This guide provides you with an overview of the 2019 Census Test questionnaire. It explains how to complete the test questionnaire, why your participation is important, and why we ask the questions. Note that you can complete your questionnaire online at: 2019 Census Test.

Complete your 2019 Census Test questionnaire online or use the paper questionnaire today.

To complete the questionnaire online:

  • 2019 Census Test and follow the link to the online questionnaire
  • enter your secure access code and follow the step-by-step instructions.

To complete the questionnaire on paper:

  • print clearly using capital letters.
  • mark circles with an "X".

Need help?

Call the Census Help Line at 1-855-850-2019, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern Time), or Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), if:

  • you need help completing your questionnaire or want more information about the census test
  • someone in your household would prefer to complete a separate questionnaire
  • you need more than one questionnaire for your household
  • you want a new questionnaire or a questionnaire in French.

For TTY (a telecommunications device for people who are deaf) service, call 1-833-830-3109.

What is the 2019 Census Test?

Statistics Canada is conducting a census test to evaluate new and modified questions along with the collection procedures and tools in preparation for the 2021 Census of Population.

A sample of approximately 250,000 dwellings has been selected to participate in this census test. Since accuracy depends on complete information, each household selected to participate in this test must, by law, complete and return their questionnaire.

Why is the 2019 Census Test important?

Leading up to the 2019 Census Test, Statistics Canada held content consultations on the census questionnaire. Responses were provided by various data users, including federal, provincial, territorial and local government departments; the general public; academia; special interest groups; and the private sector.

Factors considered in developing census content include legislative requirements, program and policy needs, burden on respondents when answering questions, privacy concerns, input from consultation and testing, data quality, cost and operational considerations, historical comparability, and availability of alternative data sources.

Based on the content consultation results, the 2019 Census Test will assess whether proposed content changes are feasible and whether the content will provide relevant and high-quality data.

Your role

The information you provide will help ensure that the content of the 2021 Census of Population is useful and accurately reflects Canada's changing society.

Please note that multiple versions of 2019 census test questionnaire are being tested and that not all dwellings will be asked all questions.

Why we ask the questions

The information you provide throughout the test questionnaire should reflect each person's situation on May 14, 2019, unless the questions specify otherwise. This reference date ensures that the information collected in the questionnaire provides an accurate snapshot of Canada's society at this point in time in our history.

Steps A to C – These questions are used to collect contact information and determine who should be included on the questionnaire. They help us ensure that we have counted everyone we need to count and that no one is counted twice.

Basic population information – These questions provide information about the living arrangements of people in Canada, the family size, the number of children living with one parent or two parents, and the number of people who live alone. This information is used for planning social programs, such as Old Age Security and the Canada Child Benefit. It is also used by municipalities to plan a variety of services such as day care centres, schools, police, fire protection and residences for seniors.

Language – These questions are used to provide a profile of the linguistic diversity of Canada's population. This information is used to estimate the need for services in English and French, and to better understand the current state and the evolution of Canada's various language groups.

Veterans – This question provides information on the number of people with Canadian military experience. Governments will use this information to develop programs and services to meet the changing needs of the veteran population.

Language of instruction – These questions collect information in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to support education programs in English and French in Canada.

Health – This question seeks information on the health status of people in Canada to help plan policies, programs and services for the health care system. General health is an indicator of overall health status and refers to the perception of a person's health in general, either by the person, or by the person in the household who is completing the census.

Activities of daily living – This question provides information on the number of people in Canada who may have difficulties doing certain activities, including those who may have a long-term physical, mental or other health condition. This information is used to identify people who are likely to have a disability. Statistics Canada may then follow up with a more detailed survey.

Place of birth – This question provides information on the diversity of Canada's population, and on the movement of people within Canada and from other countries to Canada.

Place of birth of parents – This question is used to assess the social and economic conditions of second-generation Canadians, and helps us understand Canada's immigration history. Responses to this question are not used to identify family relationships.

Citizenship – These questions provide information on the legal citizenship status of Canada's population. This information is used to estimate the number of potential voters and to plan citizenship classes and programs. It also provides information about the population with multiple citizenships and the number of immigrants in Canada who hold Canadian citizenship.

Immigration – These questions provide information about immigrants and non-permanent residents in Canada, and the year of immigration. This information is used to compare the social and economic conditions of immigrants over time; to evaluate immigration and employment policies and programs; and to plan education, health and other services.

Since the 2016 Census, Statistics Canada has supplemented the questions on immigration with administrative data. Using administrative data not only reduces collection costs and the burden on Canadians, but also provides more accurate information on immigration and additional variables such as admission category.

Ethnic origin – This question provides information about ethnic and cultural diversity in Canada. This information is used by associations, agencies and researchers for activities such as health promotion, communications and social support programs.

Indigenous – These questions provide information used by governments, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments and organizations, to develop programs and services for First Nations people, Métis and Inuit.

Population group – This question helps collect data that are used by governments, businesses, community groups, health care providers, researchers and a variety of organizations throughout the country to support programs that provide equal opportunity for everyone to share in the social, cultural and economic life of Canada.

Religion – This question provides information about religious affiliation and diversity. This information is used to help understand changes in Canadian society, as well as to plan facilities and services within diverse communities.

Mobility – These questions tell us where residents of Canada are moving to and where they are moving from. This information is used to look at the characteristics of people who move and to identify needs for housing, education, health, transportation and social services.

Education – These questions provide information on the education, training and recent school attendance of residents of Canada. Governments use this information to develop training and other programs to meet the changing needs of the workforce and of specific groups such as immigrants, First Nations people, Métis, Inuit and youth.

Labour market activities – These questions provide information on Canada's workforce, including the industries and occupations in which people work, as well as the language(s) used at work. Employment information is used to assess the economic conditions of communities and specific populations, such as Indigenous peoples and immigrants. Industry and occupation information is used to forecast job opportunities.

Journey to work – These questions tell us where people work and how they get to work. This information is used to assess commuting patterns, public transit needs and energy use.

Commuting information also helps to identify locations for new hospitals, schools, and daycare and recreational facilities, as well as the need for roads and other travel networks.

Income – These questions provide information on expenses related to child care and support payments. Along with the income information obtained from personal income tax and benefit records, these questions help provide more precise measures of disposable income.

Since the 2016 Census, Statistics Canada has replaced the detailed income questions on the census questionnaire with administrative data. The use of administrative data not only reduces collection costs and the burden on Canadians, but also provides more accurate information on income.

Housing – These questions provide information used to develop housing communities and projects.

Information on the number of rooms and bedrooms in homes and on housing costs is used to assess levels of crowding within dwellings and housing affordability. Such indicators are used by numerous organizations to help develop housing programs supporting the housing needs of Canadians.

Information on the age of dwellings and the need for repairs is used by municipalities to develop neighbourhood improvement programs.

Please complete your census test questionnaire today.

Your survey participation is essential

Canadians need accurate and reliable information—the cornerstone for democratic decision making. Through the Statistics Act, Parliament has mandated Statistics Canada, as the national statistical agency, to produce such information.

