Survey of Environmental Goods and Services, 2012

Environment, Energy and Transportation Statistics Division

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Reporting Guide

This guide is designed to provide additional information as you work through your questionnaire.

If further assistance is required, please call us.

A Statistics Canada employee will be happy to assist you.

Help Line: 1-866-445-4323

General Information

What is the Survey of Environmental Goods and Services and why is it important?

The Survey of Environmental Goods and Services (formerly known as the Environment Industry Survey) is conducted every second year to obtain detailed and accurate data on environmental goods and services, which are recognized as being an important contributor to the Canadian economy. The data from the survey are aggregated with information from other sources to produce official estimates of national and provincial/territorial economic activity related to environmental protection. Your responses are important to produce reliable statistics that may be used by businesses, non-profit organizations and all levels of government to make informed decisions in many areas.

The information from this survey can be used by your business to plan marketing strategies or to prepare business plans for investors. Governments may use the data to develop national and regional economic policies and to develop programs to promote domestic and international competitiveness. The data may also be used by trade associations, business analysts and investors to study the economic performance and characteristics of your industry.

How were you chosen to receive the Survey of Environmental Goods and Services?

Establishments believed to manufacture or import any of the selected environmental goods or provide the environmental services described in this questionnaire are being asked to complete this survey.

To protect the confidentiality of data provided by respondents, only data in aggregate form are available for use.

Your assistance in completing this survey is vital to the estimation of Canadian economic activity in the area of environmental protection.

Is it a legal requirement to complete this survey?

Yes. The Survey of Environmental Goods and Services is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S19. This Act stipulates that the completion of questionnaires issued under the Act is mandatory. A copy of the Statistics Act can be found on the Department of Justice website (www.justice.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.

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.

Instructions

Establishment covered by this questionnaire

Please report the data for the establishment specified on the label on the front page of the questionnaire.

Note: an establishment is the smallest operating unit in your company that can report the following items:

Value of sales;
Cost of materials and supplies purchased;
Opening and closing inventories;
Number of employees and their salaries and wages.

Generally, an establishment corresponds to a plant, mill or factory. However, it may comprise more than one plant or location when your accounting records do not permit separate reporting of these items.

If your company has more than one establishment, a separate questionnaire should be completed for each establishment that is involved in the production or importing of environmental goods or the provision of environmental services.

If you are in doubt about the best way to report, or you are not sure what questionnaires are being completed by other establishments in your company, please telephone for assistance at 1-866-445-4323.

A - Reporting period information

Please report information for this establishment’s 12-month fiscal period (normal business year) ending between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. Please indicate the reporting period covered by this questionnaire.
Please check the appropriate box to indicate any operational changes.

B – Total Revenue

Total revenue is the sum of the value of sales (before royalties, taxes and other charges) and all other revenues, except contributions from owners.

When precise figures are not available please provide your best estimates. Report all monetary values in Canadian funds.

C1 - Sales of selected environmental goods (machinery, equipment, and products)

Only selected environmental goods are covered in this questionnaire.

Sales of environmental goods are defined as amounts derived from the sale of goods (cash or credits) falling within a business’s ordinary activities. Sales should be reported net of excise and federal, provincial or territorial sales taxes.

Include:

Sales (domestic sales and export sales) of goods manufactured at a Canadian location
Sales of goods manufactured outside Canada and imported into Canada for resale

C2 - Sales of selected environmental services

Only selected environmental services are covered in this questionnaire.

Sales of environmental services are defined as amounts derived from the provision of environmental services, falling within a business’s ordinary activities. Sales should be reported net of excise and federal, provincial or territorial sales taxes.