Preliminary Estimate for 2013 and Intentions for 2014

Unified Enterprise Survey - Annual

Reporting Guide

General Instructions

Please report only for the business unit and activity specified on the label.

A. Organization Identification (page 1)
The pre-printed label on page 1 indicates the most current identification of your organization on our files. Please use the appropriate space below the label to make any changes that would reflect a better description of your operations for this particular report.

B. Type of Ownership (page 1)
Ownership is defined as a government entity, person, group of persons, agency or incorporated body controlling more than 50% of the voting rights

Note: Financial assistance (grants, subsidies, etc.) provided by any level of government to an enterprise and/or institution does not necessarily constitute ownership of that organization.

Partnership and joint venture - regarding partnerships and joint venture activities or projects, report the expenditures reflecting your company’s net interest in such projects or ventures.

Canada lands - for this report, the Canada Lands should be assigned as follows:

  • Offshore Newfoundland and Labrador is assigned to Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Offshore Nova Scotia is assigned to Nova Scotia
  • St-Lawrence except offshore Newfoundland and Labrador and offshore Nova Scotia is assigned to Quebec
  • Hudson Bay and Strait is assigned to Ontario
  • Offshore Pacific is assigned to British Columbia
  • Yukon
  • Beaufort Sea and Mackenzie Delta assigned to Northwest Territories
  • Sverdup Basin, North Stable Platform and Arctic Fold Belts are assigned to Northwest or Nunavut Territories

The Non-Conventional Sector for oil sands relates to operations as defined in the A.E.U.B. Publication Alberta Active Projects - Oil Sands and Heavy Oil Schemes (Catalogue A.E.U.B. ST-97-44). Effectively, these operations take place in the geographical areas of Cold Lake, Peace River, Athabasca, Wabasca and Lindbergh, etc.

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

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

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

The shared data will be limited to 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 and returning it with the completed questionnaire. Please specify the organizations with which you do not want to share your data.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut as well as Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Mines and Energy, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, Manitoba Science, Technology Energy and Mines and the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy.

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.

Note that there is no right of refusal with respect to sharing the data with the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy for businesses also required to report under The Mineral Resources Act (Saskatchewan). The Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy will use the information obtained from these businesses in accordance with the provisions of their Act.

Fiscal Year End

 For the purpose of this survey, please report information for your 12 month fiscal period for which the Final day occurs on or between April 1, 2013 - March 31, 2014 for 2013 and April 1, 2014 - March 31, 2015 for 2014.

The following are acceptable report periods for 2013:
May 2012 - April 2013 (04/13)
June 2012 - May 2013 (05/13)
July 2012 - June 2013 (06/13)
Aug. 2012 - July 2013 (07/13)
Sept. 2012 - Aug. 2013 (08/13)
Oct. 2012 - Sept. 2013 (09/13)
Nov. 2012 - Oct. 2013 (10/13)
Dec. 2012 - Nov. 2013 (11/13)
Jan. 2013 - Dec. 2013 (12/13)
Feb. 2013 - Jan. 2014 (01/14)
March 2013 - Feb. 2014 (02/14)
April 2013 - March 2014 (03/14)

The following are acceptable report periods for 2014:
 May 2013 - April 2014 (04/14)
June 2013 - May 2014 (05/14)
July 2013 - June 2014 (06/14)
Aug. 2013 - July 2014 (07/14)
Sept. 2013 - Aug. 2014 (08/14)
Oct. 2013 - Sept. 2014 (09/14)
Nov. 2013 - Oct. 2014 (10/14)
Dec. 2013 - Nov. 2014 (11/14)
Jan. 2014 - Dec. 2014 (12/14)
Feb. 2014 - Jan. 2015 (01/15)
March 2014 - Feb. 2015 (02/15)
April 2014 - March 2015 (03/15)

Definitions

Note:

Syncrude participants: If you are a participant in the Syncrude project, please exclude your participation when filing this report. Arrangements have been made to collect data for this project on a consolidated report.

Regarding partnerships and joint venture activities or projects: report the expenditures reflecting your company’s net interest in such oil sands projects or ventures. Capital expenditures for the Bi-Provincial Upgrader should be included in the schedule.

1. Oil and gas rights acquisition and retention costs (exclude inter-company sales or transfers) includes:

  • Acquisition costs and fees for oil and gas rights (include bonuses, legal fees and filing fees)
  • Oil and gas rentention costs

2. Cost of land and lease purchased from other petroleum companies: Purchases from companies that are engaged primarily in petroleum activities.

3. Geological and geophysical expenditures: Include such activities as seismic crew expenses, both company owned and contract. Include camp bulldozing and dirt work, flying crews in and out, seismograph, velocity survey, gravity meter, magnetometer, core drilling, photo geological digital processing, magnetic playback and bottom hole contributions and environmental impact studies and other similar pre-exploration expenditures. All seismic or geological and geophysical expenditures (including stratigraphic tests) should be reported here, whether such activity is deemed exploration or development by the company.