Statistics Canada is committed to making more information available about its accountability under the Statistics Act. For example, we conduct over 350 surveys and statistical programs on an ongoing basis to measure and report on the state of Canada's economy and society.

Although some Statistics Canada surveys are voluntary in nature, your survey participation is essential to produce results that best represent you, your community, and your country. Aggregated data guides policy makers and researchers in making important decisions for you.

Statistics Canada also conducts mandatory surveys because of their impact on the economy and society. The more precise, detailed and timely the needs for data that impact decisions we make or are made for us, the greater the need for unbiased and accurate data. As a result, in some cases, we have to conduct a mandatory survey, which is approved by the Chief Statistician and is mandated by the Statistics Act.

For example, business and agricultural surveys collect important economic information that is used by businesses, unions, non-profit organizations and all levels of government to make informed decisions such as monitoring the growth of inflation, gathering information to provide more affordable housing to Canadians, and learning about infrastructure needs in communities across Canada (i.e., determining the need for more schools, daycare centres, public transportation, etc.).

Mandatory participation is also required for the Labour Force Survey, where data is used to produce the unemployment rate, other indicators such as the employment rate and the participation rate, as well as for evaluation and planning of employment programs in Canada. In addition, Statistics Canada conducts the mandatory surveys of the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture.

To learn more about surveys, see Information for survey participants.

Retail Trade Survey (Monthly): CVs for Total sales by geography - February 2019

CVs for Total sales by geography - February 2019
Table summary
This table displays the results of Annual Retail Trade Survey: CVs for Total sales by geography - February 2019. The information is grouped by Geography (appearing as row headers), Month and Percent (appearing as column headers).
Geography Month
201902
Percent
Canada 0.56
Newfoundland and Labrador 1.29
Prince Edward Island 0.70
Nova Scotia 1.96
New Brunswick 1.37
Quebec 1.29
Ontario 1.10
Manitoba 1.27
Saskatchewan 3.05
Alberta 1.24
British Columbia 1.26
Yukon Territory 0.64
Northwest Territories 0.26
Nunavut 0.94

Why do we conduct this survey?

This survey is conducted by Statistics Canada in order to collect the necessary information to support the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). This program combines various survey and administrative data to develop comprehensive measures of the Canadian economy.

The statistical information from the IBSP serves many purposes, including:

  • calculating each province and territory's fair share of federal-provincial transfer payments for health, education and social programs
  • establishing government programs to assist businesses
  • assisting the business community in negotiating contracts and collective agreements
  • supporting the government in making informed decisions about fiscal, monetary and foreign exchange policies
  • indexing social benefit programs and determining tax brackets
  • enabling academics and economists to analyze the economic performance of Canadian industries and to better understand rapidly evolving business environments.

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

Your participation in this survey is required under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Other important information

Authorization to collect this information

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

Confidentiality

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

Record linkages

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

Data-sharing agreements

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

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

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

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

You may also contact us by email at statcan.esdhelpdesk-dsebureaudedepannage.statcan@statcan.gc.ca or by fax at 613-951-6583.

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

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

Business or organization and contact information

1. Verify or provide the business or organization's legal and operating name and correct where needed.

Note: Legal name modifications should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

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

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

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

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

Legal name:

Operating name (if applicable):

2. Verify or provide the contact information of the designated business or organization contact person for this questionnaire and correct where needed.

Note: The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire.

First name:

Last name:

Title:

Preferred language of communication:

  • English
  • French

Mailing address (number and street):

City:

Province, territory or state:

Postal code or ZIP code:

Country:

  • Canada
  • United States

Email address:

Telephone number (including area code):

Extension number (if applicable):
The maximum number of characters is 10.

Fax number (including area code):

3. Verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

  • Seasonal operations
    • When did this business or organization close for the season?
      • Date
    • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
      • Date
  • Ceased operations
    • When did this business or organization cease operations?
      • Date
    • Why did this business or organization cease operations?
      • Bankruptcy
      • Liquidation
      • Dissolution
      • Other - specify the other reasons for ceased operations
  • Sold operations
    • When was this business or organization sold?
      • Date
    • What is the legal name of the buyer?
  • Amalgamated with other businesses or organizations
    • When did this business or organization amalgamate?
      • Date
    • What is the legal name of the resulting or continuing business or organization?
    • What are the legal names of the other amalgamated businesses or organizations?
  • Temporarily inactive but will re-open
    • When did this business or organization become temporarily inactive?
      • Date
    • When does this business or organization expect to resume operations?
      • Date
    • Why is this business or organization temporarily inactive?
  • No longer operating due to other reasons
    • When did this business or organization cease operations?
      • Date
    • Why did this business or organization cease operations?

4. Verify or provide the current main activity of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name above.

Note: The described activity was assigned using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

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

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

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

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

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

The following is the detailed description including any applicable examples or exclusions for the classification currently associated with this business or organization.

Description and examples

  • This is the current main activity
  • This is not the current main activity
    Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's main activity:
    e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development

Main activity

5. You indicated that is not the current main activity.

Was this business or organization's main activity ever classified as: ?

  • Yes
    When did the main activity change?
    Date:
  • No

6. Search and select the industry classification code that best corresponds to this business or organization's main activity.

Select this business or organization's activity sector (optional)

  • Farming or logging operation
  • Construction company or general contractor
  • Manufacturer
  • Wholesaler
  • Retailer
  • Provider of passenger or freight transportation
  • Provider of investment, savings or insurance products
  • Real estate agency, real estate brokerage or leasing company
  • Provider of professional, scientific or technical services
  • Provider of health care or social services
  • Restaurant, bar, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment
  • Other sector

7. You have indicated that the current main activity of this business or organization is:

Main activity

Are there any other activities that contribute significantly (at least 10%) to this business or organization's revenue?

  • Yes, there are other activities
    Provide a brief but precise description of this business or organization's secondary activity:
    e.g., breakfast cereal manufacturing, shoe store, software development
  • No, that is the only significant activity

8. Approximately what percentage of this business or organization's revenue is generated by each of the following activities?

When precise figures are not available, provide your best estimates.

  Percentage of revenue
Main activity  
Secondary activity  
All other activities  
Total percentage  

Reporting period information

1. What are the start and end dates of this business's or organization's most recently completed fiscal year?

For this survey, the end date should fall between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 .

Here are twelve common fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:

  • May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018
  • June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018
  • July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018
  • August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018
  • September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018
  • October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018
  • November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2018
  • December 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018
  • January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018
  • February 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019
  • March 1, 2018 to February 28, 2019
  • April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 .

Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the required dates:

  • September 18, 2017 to September 15, 2018 ( e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 ( e.g., a newly opened business).

Fiscal year start date:

Fiscal year-end date:

2. What is the reason the reporting period does not cover a full year?

Select all that apply.

  • Seasonal operations
  • New business
  • Change of ownership
  • Temporarily inactive
  • Change of fiscal year
  • Ceased operations
  • Other - specify reason the reporting period does not cover a full year:

Additional reporting instructions

1. Throughout this questionnaire, please report financial information in thousands of Canadian dollars.

For example, an amount of $763,880.25 should be reported as:

CAN$ '000: $764,000

I will report in the format above

Revenue

1. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what was this business's revenue from each of the following sources?

