Business or organization information
1. Which of the following categories best describes this business or organization?
1: Government agency
2: Private sector business
3: Non-profit organization serving households or individuals
e.g., child and youth services, community food services, food bank, women's shelter, community housing services, emergency relief services, religious organization, grant and giving services, social advocacy group, arts and recreation group
4: Non-profit organization serving businesses
e.g., business association, chamber of commerce, condominium association, environment support or protection services, group benefit carriers (pensions, health, medical)
5: Don't know
2. In what year was this business or organization first established?
Year business or organization was first established:
OR
1: Don't know
3. In the last 12 months, did this business or organization conduct any of the following activities?
Select all that apply.
1: Export goods or services outside of Canada
2: Make investments outside of Canada
3: Sell goods to businesses or organizations in Canada who then resold them outside of Canada
4: Import goods or services from outside of Canada
Include both intermediate and final goods.
5: Relocate any business or organizational activities or employees from another country into Canada
Exclude temporary foreign workers.
6: Engage in other international business or organizational activities
OR
7: None of the above
4. Over the next three months, how are each of the following expected to change for this business or organization?
a. Sales
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
b. Number of employees
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
c. Job vacancies
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
d. Sale prices of goods and services offered by this business or organization
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
e. Demand for products and services offered by this business or organization
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
f. Imports
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
g. Exports
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
h. Operating income
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
i. Operating expenses
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
j. Profitability
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
k. Capital expenditures
e.g., machinery, equipment
1: Increase
2: Stay about the same
3: Decrease
4: Not applicable
Business or organization obstacles
5. Over the next three months, which of the following are expected to be obstacles for this business or organization?
Select all that apply.
1: Shortage of labour force
2: Recruiting and retaining skilled employees
3: Shortage of space or equipment
4: Supply chain challenges
5: Maintaining inventory levels
6: Insufficient demand for goods or services offered
7: Fluctuations in consumer demand
8: Cost of insurance
9: Obtaining financing
10: Government regulations
11: Travel restrictions
12: Rising cost of inputs
An input is an economic resource used in a firm's production process.
e.g., labour, capital, energy and raw materials
13: Increasing competition
14: Challenges related to exporting goods and services
15: Maintaining sufficient cash flow or managing debt
16: High speed internet
17: Intellectual property protection
18: Other - Specify other:
OR
19: None of the above
6. How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the status of this business or organization?
1: This business or organization shut down temporarily but has since reopened
2: This business or organization shut down temporarily and remains shut down
3: This business or organization has remained partially operational
e.g., reduced hours, reduced services
4: This business or organization has remained fully operational
Flow condition: If the business or organization is a private sector business, go to Q7. Otherwise, go to Q9.
Expectations for the next year
7. In the next year, are there any plans to expand or restructure this business, or acquire or invest in other businesses?
Restructuring involves changing the financial, operational, legal or other structures of a business to make it more efficient or more profitable.
1: Yes
Does this business plan to:
Select all that apply.
1: Expand current location of this business
2: Expand this business to other locations
3: Restructure this business
4: Acquire other businesses or franchises
5: Invest in other businesses
3: No
5: Don't know
8. In the next year, are there any plans to transfer, sell or close this business?
1: Yes
Does this business plan to:
1: Transfer to family members without money changing hands
2: Sell to family members
3: Sell to employees
4: Sell to external parties
5: Close the business
6: Don't know
3: No
5: Don't know
Workforce changes
9. Over the next year, does this business or organization plan to do any of the following?
Select all that apply.
1: Provide training to current employees in a different skill set
2: Lay off staff whose skills and knowledge no longer meet this business's or organization's needs
3: Hire employees living outside of this business's or organization's immediate vicinity to carry out work remotely
4: Hire staff with technical skills that current employees lack
5: Hire staff with management skills that current employees lack
6: Hire staff who have other skills or knowledge that current employees lack
7: Hire external contractors who have skills or knowledge that current employees lack
OR
8: None of the above
Employee support
10. What support is this business or organization providing to its employees that was not available before the pandemic?
Select all that apply.
1: Access to mental health services
2: Virtual social gatherings with work colleagues
3: Childcare subsidy
4: Family care related leave
5: Paid sick leave specifically for COVID-19
6: Other additional paid or unpaid time off
7: Other - Specify other:
OR
8: None of the above
Workforce challenges
11. Over the next three months, to what extent will each of the following be a challenge for this business or organization with regards to the workforce?
a. Finding qualified workers
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
b. Recruiting qualified workers to come work for this business or organization
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
c. Retaining qualified workers
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
d. Finding time and resources for training current staff
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
e. Finding time and resources for training new staff
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
f. Convincing staff that have been working remotely to return to working on-site
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
g. Hiring temporary foreign workers
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
h. Parents employed by this business or organization are voluntarily working reduced hours or not working in order to take care of children
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
i. Employees going on short-term medical leave
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
j. Employees going on long-term medical leave
1: Very challenging
2: Somewhat challenging
3: Not challenging
4: Not applicable
5: Don't know
Current or planned measures
12. What actions or measures does this business or organization have currently in place or plan to implement?
Select all that apply.
