "0".

• Number of cats

How often [does the cat/do the cats] go outside?

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• A few times a year
• Never, [it is strictly an indoor cat/they are strictly indoor cats]

In the past 12 months, did [you/your household] participate in any outdoor activities close to your home?

Close to your home means within a 10 minute walk or drive.
Outdoor activities can include individual activities such as walking, running, skiing or picnicking, and team activities such as playing soccer, baseball or football.

• Yes
• No

What type of outdoor activities?

Select all that apply.

• Walking
• Jogging, running, rollerblading, or cross-country running
• Hiking
• Football, soccer, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, baseball, rugby, lacrosse, ultimate (frisbee), or ball or road hockey
• Golfing, croquet, lawn darts, lawn bowling, or bocci
• Boating, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, rowing, dragonboating, or seadooing
• Swimming, going to the beach, surfing, scuba, or snorkeling
• Bicycling
• ATV
• Skiing, snowboarding, or telemark
• Snowmobiling
• Cross-country skiing or snowshoeing
• Hunting
• Fishing
• Camping
• Picnicking or BBQ
• Skating
• Ice hockey, broomball, or curling
• Bird watching, or photography
• Exercise, tai chi, aerobics, or yoga
• Going to the park or playground
• Mountain climbing
• Tobogganing or sliding
• Geocaching
• Badminton, tennis, or pickleball
• Other
  • Specify other outdoor activities

In the past 12 months, did [you/your household] participate in any winter backcountry activities in mountainous areas such as skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, hiking, ice climbing or mountaineering?

Backcountry refers to areas outside managed ski resorts and marked trails.

• Yes
• No

Which activities?

Select all that apply.

• Backcountry skiing or snowboarding
• Mountain snowmobiling
• Snowshoeing or winter hiking
• Ice climbing or mountaineering
• Other
  • Specify other winter backcountry activities

Are there any parks or public greenspaces close to your home?

Close to your home means within a 10 minute walk or drive.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] visit these parks or public greenspaces?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] visit a park that was close to where you live?

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• A few times a year
• Other
  • Specify other 

Why did [you/members of your household] visit a park that was close to where you live? Was it:

Select all that apply.

• To reduce stress
• To improve physical health
• To improve mental health
• To get some fresh air
• To go the playground
• To play sports or exercise
• To attend events or festivals
• To pass through on the way to another destination
• To walk the dog
• To meet people or socialize
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Why [did you not visit/did no one in your household visit] a park or public green space close to home?

Select all that apply.

• Inability to get there due to lack of transportation
• Felt unsafe or had concerns about discrimination, harassment or violence
• Personal mobility limitations 
• Park or public green space was closed due to pandemic limitations
• Park or public green space was not open when I wanted to visit it
• Preferred to visit another park or public green space that was not close to home
• Other reason
  • Specify the other reason

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] visit any [other parks/parks] or public greenspaces [that were not close to your home]?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] engage, without pay, in activities aimed at conservation or protection of the environment or wildlife?

e.g., picking up litter, planting trees, naturalizing or restoring areas, writing letters to political officials

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

How did [you/your household] participate in these activities?

a. On behalf of a group or an organization

Include activities like beach or park clean-up days, unpaid help provided to schools, religious organizations, sports or community associations.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

b. Independently, that is, not on behalf of a group or an organization

e.g., picking up litter, writing letters to political officials

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] participate, without pay, in any of these activities?

a. Cleaning up shorelines, beaches, rivers, lakes or roadsides

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

b. Monitoring or assessing wild species or natural habitats to assist with nature conservation

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] participate, without pay, in teaching about nature?

Include:

giving guided nature walks
chaperoning school trips to nature centres
leading or assisting indoor courses on nature and the environment.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Emergency preparedness

In the past 12 months, has your household been affected by an extreme weather event or natural disaster?

Include events such as flooding, wind storms, tornadoes, wild fires, winter storms, blizzards, hurricanes, extreme smoke, prolonged poor air quality, earthquakes, and similar types of events.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Where did you experience the most recent extreme weather event or natural disaster?

• Primary residence
• Secondary residence
• Both primary and secondary residences
• Somewhere else in Canada
  • Specify where in Canada
• Somewhere else outside of Canada
  • Specify the country

What type of event was it?

Report for the most recent event.

Select all that apply. 