Notes:

  • a detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections
  • these questions are asked of many different industries. Some questions may not apply to this business.

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Revenue

a. Sales of goods and services ( e.g., fees, commissions, services revenue)

Report net of returns and allowances.

Sales of goods and services are defined as amounts derived from the sale of goods and services (cash or credit), falling within a business's ordinary activities. Sales should be reported net of trade discount, value added tax and other taxes based on sales.

Include:

  • sales from Canadian locations (domestic and export sales)
  • transfers to other business units or a head office of your firm.

Exclude:

  • transfers into inventory and consignment sales
  • federal, provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes
  • intercompany sales in consolidated financial statements.

b. Rental and leasing

Include rental or leasing of apartments, commercial buildings, land, office space, residential housing, investments in co-tenancies and co-ownerships, hotel or motel rooms, long and short term vehicle leasing, machinery or equipment, storage lockers, etc.

c. Commissions

Include commissions earned on the sale of products or services by businesses such as advertising agencies, brokers, insurance agents, lottery ticket sales, sales representatives and travel agencies - compensation could also be reported under this item (for example, compensation for collecting sales tax).

d. Subsidies (including grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships)

Include:

  • non-repayable grants, contributions and subsidies from all levels of government
  • revenue from private sector (corporate and individual) sponsorships, donations and fundraising.

e. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees

A royalty is defined as a payment received by the holder of a copyright, trademark or patent.

Include revenue received from the sale or use of all intellectual property rights of copyrighted materials such as musical, literary, artistic or dramatic works, sound recordings or the broadcasting of communication signals.

f. Dividends

Include:

  • dividend income
  • dividends from Canadian sources
  • dividends from foreign sources
  • patronage dividends.

Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.

g. Interest

Include:

  • investment revenue
  • interest from foreign sources
  • interest from Canadian bonds and debentures
  • interest from Canadian mortgage loans
  • interest from other Canadian sources.

Exclude equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates.

h. All other revenue (Include intracompany transfers)

Include amounts not included in questions a. to g.

Total revenue

The sum of sub-questions a. to h.

  CAN$ '000
a. Sales of goods and services
Include sales, commissions, rental and leasing revenue if they are this business's primary revenue source.
 
b. Rental and leasing
Report only if this is a secondary revenue source. If rental and leasing are your primary revenue source, report at question a.
 
c. Commissions
Report only if this is a secondary revenue source. If commissions are your primary revenue source, report at question a.
 
d. Subsidies
Include grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships.
 
e. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
f. Dividends  
g. Interest  
h. Other
Include intracompany transfers.
Specify all other revenue:
 
Total revenue  

E-commerce

1. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what was this business's total revenue?

Include:

  • sales of goods and services
  • rental, leasing and property management
  • commissions
  • subsidies, grants, donations, fundraising and sponsorships
  • royalties
  • rights
  • licensing and franchise fees
  • dividends, interest and other revenue.

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Total revenue in CAN$ '000:

2. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business have any e-commerce revenue?

E-commerce revenue: Sales of goods and services conducted over the Internet with or without online payment.

Include all revenue for which an order is received and commitment to purchase is made via the Internet, although payment can be made by other means, such as orders made on web pages, an extranet, mobile devices or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Exclude orders made by telephone, facsimile or e-mail.

  • Yes
  • No

3. Of the [amount] amount reported in total revenue, what was the total e-commerce revenue?

When precise figures are not available, provide your best estimates.

Total e-commerce revenue in CAN$ '000:

4. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business make sales over the Internet through any of the following methods?

Select all that apply.

  • Mobile app
    Include sales through any app, or application, that is downloaded and designed to run on a handheld device such as a smartphone or tablet (for example, places where a user may download these apps, including Apple's App Store, Google Play or Blackberry App World).
  • Company website
    Include sales through a browser-based website where your organization maintains control of the content.
  • Third-party website Include sales through a browser-based website where a third-party maintains the structure of the website and control of the look and feel while your company only provides the product to be sold (for example, Amazon, Expedia or Etsy).
  • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
    A standard format for exchanging business data. EDI is based on the use of message standards, ensuring that all participants use a common language.
  • Via a mobile app
  • Via your company website
  • Via a third-party website
  • Via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
  • Other - specify the other methods:

5. Does this business have any full-time staff dedicated solely to activities related to e-commerce?

  • Yes
  • No

6. Why did this business not make sales over the Internet?

Select all that apply.

  • Goods and services do not lend themselves to online sales
  • Prefer to maintain current business model
  • Lack of skilled workers to implement and maintain e-commerce infrastructure
  • Cost of development is too high
  • Security concerns
  • Other -specify the other reasons:

Expenses

1. For the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, what were this business's expenses for the following items?

Notes:

  • a detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections
  • these questions are asked of many different industries. Some questions may not apply to this business.

Report dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

Expenses

a. Cost of goods sold

Many business units distinguish their costs of materials from their other business expenses (selling, general and administrative). This item is included to allow you to easily record your costs/expenses according to your normal accounting practices.

Include:

  • cost of raw materials and/or goods purchased for resale - net of discounts earned on purchases
  • freight in and duty.

Exclude all costs associated with salaries, wages, benefits, commissions and subcontracts (report at Employment costs and expenses, and Subcontracts).

b. Employment costs and expenses

b1. Salaries, wages and commissions

Please report all salaries and wages (including taxable allowances and employment commissions as defined on the T4 - Statement of Remuneration Paid) before deductions for this reporting period.

Include:

  • vacation pay
  • bonuses (including profit sharing)
  • employee commissions
  • taxable allowances ( e.g., room and board, vehicle allowances, gifts such as airline tickets for holidays)
  • severance pay.

Exclude all payments and expenses associated with casual labour and outside contract workers (report at Subcontracts).

b2. Employee benefits

Include contributions to:

  • health plans
  • insurance plans
  • employment insurance
  • pension plans
  • workers' compensation
  • association dues
  • contributions to any other employee benefits such as child care and supplementary unemployment benefit (SUB) plans
  • contributions to provincial and territorial health and education payroll taxes.

c. Subcontracts

Subcontract expense refers to the purchasing of services from outside of the company rather than providing them in-house.

Include:

  • hired casual labour and outside contract workers
  • custom work and contract work
  • subcontract and outside labour
  • hired labour.

d. Research and development fees

Expenses from activities conducted with the intention of making a discovery that could either lead to the development of new products or procedures, or to the improvement of existing products or procedures.

e. Professional and business fees

Include:

  • legal services
  • accounting and auditing fees
  • consulting fees
  • education and training fees
  • appraisal fees
  • management and administration fees
  • property management fees
  • information technology (IT) consulting and service fees (purchased)
  • architectural fees
  • engineering fees
  • scientific and technical service fees
  • other consulting fees (management, technical and scientific)
  • veterinary fees
  • fees for human health services
  • payroll preparation fees
  • all other professional and business service fees.

Exclude service fees paid to Head Office (report at All other costs and expenses).

f. Utilities

Utility expenses related to operating your business unit such as water, electricity, gas, heating and hydro.