** Exploration and development expenditures: Should be reported gross (whether capitalized or expensed) before deducting any incentive grants.

4. Exploration drilling: Drilling outside a proven area or within a proven area but to a previously untested horizon, in order to determine whether oil or gas reserves exist rather than to develop proven reserves discovered by previous drilling. Include cost of dry wells, casing and other materials and equipment abandoned in place; productive wells, including capped wells; and wells still in progress at year end. Include also costs incurred in fighting blowouts, runaways and in replacing damaged equipment.

5. Development drilling: Drilling within the proven area of an oil gas reservoir to the depth of a stratigraphic horizon known to be productive for the purpose of extracting oil or gas reserves. This will cover costs of dry wells; including casing and other materials and equipment abandoned in place; productive wells, including capped wells; and wells still in progress at year end, core analysis, logging, road building and other directly related services. Include also costs incurred in fighting blowouts, runaways and in replacing damaged equipment. Exclude costs associated with service wells.

Note: There should be no development expenditures until a development plan has been approved.

6. Production facilities and pre-mining costs: Include tangible well and lease equipment comprising casing, tubing, wellheads, pumps, flowlines, separators, treaters, dehydrators. Include gathering pipelines, lease and centralized tank batteries and associated facilities prior to delivery to trunk pipeline terminals, and other production facilities. Include also, costs associated with intangibles such as pre-production studies costs and those expenditures that you consider to be pre-development. Include also, overburden removal and other pre-production expenditures as well as, laboratory work, consultants’ fees, performance evaluations and experimental pilot plants (including any capitalized operating costs).

7. Assets other than production facilities (machinery and equipment): Include automotive, airplane, communication, warehouse, dock, office and miscellaneous equipment not otherwise specified. Include items such as boilers, compressors, motors, pumps and any other items that may be termed manufacturing or mining equipment as opposed to a fixed installation such as a building.

8. Enhanced recovery projects: Include only expenditures on facilities in tertiary projects involving steam injection, miscible flooding, etc. Include service wells, both tangible and intangible, including the costs of drilling and equipping injection wells and also the cost of capitalized injection fuel (miscible fluid) costs, but exclude non-recoverable injection fluids charged to current operations.

9. Natural gas processing plants: Report only the capitalized amounts of the plants, including structures, measuring, regulating and related equipment. (Please include straddle plants.)

10. Drilling rigs and supply boats: Expenditures (including progress payments) for the purchase of new drilling rigs (on and offshore) and supply boats. Include also those drilling rigs and supply boats imported into Canada (both new and/or used).

11. Office buildings and other structures: Include office buildings and any other closely related structures not included above.

12. Coal bed methane extraction: Report all expenditures related to coal bed methane extraction.

13. Total: The addition of lines 1 to 12.

Year over year variation of capital expenditures

Complete this section only if this report shows significant changes in Total capital expenditures over previous fiscal period. The intent of this section is to reduce possible further inquiries by clarifying the reason(s) for major changes in the capital expenditures reported.

If there has been a launch of a major project or expansion of an existing project, please provide the nature, location, and (if applicable) the name(s) / title(s) of the project in the comment section of the questionnaire.

Survey on Capital ExpendituresPreliminary Estimate for 2013 and Intentions for 2014

Unified Enterprise Survey - Annual

Reporting Guide

General Instructions

1. Reports Required

  • Reports should be completed for Canadian activities and locations as described on the pre-printed label.

2. Dollar Amounts and Percentages

  • All dollar amounts reported should be rounded to Thousands of canadian dollars (e.g., $6,555,444.00 should be rounded to $6,555);
  • Percentages should be rounded (e.g., 37%, 76%, 94%);
  • Your best estimates are acceptable when precise figures are not available;
  • Pre-printed cell numbers are for identification purposes only.

3. Return of Questionnaire

By Mail to:
Statistics Canada,
150 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, Distribution Center - SC-0702
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
By Fax at:
toll free at 1-888-883-7999

Statistics Canada advises you that there could be a risk of disclosure during the facsimile or other electronic transmission. However, upon receipt of your information, Statistics Canada will provide the guaranteed level of protection afforded all information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act.

4. Questions?

If you have any questions, please call us toll free at 1-877-604-7828 or by e-mail at Invest@statcan.gc.ca

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

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

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

The shared data will be limited to 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 and returning it with the completed questionnaire. Please specify the organizations with which you do not want to share your data.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut as well as Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Mines and Energy, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, Manitoba Science, Technology Energy and Mines and the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy.

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.

Note that there is no right of refusal with respect to sharing the data with the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy for businesses also required to report under The Mineral Resources Act (Saskatchewan). The Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy will use the information obtained from these businesses in accordance with the provisions of their Act.