• Heavy rain
• River flooding 
• Severe thunderstorm
• Hail
• Strong winds
• Winter storm, blizzard, or ice storm
• Extreme cold
• Extreme heat
• Hurricane
• Tornado
• Poor air quality
  e.g., smoke or smog
• Forest fire, wildfire, or grass fire
• Landslide, avalanche, or sinkhole
• Earthquake
• Other
  • Specify the other event

How [were/was] [you/your household] affected by the event?

Report for the most recent event.

Select all that apply. 

• Lost power for a short period of time (less than 24 hours)
• Lost power for a long period of time (one day or longer)
• Had to throw out food
• Water damage
• Had to evacuate home
• Some damage to house
• Complete loss of house
• Property damage
• Poor air quality
• Road closures
  e.g., unable to go to the store
• Interruption to drinking water
• Property flooded
• Damage to family vehicles
• Physical health problems
• Mental health problems
• Household member injured or killed by the event
• Other
  • Specify the other impacts

How long did it take [you/ your household] to recover from the event?

• Same day
• Days
• Weeks
• Months
• Other
• Still recovering from the event

Did [you/your household] receive an alert for the event?

e.g., telephone notification, alert on radio or television

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

How far in advance did [you/your household] receive the alert?

• Amount of time
• Unit of time
  • Minutes
  • Hours
  • Days
  • Weeks
  
  OR
• After the event was underway

How [were/was] [you/your household] alerted for the event?

Select all that apply.

• By phone notification
  Please include automated phone calls and emergency notifications.
• An app
  e.g., a weather app
• From the TV
• On the radio
• Social media
• On a sign on the highway while driving
• From a family member or friend
• A website
• Other
  • Specify the other source of information

How would [you/your household] most prefer to receive an alert for an extreme weather event or natural disaster?

• By phone notification
  Please include automated phone calls and emergency notifications.
• An app
  e.g., a weather app
• From the TV
• On the radio
• Social media
• On a sign on the highway while driving
• From a family member or friend
• An app
• A website
• Other
  • Specify the other source of information

What steps [have you/has your household] taken to prepare for a natural disaster?

Select all that apply. 

• 3-day supply of drinking water
  e.g., 72 hours; 2 litres per person per day plus water for pets
• Food
• Money
• Medication
• Battery powered radio
• Emergency lights
  e.g., flash lights, chemical light sticks
• Portable backup generator
• Permanently installed home backup generator
  e.g., Generac
• Emergency solar PV

Include portable solar panels.

• Other
  • Specify other preparations
  
  OR
• None of the above

Perception and awareness of risk of flooding

Thinking of [your primary dwelling/your dwelling], how high is the risk to your dwelling from flooding?

• Extremely high – experience flooding multiple times a year
• Very high – experience flooding annually
• Moderately high – experience flooding every 5 years on average
• Low – experience flooding every 20 years on average
• Little or none – property is not on a floodplain, or flooding has not happened in more than 20 years
• Don't know

Transportation Decisions

The next few questions are about transportation decisions for your household.

How long does it take to get to the public transportation system closest to where you live?

• 2 minutes or less
• 3 to 5 minutes
• 6 to 10 minutes
• More than 10 minutes
• Don't know
• There is no public transportation system where I live

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use the public transportation system?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Why did [you not use/no one in your household use] the public transportation system?

Select all that apply. 

Was it because:

• It was too expensive
• It was too slow
• Scheduling problems
• Service was too infrequent
• The destination was within walking or cycling distance
• Used a car instead of public transit
• Health concerns
  e.g., exposure to COVID-19 or flu
• Personal safety concerns
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] use a bicycle to go to work, school, or to run errands during the summer and winter?

a. Summer

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• Never

b. Winter

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• Never

Why did [you not use/no one in your household use] a bicycle to go to work, school or run errands in the last 12 months?

Select all that apply. 

• Did not own a bicycle
• Destination was too far away
• Would take too long to ride to destination
• Did not feel safe riding alone
• Would have had to ride at night
• Would have had to ride on roads that have no bike lanes
• Did not feel safe in bike lanes on busy roads
• Nowhere to securely park bicycle at destination
• Nowhere to change or shower at the destination
• Did not have a way to safely carry items while riding
• Could not transport children, parents or other family members by bike
• Weather
  e.g., too hot, too cold, too windy, rain, snow
• Unable to bicycle due to a physical inability
• Bicycle was broken or needed repairs
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] walk, jog, or run to go to work, school, or to run errands during the summer and winter?

a. Summer

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• Never

b. Winter

• Daily
• More than once a week
• More than once a month
• A few times a season
• Never

Why did [you not/no one in your household] walk, jog, or run to go to work, school or run errands in the last 12 months?