1: Restriction on the number of people allowed into the businesses space at one time
Include restrictions on access to the workplace.
2: Online classes
3: Virtual meetings with clients or customers
4: An online sales platform
5: Rental or acquisition of more physical space for the business or organization
6: Addition of signage or floor markers to promote physical distancing
7: Modification of the work or office space
8: Adding plexiglass or sneeze guards
9: Reduction of business hours
10: Screen employees upon entry into the workplace for a fever, cough, or other signs of illness
11: Screen customers upon entry into the workplace for a fever, cough, or other signs of illness
12: Insist that employees displaying any signs of illness stay home
13: Request that customers displaying any signs of illness do not enter
14: Provide hand sanitizer to employees and customers
15: Provide facemasks, gloves, or other personal protective equipment to employees
16: Provide facemasks, gloves, or other personal protective equipment to customers
17: More janitorial staff
18: Frequent cleaning of high-touch areas or surfaces
19: Other - Specify other:
OR
20: No measures implemented
Online sales
13. What percentage of total sales were made online?
If there were no sales made online, enter '0'.
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage of total sales in 2019 made online:
OR
1: Don't know
Percentage of total sales in 2020 made online:
OR
1: Don't know
2020 revenues compared with 2019
14. Compared to 2019, how did the revenues of this business or organization change in 2020?
Include grants.
1: Revenues were higher in 2020
By what percentage were revenues higher?
When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimate.
1: 1% to less than 10%
2: 10% to less than 20%
3: 20% to less than 30%
4: 30% to less than 40%
5: 40% to less than 50%
6: 50% or more
2: Revenues were lower in 2020
By what percentage were revenues lower?
When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimate.
1: 1% to less than 10%
2: 10% to less than 20%
3: 20% to less than 30%
4: 30% to less than 40%
5: 40% to less than 50%
6: 50% or more
3: Revenues have stayed the same
4: Not applicable
e.g., started operating after December 31, 2019
2020 expenses compared with 2019
15. Compared to 2019, how did the expenses of this business or organization change in 2020?
Exclude wages and salaries.
1: Expenses were higher in 2020
By what percentage were expenses higher?
When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimate.
1: 1% to less than 10%
2: 10% to less than 20%
3: 20% to less than 30%
4: 30% to less than 40%
5: 40% to less than 50%
6: 50% or more
2: Expenses were lower in 2020
By what percentage were expenses lower?
When precise figures are not available, please provide your best estimate.
1: 1% to less than 10%
2: 10% to less than 20%
3: 20% to less than 30%
4: 30% to less than 40%
5: 40% to less than 50%
6: 50% or more
3: Expenses have stayed the same
4: Not applicable
e.g., started operating after December 31, 2019
Impact on expenditures
16. For each of the following, indicate whether this business or organization has increased or decreased expenditures as a result of COVID-19.
a. Sanitization and cleaning
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
b. Repair and maintenance
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
c. Personal protective equipment and supplies
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
d. Rent
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
e. Technology and equipment for teleworking
e.g., laptops, office chairs
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
f. Marketing, including advertising
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
g. Mental health services for employees
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
h. Research and development
Exclude expenses for research and development staff.
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
i. Research and development staff
1: Increased
2: No change
3: Decreased
4: Does not have this expense
5: Don't know
Funding or credit
17. Due to COVID-19, was funding or credit for this business or organization approved or received from any of the following sources?
Select all that apply.
1: Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
e.g., loan of up to $40,000 for eligible small businesses and non-profits
2: Temporary 10% Wage Subsidy
3: Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
4: Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS)
5: Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA)
6: Export Development Canada (EDC) Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Loan and Guarantee program
7: Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) Co-Lending Program for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
8: Innovation Assistance Program
9: Regional Relief and Recovery Fund
10: Provincial, Territorial or Municipal government programs
11: Grant or loan funding from philanthropic or mutual-aid sources
12: Financial institution
e.g., term loan or line of credit
13: Loan from family or friends
14: Other - Specify other approved source of funding or credit:
OR
15: None of the above
Flow condition: If "None of the above" is selected in Q17, go to Q18. Otherwise, skip to Q19.
18. For which of the following reasons has this business or organization not accessed any funding or credit due to COVID-19?
Select all that apply.