Include:

  • diesel, fuel wood, natural gas, oil and propane
  • sewage.

Exclude:

  • energy expenses covered in your rental and leasing contracts
  • telephone, Internet and other telecommunications
  • vehicle fuel (report at All other costs and expenses).

g. Office and computer related expenses

Include:

  • office stationery and supplies, paper and other supplies for photocopiers, printers and fax machines
  • postage and courier (used in the day to day office business activity)
  • computer and peripherals upgrade expenses
  • data processing.

Exclude telephone, Internet and other telecommunication expenses (report at Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication).

h. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication

Include:

  • internet
  • telephone and telecommunications
  • cellular telephone
  • fax machine
  • pager.

i. Business taxes, licenses and permits

Include:

  • property taxes paid directly and property transfer taxes
  • vehicle license fees
  • beverage taxes and business taxes
  • trade license fees
  • membership fees and professional license fees
  • provincial capital tax.

j. Royalties, franchise fees and memberships

Include:

  • amounts paid to holders of patents, copyrights, performing rights and trademarks
  • gross overriding royalty expenses and direct royalty costs
  • resident and non-resident royalty expenses
  • franchise fees.

Exclude Crown royalties

k. Crown charges

Federal or Provincial royalty, tax, lease or rental payments made in relation to the acquisition, development or ownership of Canadian resource properties.

Include:

  • Crown royalties
  • Crown leases and rentals
  • oil sand leases
  • stumpage fees.

l. Rental and leasing

Include:

  • lease rental expenses, real estate rental expenses, condominium fees and equipment rental expenses
  • motor vehicle rental and leasing expenses
  • studio lighting and scaffolding
  • machinery and equipment rental expenses
  • storage expenses
  • road and construction equipment rental
  • fuel and other utility costs covered in your rental and leasing contracts.

m. Repair and maintenance

Include:

  • buildings and structures
  • machinery and equipment
  • security equipment
  • vehicles
  • costs related to materials, parts and external labour associated with these expenses
  • janitorial and cleaning services and garbage removal.

n. Amortization and depreciation

Include:

  • direct cost depreciation of tangible assets and amortization of leasehold improvements
  • amortization of intangible assets (e.g., amortization of goodwill, patents, franchises, copyrights, trademarks, deferred charges, organizational costs).

o. Insurance

Insurance recovery income should be deducted from insurance expenses.

Include:

  • professional and other liability insurance
  • motor vehicle and property insurance
  • executive life insurance
  • bonding, business interruption insurance and fire insurance.

p. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment

Include:

  • newspaper advertising and media expenses
  • catalogues, presentations and displays
  • tickets for theatre, concerts and sporting events for business promotion
  • fundraising expenses
  • meals, entertainment and hospitality purchases for clients.

q. Travel, meetings and conventions

Include:

  • travel expenses
  • meeting and convention expenses, seminars
  • passenger transportation ( e.g., airfare, bus, train)
  • accommodations
  • travel allowance and meals while travelling
  • other travel expenses.

r. Financial services

Include:

  • explicit service charges for financial services
  • credit and debit card commissions and charges
  • collection expenses and transfer fees
  • registrar and transfer agent fees
  • security and exchange commission fees
  • other financial service fees.

Exclude interest expenses (report at Interest expense).

s. Interest expense

Report the cost of servicing your company's debt.

Include:

  • interest
  • bank charges
  • finance charges
  • interest payments on capital leases
  • amortization of bond discounts
  • interest on short-term and long-term debt, mortgages, bonds and debentures.

t. Other non-production-related costs and expenses

Include:

  • charitable donations and political contributions
  • bad debt expense
  • loan losses
  • provisions for loan losses (minus bad debt recoveries)
  • inventory adjustments.

u. All other costs and expenses (including intracompany expenses)

Include:

  • production costs
  • pipeline operations, drilling, site restoration
  • gross overriding royalty
  • other producing property rentals
  • well operating, fuel and equipment
  • other lease rentals
  • other direct costs
  • equipment hire and operation
  • log yard expense, forestry costs, logging road costs
  • freight in and duty
  • overhead expenses allocated to cost of sales
  • other expenses
  • cash over/short (negative expense)
  • reimbursement of parent company expense
  • warranty expense
  • recruiting expenses
  • general and administrative expenses
  • interdivisional expenses
  • interfund transfer (minus expense recoveries)
  • exploration and development (including prospect/geological, well abandonment and dry holes, exploration expenses, development expenses)
  • amounts not included in sub-questions a. to t. above.

Total expenses

The sum of sub-questions a. to u.

  CAN$ '000
a. Cost of goods sold  
a1. Opening inventories  
a2. Purchases
Include raw materials, goods purchased for resale and non-returnable containers.
Exclude change in inventories.
 
a3. Closing inventories  
a4. Cost of goods sold
Opening inventories plus purchases minus closing inventories.
 
b. Employment costs and expenses
Include all employees who were issued a T4.
Exclude commissions to be paid to non-employees, report at sub-question c.
 
b1. Salaries, wages and commissions  
b2. Employee benefits  
c. Subcontracts
Include commisions to non-employees.
Exclude research and development.
 
d. Research and development fees.
Exclude in-house research and development.
 
e. Professional and business fees
e.g., legal, accounting, consulting, scientific and property management fees
 
f. Utilities
e.g., electricity, water, gas
 
g. Office and computer related expenses
e.g., office supplies, postage, computer upgrades
 
h. Telephone, Internet and other telecommunication  
i. Business taxes, licenses and permits
e.g., beverage tax, business tax, license fees, property taxes
 
j. Royalties, franchise fees and memberships
Exclude Crown royalties.
 
k. Crown charges
(for logging, mining and energy industries only)
 
l. Rental and leasing
Include land buildings, equipment, vehicles.
 
m. Repair and maintenance
Include buildings, equipment, vehicles.
 
n. Amortization and depreciation  
o. Insurance  
p. Advertising, marketing, promotion, meals and entertainment  
q. Travel, meetings and conventions  
r. Financial services
e.g., bank charges, transaction fees
 
s. Interest expense  
t. Other non-production-related costs and expenses
Include bad debts, loan losses, donations, political contributions and inventory write-down.
 
u. All other costs and expenses
Include intracompany expenses.
Specify all other costs and expenses:
 
Total expenses   

Industry characteristics

1. What were this business's sales for each of the following goods and services?

Please report all amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars.

a. Architectural services

a1. Single-family residential projects

Architectural services provided for single-family residential building projects.

Include:

  • the design of single-family homes in subdivision developments
  • townhouses with a floor-to-ceiling wall between each unit.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a2. Multi-family residential projects

Architectural services provided for multi-family residential building projects.

Include the design of apartment blocks.

Exclude:

  • the design of nursing homes and similar residential health care building projects
  • the design of hotels, resorts and similar temporary overnight accommodation building projects
  • historical restoration projects.

a3. Office building projects

Architectural services for all types of office buildings, including those for public and institutional clients.

Include office parks.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a4. Retail and restaurant projects

Architectural services for stores, restaurants and similar buildings.