Select all that apply. 

• Destination was too far away
• Would take too long to get to destination
• Did not feel safe walking, jogging, or running alone
• Would have had to go at night
• Would have had to go on roads that have no side walks
• Did not feel safe on side walks on busy roads
• Nowhere to change or shower at the destination
• Did not have a way to safely carry items while going to destination
• Could not transport children, parents or other family members while walking, jogging, or running
• Weather
  e.g., too hot, too cold, too windy, rain, snow
• Unable to walk, jog, or run due to a physical inability
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Purchasing decisions [– primary dwelling]

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/your household] use [your/its] own bags or containers to carry [your/its] groceries?

Include bags usually made of canvas or heavy plastic that can be reused numerous times for groceries.

Exclude plastic disposable bags.

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

How many plastic drinking straws are thrown out at home in a typical week?

Include straws brought home with take-out food and straws on juice boxes.

Exclude reusable straws and straws thrown out elsewhere.

• Number of drinking straws
  Provide your best estimate. Enter a "0" for none.

How many of these plastic drinking straws are used more than once before being thrown out?

• All
• Most
• Some
• None

When possible, [do/does] [you/anyone in your household] use [your/their] own refillable water bottle instead of buying a bottle of water?

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never
• Not applicable

How often do [you/members of your household] drink hot drinks outside the home, for example at work, at school or in transportation?

e.g., coffee, tea, herbal tea, hot chocolate

• Every day
• A few times a week
• A few times a months
• A few times a year
• Never

When possible, do [you/members of your household] use a refillable cup or mug instead of buying hot drinks in a disposable cup?

e.g., coffee, tea, herbal tea, hot chocolate

• Always or almost always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] use reusable food containers instead of disposable ones?

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] purchase reusable personal care products?

e.g., diapers, feminine hygiene products and personal wipes.

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] purchase a commodity, such as soap, in bulk to be able to refill a smaller container?

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

Why do [you/members of your household] not use the following?

[refillable water bottles]
[refillable cups or mugs]
[reusable food containers]
[reusable personal care products]
[commodity items in bulk]

Select all that apply.

Was it because:

• They are too inconvenient
• They would cost more compared to single-use versions
• They take too much time to clean (if applicable)
• Reusable versions of these items are not available
• Do not want to reuse these types of items
• Items are not applicable
• Some other reason
  • Specify the other reason

In the past year, did [you/anyone in your household] make any online purchases?

• Yes
• No

What did you do with the cardboard boxes the items were shipped in?

Select all that apply.

• Recycled the boxes via curbside pickup, depot, or a drop off program
• Reused the boxes to ship or store something else
• Used or repurposed the cardboard for something else
• Put the boxes in the garbage
• Burned the boxes
• Kept the boxes for future use
• Other
  • Specify what else you did with the boxes
  
  OR
• Made online purchases, but none of the items were shipped in boxes

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] use a meal preparation kit?

Include delivery of ingredient boxes with a recipe, e.g., Goodfood, HelloFresh

Exclude delivery from restaurants.

• Yes
• No

In total, how many meal preparation kits were delivered to your household in the past 12 months?

• 1
• 2 to 4
• 5 to 9
• 10 to 19
• 20 or more

What did you do with the boxes?

Would you say:

• Recycled the boxes via curbside pickup, depot, or a drop off program
• Returned the boxes to the supplier
• Put the boxes in the garbage
• Used or repurposed the cardboard for something else
• Burned the boxes
• Other
  • Specify what else you did with the boxes
• Did not receive meal preparation kits in boxes

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] choose products based on the type or amount of packaging?

e.g., choosing a product that has less packaging or recyclable packaging, a product that comes in a reusable container, buying in bulk instead of pre-packaged products

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

In the past 12 months, how often did [you/anyone in your household] purchase products labelled as being "environmentally-friendly" or "green" instead of similar products that were not?

• Always
• Often
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never

Would you consider repairing or have an electronic item repaired rather than buying a new one?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No
• Don't know

Why would you not attempt to have an electronic item repaired or repair it yourself?

Select all that apply. 