Pre-Printed Label

Type of Ownership

Private – less than 50% of the voting rights are controlled by the government
Public – more than 50% of the voting rights are controlled by the government
specify – Federal, Provincial or Municipal

Fiscal Year End

For the purpose of this survey, please report information for your 12 month fiscal period for which the Final day occurs on or between April 1, 2013 - March 31, 2014 for 2013 and April 1, 2014 - March 31, 2015 for 2014.

The following are acceptable report periods for 2013:
May 2012 - April 2013 (04/13)
June 2012 - May 2013 (05/13)
July 2012 - June 2013 (06/13)
Aug. 2012 - July 2013 (07/13)
Sept. 2012 - Aug. 2013 (08/13)
Oct. 2012 - Sept. 2013 (09/13)
Nov. 2012 - Oct. 2013 (10/13)
Dec. 2012 - Nov. 2013 (11/13)
Jan. 2013 - Dec. 2013 (12/13)
Feb. 2013 - Jan. 2014 (01/14)
March 2013 - Feb. 2014 (02/14)
April 2013 - March 2014 (03/14)

The following are acceptable report periods for 2014:
May 2013 - April 2014 (04/14)
June 2013 - May 2014 (05/14)
July 2013 - June 2014 (06/14)
Aug. 2013 - July 2014 (07/14)
Sept. 2013 - Aug. 2014 (08/14)
Oct. 2013 - Sept. 2014 (09/14)
Nov. 2013 - Oct. 2014 (10/14)
Dec. 2013 - Nov. 2014 (11/14)
Jan. 2014 - Dec. 2014 (12/14)
Feb. 2014 - Jan. 2015 (01/15)
March 2014 - Feb. 2015 (02/15)
April 2014 - March 2015 (03/15)

Definitions

What are Capital Expenditures?

Capital Expenditures are the gross expenditures on fixed assets for use in the operations of your organization or for lease or rent to others.

Include:

  • Cost of all new buildings, engineering, machinery and equipment which normally have a life of more than one year and are charged to fixed asset accounts
  • Modifications, acquisitions and major renovations
  • Capital costs such as feasibility studies, architectural, legal, installation and engineering fees
  • Subsidies
  • Capitalized interest charges on loans with which capital projects are financed
  • Work done by own labour force
  • Additions to work in progress

How to Treat Leases

  • Include assets acquired for lease to others, either as a capital, financial or as an operating lease
  • Exclude assets acquired as a lessee through either a capital, financial or an operating lease from others

Information for Government Departments

The following applies to government departments only:

  • Include all capital expenditures without taking into account the capitalization threshold of your department;
  • Grants and/or subsidies to outside entities (e.g., municipalities, agencies, institutions or businesses) are not to be included;
  • Departments are requested to exclude from reported figures budgetary items pertaining to any departmental agency and proprietary crown corporation as they are surveyed separately;
  • Federal departments are to report expenditures paid for by the department, regardless of which department awarded the contract;
  • Provincial departments are to include any capital expenditures on construction (exclude outlays for land) or machinery and equipment, for use in Canada, financed from revolving funds, loans attached to revolving funds, other loans, the Consolidated Revenue Fund or special accounts.

Sections A and C: Capital Expenditures

Report the value of the projects expected to be put in place during the year. Include the gross expenditures (including subsidies) on fixed assets for use in the operations of your organization or for lease or rent to others. Include all capital costs such as feasibility studies, architectural, legal, installation and engineering fees as well as work done by your own labour force.

New Assets, Renovation, Retrofit (Column 1), includes both existing assets being upgraded and acquisitions of new assets

The following explanations are Not applicable to government departments:

  • include - Capitalized interest charges on loans with which capital projects are financed
  • exclude - If you are capitalizing your leased fixed assets as a lessee in accordance with the  Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ recommendations, please exclude the total of the capitalization of such leases during the year from capital expenditures

Leases

In accordance with the recommendations of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, leases are divided into two types, operating and capital. For the present, purchases of all capital assets whether for own use or for lease to others, either as a capital lease or as an operating lease should be reported Fin the appropriate place in Columns 1 or 2 Sections A and C. Assets acquired as a lessee through either a capital lease or operating lease from others should not be reported in these columns.

New assets acquired by means of a capital lease from others should not be included in Section A and C Columns 1 or 2.

The following applies to government departments only:

  • grants and/or subsidies: to outside entities (e.g., municipalities, agencies, institutions orbusinesses), are not to be included
  • departments are requested to exclude from reported figures budgetary items pertaining to any departmental agency and proprietary crown corporation as they are surveyed separately
  • federal departments are to report expenditures paid for by their department, regardless of which department awarded the contract
  • provincial departments are to include any capital expenditures on construction (exclude outlays for land) and/or machinery and equipment, for use in Canada, financed from revolving funds, loans attached torevolving funds, other loans, the Consolidated Revenue Fund or special accounts

Purchase of Used Canadian Assets (Column 2)

Definition: Used fixed assets may be defined as existing buildings, structures or machinery and equipment which have been previously used by another organization in Canada that you have acquired during the time period being reported on this questionnaire.