Include:

  • shopping centres
  • retail stores
  • restaurants
  • gas stations.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a5. Hotel and convention centre projects

Architectural services for buildings providing temporary overnight accommodations.

Include:

  • hotels
  • motels
  • resorts
  • convention centres.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a6. Health care projects ( e.g., hospitals, nursing homes and similar projects)

Architectural services for buildings which provide health care.

Include:

  • active care hospitals and clinics
  • nursing homes
  • respite care centres.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a7. Entertainment, recreational, and cultural building projects

Architectural services for entertainment, recreational and cultural building projects.

Include:

  • cinemas and theatres
  • museums
  • zoos
  • aquariums
  • health clubs
  • swimming pools
  • stadiums and arenas
  • community centres
  • monuments.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a8. Educational building projects ( e.g., schools, colleges, universities)

Architectural services for educational buildings.

Include:

  • elementary, secondary and postsecondary projects
  • school and college instructional buildings
  • college dormitories and other buildings on college campuses
  • daycare centres.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a9. Industrial building projects

Architectural services for industrial buildings.

Include:

  • mine buildings
  • manufacturing plants and similar processing and assembly buildings.

Exclude:

  • warehouses
  • historical restoration projects.

a10. Transportation and distribution facility projects

Architectural services for transportation and distribution facility projects, ( e.g., buildings involved in the movement of goods and people and the storage of goods).

Include:

  • bus stations
  • train stations
  • airport terminals
  • warehouses
  • distribution centres
  • truck terminals.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a11. Other non-residential building projects ( e.g., churches, prisons)

Other specialized non-residential public building projects.

Include:

  • churches
  • prisons
  • religious building projects
  • military building projects.

Exclude historical restoration projects.

a12. Historical restoration projects

Architectural services that incorporate legal requirements to preserve or restore the historic character of a building.

a13. Architectural advisory services

he provision of advice, studies and reports on architectural matters, except when the advice relates to a specific project. Advice, studies and reports provided in conjunction with a project are classified based on the project type.

b. Landscape architectural services

Landscape architectural services are concerned with the design of built landscape.

Include:

  • landscape architectural services for a design-build project provided on a sub-contract basis
  • the provision of designs and construction documents
  • plans, studies and other advisory services related to specific projects
  • construction contract administration services.

Exclude:

  • non-landscape architectural products related to building projects, provided on a stand-alone basis ( e.g., construction management services, engineering design services and drafting services)
  • design-build contracts, in which you assume the construction risk as well as the design risk.

c. Urban planning services

Urban planning services develop plans for the use of land to achieve a community's objectives for a built and natural environment that is aesthetically pleasing, efficient and functional. Urban plans express public policies related to land use and development as outlined by municipalities or other levels of governments. They provide a framework within which the plans for actual projects can be developed.

Exclude the design of site master plans for actual construction projects.

d. Project site master planning services

Services that provide plans for a construction site with the proposed location of buildings, roads, parking lots and other features.

Exclude urban planning services.

e. Interior design services

Business activities related to the planning, designing and administering of projects in interior spaces to meet the physical and aesthetic needs of people, taking into consideration building codes, health and safety regulations, traffic patterns and floor planning, mechanical and electrical needs, and interior fittings and furniture.

Exclude retail or wholesale locations that also provide interior design or decorating as a service.

f. Engineering services

The application of physical laws and principles in the design, development, and utilization of machines, materials, instruments, structures, processes, and systems.

Include:

  • the provision of designs, plans, and studies related to engineering projects
  • engineering design services for a design-build project that are provided on a sub-contract basis.

g. Other sales of goods and services - specify All other architectural and landscape architectural services not defined above.

  CAN$ '000
a. Architectural services  
a1. Single-family residential projects  
a2. Multi-family residential projects  
a3. Office building projects  
a4. Retail and restaurant projects  
a5. Hotel and convention centre projects  
a6. Health care projects
e.g., hospitals, nursing homes and similar projects
 
a7. Entertainment, recreational and cultural building projects  
a8. Educational building projects
e.g., schools, colleges and universities
 
a9. Industrial building projects  
a10. Transportation and distribution facility projects  
a11. Other non-residential building projects
e.g., churches and prisons
 
a12. Historical restoration projects  
a13. Architectural advisory services  
b. Landscape architectural services  
c. Urban planning services  
d. Project site master planning services  
e. Interior design services  
f. Engineering services  
g. Other
Specify all other sales of goods and services:
 
Total sales of goods and services  

Industry characteristics

2. What were this business's sales by the following types of revenue?

a. Fee income

Revenues collected by the company for professional service fees rendered.

Exclude:

  • reimbursable expenses
  • subcontract fees awarded to other companies.

b. Subcontracts

Please report the value of the subcontracts awarded by you to other firms/consultants.

c. Reimbursables

Include the cost of all contract-related materials used in a project that are billed to the client.

Exclude subcontract fees.

  CAN$ '000
a. Fee income  
b. Subcontracts  
b1. Architectural consulting  
b2. Other consulting
e.g., engineering
 
c. Reimbursables  
d. Other
Specify all other income:
 
Total sales  

3. During this reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, how many non-salaried partners and proprietors did this business have?

For unincorporated businesses, please report the number of partners and proprietors for whom earnings will be the net income of the partnership or proprietorship.

  Number
Number of partners and proprietors, non-salaried, during this reporting period  

Sales by type of client

1. What was this business's breakdown of sales by the following types of client?

Sales by type of client

This section is designed to measure which sector of the economy purchases your services.

Please provide a percentage breakdown of your sales by type of client.

Please ensure that the sum of percentages reported in this section equals 100%.

a. to c. Clients in Canada

a. Individuals and households

Please report the percentage of sales to individuals and households who do not represent the business or government sector.

b. Businesses

Percentage of sales sold to the business sector should be reported here.

Include sales to Crown corporations.

c. Governments, not-for-profit organizations and public institutions (e.g., hospitals, schools)

Percentage of sales to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments should be reported here.

Include: sales to hospitals, schools, universities and public utilities.

d. Clients outside Canada

Please report the percentage of total sales to customers or clients located outside Canada including foreign businesses, foreign individuals, foreign institutions and/or governments.

Include sales to foreign subsidiaries and affiliates.

  Percentage
a. Clients in Canada — individuals and households  
b. Clients in Canada — businesses  
c. Clients in Canada — governments, not-for-profit organizations and public institutions
e.g., hospitals and schools
 
d. Clients outside Canada  
Total percentage  

Sales by consumer location

1. What was the percentage breakdown of this business's sales by consumer location?

Consumer location is the location where the goods or services will ultimately be used.