• Too costly
• Too inconvenient
• It would take too much time
• The quality of the repair would not be high enough
• The potential environmental benefits do not warrant repairing the item
• The availability of tools or parts makes it impractical to repair the item
• I don't know how to repair the item
• I don't know where to obtain the parts or tools needed to repair the item
• I would prefer to have a new item
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Would you consider repairing or having a small appliance, such as a coffee maker, blender, or power tool, repaired rather than buying a new one?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No
• Don't know

Why would you not attempt to have a small appliance, such as a coffee maker, blender, or power tool, repaired or repair it yourself?

Select all that apply. 

• Too costly
• Too inconvenient
• It would take too much time
• The quality of the repair would not be high enough
• The potential environmental benefits do not warrant repairing the item
• The availability of tools or parts makes it impractical to repair the item
• I don't know how to repair the item
• I don't know where to obtain the parts or tools needed to repair the item
• I would prefer to have a new item
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Would you consider repairing or having a large appliance, such as a stove, refrigerator, washing machine, or clothes dryer, repaired rather than buying a new one?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No
• Don't know

Why would you not attempt to have a large appliance, such as a stove, refrigerator, washing machine, or clothes dryer, repaired or repair it yourself?

Select all that apply. 

• Too costly
• Too inconvenient
• It would take too much time
• The quality of the repair would not be high enough
• The potential environmental benefits do not warrant repairing the item
• The availability of tools or parts makes it impractical to repair the item
• I don't know how to repair the item
• I don't know where to obtain the parts or tools needed to repair the item
• I would prefer to have a new item
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Would you consider buying a refurbished or reconditioned product instead of buying a new item?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No
• Don't know

Why would you not buy a refurbished or reconditioned product?

Select all that apply. 

• Too costly
• Too inconvenient
• It takes too much time to find such an item
• Lower quality
• Concerns about warranty or after sales support
• The potential environmental benefits do not warrant it
• Lack of availability or selection
• Do not know where to find them
• Do not have the skills or tools to repair it
• I would prefer to have a new item
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Would you consider buying a product that is easily repairable even if it was more expensive?

Easily repairable either by yourself or repair shop.

• Yes
• Maybe
• No
• Don't know

Why would you not buy an easily repairable product?

Select all that apply. 

• Too costly
• Too inconvenient
• It takes too much time to find such an item
• Lower quality
• The potential environmental benefits do not warrant it
• Lack of availability or selection
• Do not know where to find them
• Do not have the skills or tools to repair it
• I would prefer to have a new item
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Would you consider buying a product with a longer life span even if it is more expensive?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know

Why would you not buy a product with a longer life span?

Select all that apply. 

• Concerns about quality of the product
• The potential environmental benefits do not warrant the increased price
• Lack of availability or selection
• Do not know where to find them
• The price is too high compared to similar items with lower life spans
• Other
  • Specify the other reason

Did [you/anyone in your household] make use of a vehicle sharing program in the past 12 months?

Vehicle sharing is a vehicle rental service that allows people to use vehicles for short periods of time, often by the hour.

Please include services such as Communauto, Vrtucar, Zipcar, Autonomik, Carshare Cooperatives and Modo.
Please exclude services such as Uber and Lyft that use a driver.

• Yes
• No

Why did [you/anyone in your household] use a vehicle sharing program?

• In place of owning any vehicles
• To occasionally supplement the number of vehicles owned by household members
• Because [you do/you or someone in the household does] not otherwise have access to a vehicle
• Other
  • Specify other

How many of the following types of vehicles were owned by [you/all members in your household] in the past year?

Exclude vehicles used exclusively for work purposes.

Type of vehicle

a. Gasoline or diesel vehicle

• Number of vehicles

b. Non plug-in hybrid vehicle

Cannot be charged by plugging into an outlet or charging station
Has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor
Uses energy recovered from braking to recharge its battery.

• Number of vehicles

c. Plug-in hybrid vehicle

Must be charged by plugging into an outlet or charging station
Has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.

• Number of vehicles

d. Pure electric vehicle (zero emission vehicle)

Has only an electric motor

• Number of vehicles

In the past 12 months, how far was [the/the most frequently used] pure electric vehicle (zero emission vehicle) driven?

Exclude commercial use.

• Unit of measure
  • Kilometres
  • Miles
• Distance
  OR
• Don't know

Please indicate the types and number of charging stations at your home.

Type

a. Level 1

Uses 120V, 200 kilometres in 20 hours.

• Number of charging stations
• Number that are bidirectional charging stations

b. Level 2

Uses 240V, 30 kilometres in 1 hour.