Explanation: The objective of our survey is to measure gross annual new acquisitions to fixed assets separately from the acquisition of gross annual used fixed assets in the Canadian economy as a whole.

Hence, the acquisition of a used fixed Canadian asset should be reported separately since such acquisitions would not change the aggregates of our domestic inventory of fixed assets, it would simply mean a transfer of assets within Canada from one organization to another.

Imports of used assets, on the other hand, should be included with the new assets (Column 1) because they are newly acquired for the Canadian economy.

Work in Progress:
Work in progress represents accumulated costs since the start of capital projects which are intended to be capitalized upon completion.

Typically capital investment includes any expenditure on an asset in which its’ life is greater than one year. Capital items charged to operating expenses are defined as expenditures which could have been capitalized as part of the fixed assets, but for various reasons, have been charged to current expenses.

Definitions

Land (Row 1)
Capital expenditures for land should include all costs associated with the purchase of the land that are not amortized or depreciated.

Residential Construction (Row 2)
Report the value of residential structures including the housing portion of multi-purpose projects and of townsites with the following Exceptions:

  • buildings that have accommodation units without self-contained or exclusive use of bathroom and kitchen facilities (e.g., some student and senior citizen residences)
  • the non-residential portion of multi-purpose projects and of townsites
  • associated expenditures on services

The exceptions should be included in the appropriate construction (e.g., non-residential) asset.

Non-Residential Construction (Row 3) (excluding land purchase and residential construction)
Report the total cost incurred during the year of building and engineering construction (contract and by own employees) whether for your own use or rent to others. Include also:

  • the cost of demolition of buildings, land servicing and of site-preparation
  • leasehold and land improvements
  • townsite facilities, such as streets, sewers, stores, schools
  • oil or gas pipelines, including pipe and installation costs
  • all preconstruction planning and design costs such as engineer and consulting fees and any materials supplied to construction contractors for installation, etc.

Machinery and Equipment (Row 4)
Report total cost incurred during the year of all new machinery, whether for your own use or for lease or rent to others. Any capitalized tooling should also be included. Include progress payments paid out before delivery in the year in which such payments are made. Receipts from the sale of your own fixed assets or allowance for scrap or trade-in should not be deducted from your total capital expenditures. Any balance owing or holdbacks should be reported in the year the cost is incurred.

Include:

  • automobiles, trucks, professional and scientific equipment, office and store furniture and appliances
  • computers (hardware and software), broadcasting, telecommunication and other information and communication technology equipment
  • motors, generators, transformers
  • any capitalized tooling expenses
  • progress payments paid out before delivery in the year in which such payments are made
  • any balance owing or holdbacks should be reported in the year the cost is incurred

Section B: Capacity Utilization (Manufacturing Companies only)

Capacity use (utilization) is calculated by taking the actual production level for an establishment (production can be measured in dollars or units) and dividing it by the establishment’s capacity production level.

Capacity production is defined as maximum production attainable under normal conditions.

To calculate capacity production, follow the establishment’s operating practices with respect to the use of productive facilities, overtime, workshifts, holidays, etc. For example, if your plant normally operates with one shift of eight hours a day five days a week then capacity will be calculated subject to these conditions and not on the hypothetical case of three shifts a day, seven days a week.

Example:
Plant “A” normally operates one shift a day, five days a week and given this operating pattern capacity production is 150 units of product “A” for the month. In that month actual production of product “A” was 125 units. The capacity utilization rate for plant “A” is (125/150) * 100 = 83%

Now suppose that plant “A” had to open a shift on Saturdays to satisfy an abnormal surge in demand for product “A”. Given this plant’s normal operating schedule, capacity production remains at 150 units. Actual production hasgrown to 160 units, so capacity utilization would be (160/150) * 100 = 107%.

Section D: Year over Year Variation of Capital Expenditures

Complete this section only if this report shows significant changes in Total capital expenditures over previous fiscal period. The intent of this section is to reduce possible further inquiries by clarifying the reason(s) for major changes in the capital expenditures reported.

If there has been a launch of a major project or expansion of an existing project, please provide the nature, location, and (if applicable) the name(s) / title(s) of the project in the comment section of the questionnaire.