If ultimate consumer location is not known, the following are acceptable substitutes:

  • shipping destination
  • client's billing address
  • location of this business's retail customers
  • location of this business's warehouses/distribution centres.
  Percentage
a. Newfoundland and Labrador  
b. Prince Edward Island  
c. Nova Scotia  
d. New Brunswick  
e. Quebec  
f. Ontario  
g. Manitoba  
h. Saskatchewan  
i. Alberta  
j. British Columbia  
k. Yukon  
l. Northwest Territories  
m. Nunavut  
n. United States  
o. All other countries  
Total percentage  

Sales by consumer location

International transactions - revenue received from exports

1. During the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business receive revenue from clients outside Canada for the sale of products, services, royalties, rights, licensing or franchise fees?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

  • Yes
  • No

International transactions - revenue received from exports

2. What was the revenue received from clients outside Canada?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

Revenue received (CAN$ '000):

3. What was the percentage breakdown of revenue received from clients outside Canada by goods, services and royalties?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

  Percentage
a. Goods  
b. Services  
c. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
Total percentage  

4. What was the percentage breakdown of revenue received from clients outside Canada by country?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

Revenue received from clients outside Canada by country
Table summary
This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
United States  
Mexico  
Provide the percentage of revenue received from any other countries - top 4 clients only  
Other 1 - specify  
Other 2 - specify  
Other 3 - specify  
Other 4 - specify  
Total percentage  
List of countries
  • Aruba
  • Afghanistan
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Åland Islands
  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • American Samoa
  • Antarctica
  • French Southern Territories
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Burundi
  • Belgium
  • Benin
  • Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
  • Burkina Faso
  • Bangladesh
  • Bulgaria
  • Bahrain
  • Bahamas
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Saint Barthélemy
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Barbados
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bhutan
  • Bouvet Island
  • Botswana
  • Central African Republic
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Switzerland
  • Chile
  • China
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Cameroon
  • Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
  • Congo, Republic of the
  • Cook Islands
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Cape Verde
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Curaçao
  • Christmas Island
  • Cayman Islands
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Germany
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Denmark
  • Dominican Republic
  • Algeria
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Eritrea
  • Western Sahara
  • Spain
  • Estonia
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • Fiji
  • Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
  • France
  • Faroe Islands
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Gabon
  • United Kingdom
  • Georgia
  • Guernsey
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Guinea
  • Guadeloupe
  • Gambia
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Greenland
  • Guatemala
  • French Guiana
  • Guam
  • Guyana
  • Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  • Honduras
  • Croatia
  • Haiti
  • Hungary
  • Indonesia
  • Isle of Man
  • India
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Ireland, Republic of
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Iceland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Cambodia
  • Kiribati
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Korea, South
  • Kuwait
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Saint Lucia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Sri Lanka
  • Lesotho
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Latvia
  • Macao Special Administrative Region
  • Saint Martin (French part)
  • Morocco
  • Monaco
  • Moldova
  • Madagascar
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Macedonia, Republic of
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Burma (Myanmar)
  • Montenegro
  • Mongolia
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Mozambique
  • Mauritania
  • Montserrat
  • Martinique
  • Mauritius
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Mayotte
  • Namibia
  • New Caledonia
  • Niger
  • Norfolk Island
  • Nigeria
  • Nicaragua
  • Niue
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Nepal
  • Nauru
  • New Zealand
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Pitcairn
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Poland
  • Puerto Rico
  • Korea, North
  • Portugal
  • Paraguay
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestine)
  • French Polynesia
  • Qatar
  • Réunion
  • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • Rwanda
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sudan
  • Senegal
  • Singapore
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Saint Helena
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Solomon Islands
  • Sierra Leone
  • El Salvador
  • San Marino
  • Somalia
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Serbia
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Suriname
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Sweden
  • Swaziland
  • Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
  • Seychelles
  • Syria
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Chad
  • Togo
  • Thailand
  • Tajikistan
  • Tokelau
  • Turkmenistan
  • Timor-Leste
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Tuvalu
  • Taiwan
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United States Minor Outlying Islands
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Holy See (Vatican City State)
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Venezuela
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Virgin Islands, United States
  • Viet Nam
  • Vanuatu
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Samoa
  • Kosovo
  • Yemen
  • South Africa, Republic of
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

International transactions - purchases from outside Canada (imports)

5. During the reporting period of YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD, did this business make payments to suppliers outside Canada for the purchase of products, services, royalties, rights, licensing or franchise fees?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

  • Yes
  • No

6. What were the payments made to suppliers outside Canada?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

Payments made (CAN$ '000):

7. What was the percentage breakdown of payments made to suppliers outside Canada by goods, services and royalties?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

  Percentage
a. Goods  
b. Services  
c. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees  
Total percentage  

8. What was the percentage breakdown of payments made to suppliers outside Canada by country?

International transactions

This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, royalties and licenses fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.

Revenue received from clients outside Canada by country
Table summary
This table contains no data. It is an example of an empty data table used by respondents to provide data to Statistics Canada.
  Percentage
United States  
Mexico  
Provide the percentage of revenue received from any other countries - top 4 clients only  
Other 1 - specify  
Other 2 - specify  
Other 3 - specify  
Other 4 - specify  
Total percentage  
List of countries
  • Aruba
  • Afghanistan
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Åland Islands
  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • American Samoa
  • Antarctica
  • French Southern Territories
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Burundi
  • Belgium
  • Benin
  • Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
  • Burkina Faso
  • Bangladesh
  • Bulgaria
  • Bahrain
  • Bahamas
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Saint Barthélemy
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Barbados
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bhutan
  • Bouvet Island
  • Botswana
  • Central African Republic
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Switzerland
  • Chile
  • China
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Cameroon
  • Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
  • Congo, Republic of the
  • Cook Islands
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Cape Verde
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Curaçao
  • Christmas Island
  • Cayman Islands
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Germany
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Denmark
  • Dominican Republic
  • Algeria
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Eritrea
  • Western Sahara
  • Spain
  • Estonia
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • Fiji
  • Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
  • France
  • Faroe Islands
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Gabon
  • United Kingdom
  • Georgia
  • Guernsey
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Guinea
  • Guadeloupe
  • Gambia
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Greenland
  • Guatemala
  • French Guiana
  • Guam
  • Guyana
  • Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  • Honduras
  • Croatia
  • Haiti
  • Hungary
  • Indonesia
  • Isle of Man
  • India
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Ireland, Republic of
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Iceland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Cambodia
  • Kiribati
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Korea, South
  • Kuwait
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Saint Lucia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Sri Lanka
  • Lesotho
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Latvia
  • Macao Special Administrative Region
  • Saint Martin (French part)
  • Morocco
  • Monaco
  • Moldova
  • Madagascar
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Macedonia, Republic of
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Burma (Myanmar)
  • Montenegro
  • Mongolia
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Mozambique
  • Mauritania
  • Montserrat
  • Martinique
  • Mauritius
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Mayotte
  • Namibia
  • New Caledonia
  • Niger
  • Norfolk Island
  • Nigeria
  • Nicaragua
  • Niue
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Nepal
  • Nauru
  • New Zealand
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Pitcairn
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Poland
  • Puerto Rico
  • Korea, North
  • Portugal
  • Paraguay
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestine)
  • French Polynesia
  • Qatar
  • Réunion
  • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • Rwanda
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sudan
  • Senegal
  • Singapore
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Saint Helena
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Solomon Islands
  • Sierra Leone
  • El Salvador
  • San Marino
  • Somalia
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Serbia
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Suriname
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Sweden
  • Swaziland
  • Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
  • Seychelles
  • Syria
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Chad
  • Togo
  • Thailand
  • Tajikistan
  • Tokelau
  • Turkmenistan
  • Timor-Leste
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Tuvalu
  • Taiwan
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United States Minor Outlying Islands
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Holy See (Vatican City State)
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Venezuela
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Virgin Islands, United States
  • Viet Nam
  • Vanuatu
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Samoa
  • Kosovo
  • Yemen
  • South Africa, Republic of
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Changes or events

1. Indicate any changes or events that affected the reported values for this business or organization, compared with the last reporting period.