• Number of charging stations
• Number that are bidirectional charging stations

In the past 12 months, what percentage of the time [was/were] the pure electric [vehicle/vehicles] (zero emission vehicle) charged at the following locations:

Percentage of time that it was charged at the location

a. At home, using the dwelling's power

• Percentage

b. At work

• Percentage

c. At a publicly-accessible charging station

• Percentage

d. Other location

• Specify the other location

• Percentage

When do you expect to purchase your next vehicle? 

• In less than 6 months
• In 6 months or more, but less than 1 year
• In 1 year or more, but less than 2 years
• In 2 years or more, but less than 3 years
• In 3 years or more, but less than 4 years
• No vehicle purchase expected in the next 4 years
• Uncertain

On a scale of 0 to 5, where 0 means "definitely not" and 5 means "almost certain", how likely is it that your next vehicle purchase will be a:

a. Gasoline or diesel vehicle

• 0 Definitely not
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5 Almost Certain

b. Non plug-in hybrid vehicle

Cannot be charged by plugging into an outlet or charging station
Has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor
Uses energy recovered from braking to recharge its battery.

• 0 Definitely not
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5 Almost Certain

c. Plug-in hybrid vehicle

Must be charged by plugging into an outlet or charging station
Has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.

• 0 Definitely not
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5 Almost Certain

d. Pure electric vehicle (zero emission vehicle)

Has only an electric motor

• 0 Definitely not
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5 Almost Certain

In the past 12 months, did [you/anyone in your household] make use of any of the following services?

a. Tool lending libraries

Tool lending libraries allow members to borrow tools, similar to borrowing a book from a library, to avoid purchasing tools that may only be needed occasionally or may be expensive.

• Yes
• No
• Don't Know

b. Shared workshops

e.g., wood working shops, metal working shops, maker spaces

• Yes
• No
• Don't Know

c. Shared bicycle repair space

• Yes
• No
• Don't Know

d. Shared garages to maintain a vehicle

• Yes
• No
• Don't Know

e. Shared studios

e.g., art studios, photographic studios

• Yes
• No
• Don't Know

f. Shared office space

Exclude employer-provided shared offices.

• Yes
• No
• Don't Know

Total household income

Now a question about total household income.

What is your best estimate of the total household income received by all household members, from all sources, before taxes and deductions, during the year ending December 31, [2025]?

Income can come from various sources such as from work, investments, pensions or government. Examples include Employment Insurance, social assistance, child benefits and other income such as child support, spousal support (alimony) and rental income.

Capital gains should not be included in the household income.

• Rounded to the nearest CAN$
  OR
• Don't know

What was the total household income during the year ending December 31, [2025]?

Include income received by all household members, from all sources, before taxes and deductions.

Was it:

• Less than $50,000, including income loss
• $50,000 and more
• Don't know

Was it:

• Less than $5,000
• $5,000 to less than $10,000
• $10,000 to less than $15,000
• $15,000 to less than $20,000
• $20,000 to less than $30,000
• $30,000 to less than $40,000
• $40,000 to less than $50,000
• Don't know

Was it:

• $50,000 to less than $60,000
• $60,000 to less than $70,000
• $70,000 to less than $80,000
• $80,000 to less than $90,000
• $90,000 to less than $100,000
• $100,000 to less than $150,000
• $150,000 and over
• Don't know

In November 2025, questions measuring the Labour Market Indicators were added to the Labour Force Survey as a supplement.

Questionnaire flow within the collection application is controlled dynamically based on responses provided throughout the survey. Therefore, some respondents will not receive all questions, and there is a small chance that some households will not receive any questions at all. This is based on their answers to certain LFS questions.

Labour Market Indicators

ENTRY_Q01 / EQ 1 - From the following list, please select the household member that will be completing this questionnaire on behalf of the entire household.

SEC_R01 - The following questions are about your job security and employability in relation to your main job.

SEC_Q01 / EQ2 - To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

SEC_Q01_1 - You might lose your job in the next 6 months.

• Strongly agree 
• Agree 
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree 
• Strongly disagree

SEC_Q01_2 - If you were to lose or quit your current job, it would be easy for you to find a job with a similar salary. 

• Strongly agree 
• Agree 
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree 
• Strongly disagree

EMP_Q01 / EQ3 - In your job search, how helpful would your overall work experience and job skills be to get hired? 

Is it:

1. Very helpful 
2. Fairly helpful 
3. Not so helpful 
4. Not helpful at all