Description for Figure 1 - Certificate Preparation Process

The chart is a flow chart description of the Equalization certificate process, the parties involved in the certificate process and their roles during the process. It is set up in 3 columns. National Accounts Integration and Development Division (NAIDD) is labelled as the centre column and this division co-ordinates the certificate process. The outside left column is labelled as External Reviewers and the outside right column is labelled Data Supplying Divisions. The flow chart begins in the center column and the first box within the NAIDD column indicates that NAIDD requests data from DSDs using structured templates. From this point the process moves into the Data Supplying Divisions column. The first box in the DSD column shows that the DSDs prepare the data and from here the next step is then the internal quality assurance within the DSDs. From this step the data then are subject to the Director challenge and sign-off. The chart then shows that the completed templates are submitted back to NAIDD and this is illustrated with an arrow back into the centre column. At this point NAIDD conducts basic quality checks and then sends queries to DSDs based upon reviews. A bi-directional arrow between the NAIDD column and the Data Supplying Divisions column illustrates that queries and responses back to NAIDD may take place several times as the data are reviewed. The chart shows that as the certificate information is being finalized, NAIDD sends the certificate information for Work-in-Progress reviews. This is illustrated by the left column labelled External Reviewers. This movement into the External Reviewers column is labelled with a bi-directional arrow as Work-in-Progress reviews take place at different times. As these reviews are done NAIDD sends the external reviewer queries to the DSD who respond. This process continues bi-directionally until all reviews have been completed and all queries are adequately responded to. Work-in-Progress reviews that take place include: Focal point review in August, a first Department of Finance Review in September and a final Department of Finance review in November. Once all reviews have been completed and all queries responded to, the certificates are finalized and NAIDD obtains the Chief Statistician signature and finalized certificates are submitted to the Department of Finance by December 1.

Changes to the Travel Tours Index of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), effective with the September 2013 CPI

Background

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the rate at which the prices of representative goods and services in a fixed consumer basket change over time. In order to accurately reflect changes in the market and in the behaviour of consumers, Statistics Canada periodically reviews and updates the concepts and methods applied to the various components of the CPI program.

The Travel Tours Index, part of the CPI, was updated with the September 2013 CPI release on October 18, 2013. The Travel Tours component accounts for 0.80% of the 2011 CPI basket by weight and belongs to the Recreation, education and reading index, which is a major component of the CPI.

Prior to this methodology review, the most popular holiday packages were priced according to travel agents’ records in three months of the year, from January to March. The index in other months carried forward the March value and did not change as no pricing was done in those months. The methodology review determined that a significant number of the most popular holiday packages change between March (which ends one collection period) and January (which begins the next collection period) for a given destination. This required a high rate of replacement of holiday packages in the pricing sample. Moreover, based on recent International Travel Survey results, it was clear that the nature of and level of expenditure on Canadians’ leisure trips abroad change significantly from season to season throughout the year.

The aims of this methodology review of the Travel Tours index were a reduction in the replacement rate during data collection and a more accurate reflection of the habits of consumers regarding the timing and nature of their holiday package trip purchases.

The Travel Tours Index Review

On October 18, 2013 with the release of the September 2013 CPI, the following changes were made to the index:

  1. Pricing of holiday packages will occur every month so that the Travel Tours index better reflects the year-round pattern of travel tours purchases.
  2. The sample of destinations was updated to better represent the most popular destinations of leisure trips purchased by Canadians. These destinations were identified using recent International Traveller Survey data (2005-2011). The destination regions  were extended from the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean to include European destinations; furthermore, two more U.S. destinations were added.
  3. The pattern of pricing was changed to better reflect the time at which Canadians actually book their travel tours. Previously, prices were collected one month and four months prior to the departure date for each destination. This pattern was used to reflect the fact that consumers usually book and pay for their holiday packages ahead of time. This general strategy will be carried forward into the new methodology, with an important modification: an examination of booking patterns has indicated that it is better to collect prices two months in advance for American and Caribbean destinations and four months in advance for European destinations and cruise packages.
  4. The outlet sample was reviewed and changed to be more representative of where consumers make their travel tour purchases. The new outlet sample is selected from Statistics Canada's Business Register (BR) from a target population of businesses classified by industry, using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2012) in code 561510 (Travel agencies).
  5. The new outlet sample has increased in size. As before, an outlet sample of travel agencies is drawn from six major Canadian cities with an international airport. Holiday packages will also be priced through Internet databases to provide better coverage. For the Internet price collection, holiday packages will be selected separately from those chosen for travel agencies, allowing a much more diverse product sample to be used in the index calculation.

The updated methodology better reflects the changing consumption patterns and product characteristics of travel tours. It should be noted that the introduction of monthly pricing to a series that has previously been stationary for a large part of the year brings with it increased volatility. In particular, the indicators of change (either 1-month change or 12-month change) no longer remain at the same values for each of the months in the April to December period. Destinations and outlets are now updated more frequently. This regular update process is more effective in capturing changes to the products purchased by consumers, in a more timely fashion.