Select all that apply.

  • Strike or lock-out
  • Exchange rate impact
  • Price changes in goods or services sold
  • Contracting out
  • Organizational change
  • Price changes in labour or raw materials
  • Natural disaster
  • Recession
  • Change in product line
  • Sold business or business units
  • Expansion
  • New or lost contract
  • Plant closures
  • Acquisition of business or business units
  • Other - specify the other changes or events:
  • No changes or events

Contact person

1. Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information.

Is [Provided Given Names] , [Provided Family Name] the best person to contact?

  • Yes
  • No

Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?

First name:

Last name:

Title:

Email address:

Telephone number (including area code):

Extension number (if applicable):
The maximum number of characters is 5.

Fax number (including area code):

Feedback

1. How long did it take to complete this questionnaire?

Include the time spent gathering the necessary information.

Hours:

Minutes:

2. Do you have any comments about this questionnaire?

Statistics Canada Young Professionals Network Challenges and Contests - Privacy impact assessment summary

Introduction

Statistics Canada's Young Professionals Network periodically holds various challenges and contests to inspire innovation in how data are produced or released by Statistics Canada. The purpose of these contests and challenges is to engage participants and give them an opportunity to create innovative products with Statistics Canada data to enhance the public awareness of Statistics Canada's programs and services.

Description

The objective of the challenges and contests is to raise public awareness on the importance of statistics in the economic and social development of Canada. Participants or anyone that may be interested, can visit the Statistics Canada website for detailed information regarding the challenges and contests such as eligibility requirements, key dates, etc.

Participants register online and are asked to provide basic personal information. The use of participants' information is strictly limited to the purposes of the specific challenges and contests.

Objective

A privacy impact assessment (PIA) for Statistics Canada's Young Professionals Network challenges and contests was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with these challenges and contests, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Risk Area Identification and Categorization

The PIA also identifies the risk areas and categorizes the level of potential risk (level 1 representing the lowest level of potential risk and level 4, the highest) associated with the collection and use of personal information in the context of these challenges and contests.

  • Type of program or activity – Level 2: Administration of program or activity and services.
  • Type of personal information involved and context – Level 1: Only personal information, with no contextual sensitivities, collected directly from the individual or provided with the consent of the individual for disclosure under an authorized program.
  • Program or activity partners and private sector involvement – Level 1: Within the institution.
  • Duration of the program or activity – Level 3: Long-term program or activity.
  • Program population – Level 3: The program's use of personal information for external administrative purposes affects certain individuals.
  • Personal information transmission – Level 4: The personal information is transmitted using wireless technologies.
  • Technology and privacy: This activity does not involve the implementation of a new electronic system or the use of a new application or software, does not require any modifications to information technology (IT) legacy systems or the implementation of new technologies.
  • Privacy breach: There is a very low risk of a breach of some of the personal information being disclosed.

Conclusion

This assessment of Statistics Canada's Young Professionals Network challenges and contests did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.

Administrative data

Administrative data are information collected by government or private sector organizations as part of their ongoing operations. Examples include records of births and deaths, taxation records, records about the flow of goods and people across borders, and data collected by satellites.

Like most other statistical agencies, Statistics Canada uses administrative data in lieu of or to complement survey data, and to support statistical operations. Using administrative data responsibly means the agency is able to improve data quality, meet new and ongoing information needs, reduce data collection costs and save time for Canadians who respond to our surveys. Administrative data are especially helpful to obtain data pertaining to populations or topics that may be difficult or costly to obtain by survey. Statistics Canada does this in a transparent manner.

Authority to obtain administrative data

The Statistics Act grants us authority to obtain administrative data. Statistics Canada ensures:

  • privacy by collecting only the information we need to produce statistics and research, and limiting access based on the need to know
  • security by keeping data safe from unauthorised access and use
  • confidentiality by not releasing information that could directly or indirectly identify individuals, households, or businesses
  • transparency in all our processes.

Use of administrative data in statistical programs

Administrative data enable Statistics Canada to fill information needs about Canadian society, the economy and environment. The use of administrative data reduces respondent burden, and improves quality and timeliness of data.

Statistical uses and benefits of administrative data include:

  • Determining what we need to measure and the best means to do so
  • Reducing response burden through the use of existing data
  • Processing data to meet the highest quality and accuracy standards
  • Benchmarking to validate the quality and accuracy of complementary data.

For additional information, visit Statistics Canada's Survey Methods and Practices Manual.

Principles for the Statistical Use of Administrative Data

  1. To reduce the duplication of information collected from Canadians, and in accordance with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the Recommendation of the Council on Good Statistical Practice of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Statistics Canada makes use of administrative data in the production of official statistics.
  2. The statistical uses of administrative data are kept functionally separate from the administrative uses of such data through strong legal, policy and organizational safeguards. In particular, the confidentiality of all identifiable administrative data obtained by Statistics Canada for statistical purposes is protected by the Statistics Act and the data are only accessed within Statistics Canada based on demonstrated needs.
  3. In collaboration with data providers, Statistics Canada uses its mandate under the Statistics Act to access administrative data for statistical purposes, and to influence the information collected by departments of government (including the provinces and territories), in order to enhance the usefulness of administrative data for statistical purposes and reduce duplication.
  4. Statistics Canada's objective in using administrative data for statistical purposes is to achieve a better overall balance among cost, respondent burden and data quality, where quality refers to the relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, interpretability, and coherence of statistical outputs.
  5. Administrative data are used for many different statistical purposes: replacing or complementing direct data collection to reduce costs and respondent burden; achieving efficiencies in statistical operations, such as the creation of survey frames, design of survey samples, imputation, estimation, and the measurement of the quality of other data; and developing and providing access to new data products (tabular or analytical), such as by integrating administrative data with other data.
  6. Statistics Canada carefully considers the impact on privacy in using identifiable administrative data for a purpose that was not envisaged at the time of original data collection, particularly when administrative data are to be linked to other data.
  7. Statistics Canada considers the possibility of using administrative data already available before undertaking new data collection activity.
  8. Statistics Canada establishes and maintains ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships with data providers, both to ensure the long-term supply, usefulness and quality of administrative data, and to identify and influence future changes to administrative data sources that may affect statistical uses.
  9. Statistics Canada assesses the fitness for use of administrative data sources and, in collaboration with data providers, identifies ways to improve the quality of the administrative data. In particular, the processes for collecting and producing the administrative data within the data provider's organization and the effects on the proposed statistical use must be well understood, and the quality of the administrative data must be documented.
  10. Statistics Canada is transparent in its use of administrative data. It communicates the benefits of reduced respondent burden from using data already collected as well as the measures taken to protect the confidentiality of the data.