Migration Estimates - User Guide

Statistics Canada

Demography Division
Statistics Canada
demography@statcan.gc.ca

October 2013

Skip to text

Introduction
Section I — The Data
Section II — The Data Tables
Section III — Glossary of Terms
Section IV — Geography

Text begins

Migration Estimates From Tax Records For Census Divisions/Census Metropolitan Areas

Introduction

This report presents migration estimates by census division (CD) and/or by census metropolitan area (CMA).  Five-year comparisons as shown on our printed standard tables enable users to see the pattern of movement by Canadians, as well as immigration and emigration flows to and from Canada. The data tables are updated on a yearly basis.  Migration estimates by CMA are available since 1992-93.

Section I — The Data

Data Source

The migration estimates are derived from a comparison of addresses from individual income tax returns for two consecutive years.  The period of reference extends from April of one year to April of the following year.  A summary of the methodology is provided later in this document.

For the most current data release in October 2013, migration data for 2011 – 2012 were derived by comparing addresses supplied on personal income tax returns filed in the spring of 2011 and 2012. 

Timeliness

Migration estimates are available by census division from 1976‑77 (and by census metropolitan area from 1992-93).  Data on international migration and on internal migration are normally available from 15 to 18 months after the income tax deadline. 

The international migration data exclude net temporary emigrants, returning emigrants and non-permanent residents who did not file an income tax return.

An Outline of the Methodology

The data developed from the taxation records are estimates of migration flows between census divisions or census metropolitan areas by gender and broad age groups (under 18, 18 to 24, 25 to 44, 45 to 64 and 65 and over).  Starting with 2011-2012 migration estimates are produced for 2011 census division boundaries For 2006-07 through 2010-11 migration, estimates are produced for 2006 census division boundaries. For 2001-02 through 2005-06 migration, estimates are produced for 2001 census division boundaries. For 1996-97 through to 2000-01, estimates are produced for 1996 census division boundaries. From 1992-93 through to 1995-96, the data were produced for 1991 census division boundaries. For the 1986‑87 through 1991-92 periods, the census division boundaries corresponded to those defined in the 1986 Census. For the years 1981-82 to 1985-86, the boundaries used are those defined in the 1981 Census and in the previous years the 1976 census boundaries are used.

Migration flows for census metropolitan areas are available since 1992-93, and the boundaries of the 26 CMAs are based on 1991 Census definitions for the period 1992-93 to 1995-96.  CMA boundaries based on the 1996 Standard Geographic Coding (SGC) were used in the creation of 1996-97 to 2000-01 estimates.  Beginning with 2001-02, CMA boundaries are based on 2001 SGC.  The CMAs of Kingston (Ontario) and Abbotsford-Mission (British Columbia) were introduced with this new SGC system. Therefore, the 2001-02 to 2005-06, migration data are available for a total of 28 CMAs. For the 2006-07 to 2010-11 period, CMA boundaries are based on 2006 SGC. The CMAs of Moncton (N.B.), Barrie (Ont.), Brandford (Ont.), Guelph (Ont.), Peterborough (Ont.), and Kelowna (B.C.) were introduced with the 2006 SGC system. Therefore, migration data for that period are available for a total of 34 CMAs.  For the 2011-12 estimates, CMA boundaries are based on 2011 SGC.  No new CMA has been introduced with the 2011 SGC therefore migration data are available for a total of 34 CMAs.

The development of these data involves four main steps:

  1. Geocoding of tax records;
  2. Estimation of non‑filing dependents of taxfilers, by age group and gender;
  3. Identification of the number, age group and gender of migrant taxfilers; and
  4. Adjustment for the population not covered by the Canada Revenue Agency Taxation system.

Step 1 ─ Geocoding

The geographic coding of census divisions and census metropolitan areas on the tax records is done primarily on the basis of the Postal Code, which is part of the mailing address.  In some cases, other pieces of information were used in place of a missing postal code.  Since the 1989 tax files, over 99% of the records could be assigned a census division code.

Step 2 ─ Estimation of Dependents

Since the source file has no direct information on the number and characteristics of non-filing dependents, this information must be imputed.  Up to the 1987-88 period, this was based on the relationship between the dollar value of the total personal exemptions claimed and the number of dependents.  A reference table was established relating an estimate of the average number of dependents by age group and gender to filers in a given age‑gender‑marital status‑total personal exemption class.  This table was produced each year using a sample file of taxfilers containing information on the exact number of dependents and their relationship to the filer in addition to the characteristics of the filer.  Other demographic information such as gender ratios and the age distributions of husbands and wives were also used to distribute dependents by age and gender.

The current system uses the estimation of taxfilers' dependents from the T1 family file (T1FF).  The family system creates families by linking all filing family members together and estimates non-filing members from information on the taxfilers' returns,Note1 based on such information as deductions/tax credits for dependents.  For example, the family system imputes a non-filing spouse wherever a filer has declared him/herself married but was not linked with a filing spouse.Note2

Step 3 ─ Migrant Taxfilers and Dependents

The main source file used contains the basic demographic and geographic information on each taxfiler (and dependent) and covers approximately 95% of the total population.  The migrant taxfilers are identified by comparing current and previous census divisions or census metropolitan areas of residence.

Taxfilers' non-filing dependents are assumed to have the same migration behaviour as that of the filer to whom they are assigned.

Step 4 ─ Coverage Correction

The final step in the estimation process is an adjustment for coverage, done by age and gender at the census division/census metropolitan area level.  Population estimates by CD/CMA are used to create coverage ratios.  For migration estimates up to 2000-01, provincial adjustment ratios were used in place of the CD/CMA ratio in the few cases where coverage was abnormally high or low,  Beginning with 2001-02 migration data, high and low coverage were identified with a new methodology and a Canadian adjustment ratio was used in place of the CD/CMA ratio. Starting with 2006-2007 migration data, adjustment ratios use the CD/CMA ratio.

The adjustment ratios are applied to the counts of out‑migrants derived in Step 3 to obtain an estimate of total migration.  The basic assumption is that the population not covered by the taxation system has the same migration rate as that covered by it.

The estimates of international migration are prorated to agree with provincial estimates provided by the Demography Division of Statistics Canada.

Data Quality

Based on a detailed evaluation of the estimates for the intercensal period of 1986-91, a number of observations can be made regarding migration estimates for Census divisions:

(a) Overall, the estimates of migration are of good quality.  It is, however, difficult to make exact comparisons to other annual estimates of migration flows at the census division level.  The estimates of net migration have been used to produce population estimates and these have been compared to the 1991 Census counts.  The average absolute difference for 1991 was 2.3%.  In 12 of 182 cases (6%)Note3 the deviation exceeded 5% and in 3 cases, the deviation exceeded 10% (this does not include Quebec census divisions).  These deviations are smaller than those obtained from other estimation methodologies and indirectly indicate the quality of the net migration data.  It has not been possible to do much evaluation of the flow data.

(B)   In addition to the estimates of migration based on tax records, Demography Division of Statistics Canada also produces estimates of interprovincial migration which are based on Child Tax Benefit records.  The concepts underlying these estimates differ from the concepts used in the tax-based estimates.  More specifically, the Child Tax Benefit data estimates monthly moves while the tax data tracks annual moves.

No comparable study has yet been done to examine the CMA coverage.

Availability of Data

Migration estimates are available by census division from 1976‑77, and by census metropolitan area from 1992-93.

For the 1976‑81 period, no preliminary migration flows between census divisions were calculated.  Adjustments were not made at the international level although evaluations indicated the estimates of international migration were too low.

For the period from 1981‑82 to 1984‑85, migration estimates from tax records were produced twice a year, the first time using a preliminary tax file from the Canada Revenue Agency (available with a 6‑9 month time delay) and the second with a more complete tax file (available with a 12‑15 month time delay).  Because the differences between the two sets of estimates were not large, beginning with the 1985‑86 estimates, only one series of estimates was produced.  The final file has been used since 1985-86.

Beginning with the 1981‑82 estimates, the data on immigration and emigration have been prorated to make them consistent with the most currently available estimates produced at the provincial level by Demography Division of Statistics Canada.

Section II — The Data Tables

Number of Tables

There are four standard data tables. The tables provide a five-year comparison of migration:

Table A:  By Province of Origin/Destination
Table B:  By Age Group
Table C:  By Type of Migration and Gender
Table D:  Flows by Census division of Origin/Destination, or by CMA/non-CMA of Origin/Destination

Note: A five-year comparison is not always possible for census divisions due to boundary changes over time.

Data Table Contents

Table A ─ By Census Division or Census Metropolitan Area of Origin and of Destination
Each page of this table highlights flows: in, out and net flows for a specific province, a specific census division (CD) or any one of the 34 census metropolitan areas (CMAs), including non-CMA areas for each province.

Provincial totals provided include intraprovincial migration.

Tables B and C ─ Age Group, Type of Migration, and Gender
Both Tables B and C list in, out and net migration for the highlighted CD or CMA for a five-year period.  Table B shows migration by age group while Table C shows migration by type (interprovincial, intraprovincial and international) and by gender.

Provincial totals provided include intraprovincial migration.

Table D ─ Flows by Census Division/Census Metropolitan Area of Origin/Destination
Table D gives details of the flows for a particular CD or CMA.  A list is given of the CDs or CMAs with which the selected CD or CMA exchanged any people.  The flows are ranked in the table by net migration.  The flows for the past five years are shown on the printed tables, though the ranking is according to the most recent period.

Section III — Glossary of Terms

Age
Is calculated as of December 31 of the reference year (i.e., tax year minus year of birth).