Fit for use assessment of administrative data

Statistics Canada aims to develop, produce and disseminate accurate and timely information that represents its data users and stakeholders. Administrative data products are therefore assessed against established criteria, such as relevance, timeliness, accuracy, accessibility, interpretability and coherence, to determine statistical usability. Statistics Canada's Quality Assurance Framework provides an overview of the approach used to support statistical program areas as they strive to achieve an appropriate balance between the various dimensions of quality and related factors, including the evolving needs of users, costs and respondent burden.

Microdata Linkage

Microdata linkage is an internationally recognized statistical method that maximizes the use of existing information by linking different files and variables to create new information that benefit Canadians. Statistics Canada performs microdata linkages to support the design, maintenance, evaluation, research and redesign of ongoing data collection and methodological studies within Statistics Canada, as well as to provide statistical information in aggregate or anonymous format in support of research studies.

Statistics Canada takes your privacy and the confidentiality of your data very seriously. Several steps are taken during the process of microdata linkage to ensure that your personal information is kept confidential at all times.

Microdata can include units of a population, such as individuals, households or businesses. We first link the different data records by using the variables they have in common. In order to protect your confidentiality, all personal information are removed, so that the linked files are anonymized, or de-identified. In addition, synthetic versions rather than original data are often generated and accessed by researchers. This ensures your private information remains confidential while allowing researchers the access required to develop policies to help the Canadian public. The data is next aggregated or compiled to produce non-confidential published products. These confidential files are restricted to only Statistics Canada and deemed employees who are sworn to secrecy, and subject to fines and/or imprisonment, should they reveal confidential information.

Statistics Canada does recognize that researchers require access to microdata at the individual business, household or person level for research purposes. To preserve the privacy and confidentiality of individuals, businesses and organizations, and to encourage the use of microdata, Statistics Canada offers a wide range of options through a series of online channels, facilities and programs. More details are available at Access to microdata.

The Social Data Linkage Environment (SDLE), the Business – Linkable File Environment (B-LFE), and the Longitudinal Employee and Business Analytical Files (LEBAF) at Statistics Canada promote the innovative use of existing administrative and survey data, and expand the potential of data integration across multiple domains through the creation of linked analytical data files without the need to collect additional data from Canadians.

As part of its governance over microdata linkages, Statistics Canada has pre-approved specific types of linkages. The linkages involved are those where the privacy risks and situations of potential conflict of interest are low and where procedures to mitigate risk to confidentiality and privacy are in place.

All other microdata linkages must undergo a prescribed review and approval process, which involves the submission of well documented proposals. When such linkages include personal information, a summary of the approved microdata linkage is posted on Statistics Canada's website.

Microdata linkage must adhere to Statistics Canada's Directive on Microdata Linkage, which is designed to ensure the public value of each linkage truly outweighs any intrusion on privacy that it represents. For more information on the microdata linkage process and a summary of the approved microdata linkages see Microdata Linkage at Statistics Canada.

If you have any questions about microdata linkage, please contact the Departmental Privacy Officer at the following address:

Pierre Desrochers
Departmental Privacy Officer
Office of Privacy Management and Information Coordination
Strategic Data Management Field
Statistics Canada / Government of Canada
Pierre.Desrochers3@statcan.gc.ca / Tel: 613-894-4086

Open data

According to the Canada Open Government website, open data is defined as structured data that is machine-readable, freely shared, used and built on without restrictions.

Smart cities and governments are increasingly making use of data when looking to implement problem-solving measures to provide efficient and effective services to constituents. Open data invites innovation, not only through government channels, but also through grassroots organizations, individuals, and businesses. The benefit of open data is that any user can access and make use of it freely. Individuals, formal and informal organizations, or enterprises can use the data and other information to research and innovate on any number of topics.

Statistics Canada has recently embarked upon an exploratory initiative which aims to enhance the use and harmonization of open building data from government sources, for the purpose of contributing to the creation of a complete, comprehensive and open database of buildings in Canada. The outcome of this exploratory work led to the creation of the Open Database of Building (ODB), a centralized and harmonized repository of building data made available under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

This initiative originates from insights taken from the Statistics Canada pilot project on data crowdsourcing, which used OpenStreetMap as a platform for integrating data on building footprints. In addition to the possible benefits of crowdsourcing, the project highlighted the potential of integrating open data from municipal, regional, and provincial governments to meet the needs of official statistics.

Web scraping

In this information era, it is more important than ever to provide Canadians with reliable and timely data in order to enable informed decision-making.

Statistics Canada is using web scraping to gather data efficiently. Web scraping is a process by which information is collected and copied from the Internet for analysis.

The use of web scraping is part of a broader effort to reduce burden on businesses and organizations while continuing to provide high-quality, timely data in a cost-effective manner.

In the spirit of openness and transparency, Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the following best practices when conducting web scraping.

Statistics Canada will:

  • Transparency
    • carry out web scraping activities in a transparent, consistent and ethical manner;
    • notify the relevant companies that web scraping activities will be taking place;
    • publish the results of the web scraping activities on its website;
    • conduct all web scraping activities on Statistics Canada authorized computer equipment connected to its highly secure networks and secure the data on encrypted servers.
  • Ethics
    • use web scraped data appropriately and responsibly in statistical programs in order to facilitate fulfilment of its mandate;
    • collect only data available to the public from businesses and organizations for use in its statistical and research programs;
    • take steps to minimize burden on the websites, such as scraping during off-peak hours and only as needed, and coordinating data requirements across statistical programs to avoid duplicating efforts;
    • use an application programming interface (API) when possible in lieu of web scraping;
    • limit collection to only what is necessary and proportional for the production of the required statistical outputs.

Statistics Canada will not:

  • scrape personal information about individuals from any website;
  • scrape personal information that could establish a profile of individuals;
  • resell web scraped data or use them for commercial purposes;
  • scrape any information that will not be used to produce statistical outputs.

Useful links

Crowdsourcing

As part of Statistics Canada's modernization, crowdsourcing has become an innovative way to collect valuable information for statistical purposes. Crowdsourcing involves collecting information from a a large community of users. It relies on the principle that individual citizens are experts within their local environments. Crowdsourcing surveys further permit us to benchmark and validate the data with other sources of complementary data to ensure that the results are of good quality. A couple of examples are outlined below.

The OpenStreetMap (OSM) crowdsourcing pilot project, which was completed in March 2018, crowdsourced geographic information by mapping the building footprints in the Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec areas. The network and experience of this pilot project helped to launch the Building Canada 2020 initiative (BC2020), aimed at mapping all building footprints of Canada on OSM by the year 2020.

Statistics Canada recently embarked on an innovative project on crowdsourcing the price of the cannabis sector before legalization. This initiative continues to collect information on a relatively new market and helps to monitor prices in a confidential and non-intrusive manner. Statistics Canada has asked the general public to provide the price of their last purchase of dried cannabis; this information is collected anonymously and is disseminated to the public through a dedicated application and web page.