Census division (CD)
Group of neighbouring municipalities joined together for the purposes of regional planning and managing common services (such as police or ambulance services). These groupings are established under laws in effect in certain provinces of Canada. For example, a census division might correspond to a county, une municipalité régionale de comté or a regional district. In other provinces and the territories where laws do not provide for such areas, Statistics Canada defines equivalent areas for statistical reporting purposes in cooperation with these provinces and territories.

Census metropolitan area (CMA)
Area consisting of one or more neighbouring municipalities situated around a core. A census metropolitan area must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more live in the core.

Dependent
For the purpose of these databanks, dependents are the non-filing members of a family.  We do not attempt to measure dependency in any way, but are able to identify certain non-filing family members, and include these in the total counts of people in a given area.

Emigration
Movement from an area in Canada to another country.

Gross migration flow
Sum of the number of migrants between two geographic areas.  It is obtained by adding the number of in‑migrants to the number of out‑migrants.

Index
Is a comparison of the variable for the given area with either the province (province = 100) or with Canada (Canada = 100).

Immigration
Movement to an area in Canada from another country.

In‑migration
Movement to a census division or census metropolitan area from elsewhere inside or outside Canada.

Internal migration
Movement between two census divisions or census metropolitan areas within Canada.  Internal migration is divided in two categories: interprovincial and intraprovincial migration.

International migration
Movement between an area in Canada and another country.  International migration is divided in two categories: immigration and emigration.

Interprovincial migration
Movement between census divisions or census metropolitan areas located in two different provinces.  The province of departure is the “province of origin” and the province of arrival is the “province of destination”.

Intraprovincial migration
Movement between two census divisions or census metropolitan areas located within the same province.  The CD/CMA of departure is the CD/CMA of “origin” and the CD/CMA of arrival is the CD/CMA of “destination”.

Median
Is the middle number in a group of numbers.

Migration
Movement between two geographic areas during the period covered by the estimates. Within Canada, the geographic area of reference is the census division or the census metropolitan area.  Other countries are considered as one geographic area.

Net migration
Difference between the number of in‑migrants and the number of out‑migrants.

Out‑migration
Movement out of a census division or census metropolitan area to elsewhere inside or outside Canada.

Taxfiler
Most taxfilers are people who filed a tax return for the reference year and were alive at the end of the year.  Starting with the 1993 tax year, those taxfilers who died within the tax year and who had a non-filing spouse had their income and their filing status attributed to the surviving spouse.

Section IV — Geography

The data are available for census divisions and census metropolitan areas.  The mailing address at the time of filing is the basis for the geographic information in the tables.

The following table shows the coded designators for each level of geography, as well as a brief description of each. 

Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of table 1 . The information is grouped by level of geography (appearing as row headers), name and description (appearing as column headers).
Level of Geography Name Description
41 Census Metropolitan Area There are 34 CMAs in the 2011 databanks:

001, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
205, Halifax, Nova Scotia
305, Moncton, New Brunswick
310, Saint John, New Brunswick
408, Saguenay, Québec
421, Québec, Québec
433, Sherbrooke, Québec
442, Trois-Rivières, Québec
462, Montréal, Québec
505, Ottawa-Gatineau (Québec part)
505, Ottawa-Gatineau (Ontario part)
521, Kingston, Ontario
529, Peterborough, Ontario
532, Oshawa, Ontario
535, Toronto, Ontario
537, Hamilton, Ontario
539, St-Catharines-Niagara, Ontario
541, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario
543, Brantford, Ontario
550, Guelph, Ontario
555, London, Ontario
559, Windsor, Ontario
568, Barrie, Ontario
580, Greater Sudbury, Ontario
595, Thunder Bay, Ontario
602, Winnipeg, Manitoba
705, Regina, Saskatchewan
725, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
825, Calgary, Alberta
835, Edmonton, Alberta
915, Kelowna, British Columbia
932, Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia
933, Vancouver, British Columbia
935, Victoria, British Columbia
21 Census Division The 2011 databanks contain 293 Census Divisions.

Data in many forms

Statistics Canada disseminates data in a variety of forms.  In addition to publications, both standard and special tabulations are offered.  Data are available on the Internet, compact disk, diskette, computer printouts, microfiche and microfilm and magnetic tape.  Maps and other geographic reference materials are available for some types of data.  Direct online access to aggregated information is possible through CANSIM, Statistics Canada's machine-readable database and retrieval system.

How to obtain more information

Inquiries about these data and related statistics or services should be directed to:

Client Services
Demography Division
Statistics Canada
Main Building, 1st Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
Telephone; (613) 951-2320
Fax: (613) 951-2307
demography@statcan.gc.ca

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Notes

1. See report "Description of the Methodology Used to Create Migration Data from Tax Records" updated by Judy Reid, Small Area and Administrative Data Division: February 1998.

2. See Lucaciu, Daniela and Harris, Shelley, "Overview of T1FF Processing", SAADD: 1999.

3. Montgomery, March 1993: p 15