1: Funding or credit not needed
2: Waiting for approval or in process of applying
3: Eligibility requirements
4: Application requirements or complexity
5: Lack of awareness
6: Public perception
7: Other - Specify other:
Debt
19. Does this business or organization have the ability to take on more debt?
1: Yes
3: No
5: Don't know
Community support
(i) The pandemic has been a challenging time for businesses and organizations and many may not be in a position to contribute to their community at this time. Some however, are better equipped to provide help where they can. The following question asks about contributions that this business or organization may be involved in.
20. Has this business or organization done any of the following to contribute to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Select all that apply.
1: Donated to a charity or charities
2: Raised awareness on social platforms and websites
3: Manufactured personal protective equipment or supplies
4: Donated personal protective equipment or supplies to individuals in the community
5: Donated personal protective equipment or supplies to businesses, organizations or non-profits in the community
6: Collected and donated necessities or other items (excluding personal protective equipment or supplies) to those affected by COVID-19
7: Other - Specify other:
OR
8: None of the above
Personal protective equipment or supplies
21. Does this business or organization expect to experience difficulty procuring any of the following personal protective equipment or supplies?
a. Masks
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
b. Eye protection
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
c. Face shields
e.g., visors
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
d. Gloves
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
e. Gowns
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
f. Cleaning products
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
g. Disinfecting wipes
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
h. Hand sanitizer
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
i. Plexiglass or sneeze guards
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
j. COVID-19 testing kits
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
k. Thermometers
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
l. Other
1: Significant difficulty
2: Some difficulty
3: No difficulty
4: Not needed
Flow condition: If there are any responses of "significant difficulty" or "some difficulty" in Q21, go to Q22. Otherwise, go to Q23.
22. It was indicated that the business or organization expects to experience some or significant difficulty procuring various personal protective equipment or supplies. What are the reasons for this difficulty?
Select all that apply.
1: Do not know where to procure personal protective equipment or supplies from
2: Normal source of personal protective equipment or supplies is unable to meet demand
3: Cost of personal protective equipment or supplies is too high
4: Cannot source enough personal protective equipment or supplies to meet consumption
5: Other - Specify other:
Measures permanently adopted
23. Using a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means "very unlikely" and 5 means "very likely", how likely is this business or organization to permanently adopt each of the following measures once the COVID-19 pandemic is over?
An employee is someone who would be issued a T4 from this business or organization.
a. Virtual or online classes
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
b. Virtual meetings with clients or customers
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
c. Offer more employees the possibility of teleworking or working remotely
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
d. Require more employees to telework or work remotely
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
e. Require employees to come back to on-site work
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
f. Increase IT infrastructure to support teleworking
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
g. Make investments to increase the security of telework systems
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
h. Adopt shiftwork to increase the distance between employees
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
i. Modify the work space to increase the distance between employees
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
j. Diversify supply chains within Canada
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
k. Diversify supply chains outside Canada
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
l. Reduce hiring of temporary foreign workers
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
m. Increase online sales capacity
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
n. Increase contactless delivery or pickup options
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
o. Reduce the physical space used by this business or organization
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
p. Increase the physical space used by this business or organization
1: 1 – very unlikely
2: 2
3: 3
4: 4
5: 5 – very likely
6: Not relevant
Technology and automation
24. Has this business or organization adopted or incorporated any of the following technologies?
Select all that apply.
1: Artificial intelligence
e.g., robotics, predictive technology
2: Machine learning
e.g., virtual personal assistants, online customer support bots, image or speech recognition
3: Automation of certain tasks
e.g., through the use of robots or computer algorithms
4: Cloud solutions
e.g., Microsoft 365®, Google Cloud™, Dropbox™
5: Collaboration tools
e.g., Zoom™, Microsoft Teams™, Slack™
6: Security software tools
e.g., anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware, firewalls
7: Software or databases for purposes other than telework and online sales
8: Digital technology to move business operations or sales online (for purposes other than teleworking or remote working)
OR
9: None of the above
Climate change
25. Over the next year, does this business or organization plan to make any investments in renewable energy or energy efficiency measures?
Exclude any planned investments that are not primarily intended to take advantage of renewable energy or improve energy efficiency.
1: Yes
Has COVID-19 delayed these planned investments?
1: Yes
3: No
3: No
Teleworking and working remotely
26. Is teleworking or working remotely a possibility for any employees of this business or organization?
Telework is a flexible working practice that allows employees to work outside the business's or organization's traditional work environment on a network enabled by digital technology.
1: Yes
Over the next three months, what percentage of the workforce is anticipated to continue to primarily telework or work remotely?
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
3: No
Future operations
27. How long can this business or organization continue to operate at its current level of revenue and expenditures before having to consider the following options?
Laying off staff:
1: Less than 1 month
2: 1 month to less than 3 months
3: 3 months to less than 6 months
4: 6 months to less than 12 months
5: 12 months or more
6: Don't know
Closure or bankruptcy:
1: Less than 1 month
2: 1 month to less than 3 months
3: 3 months to less than 6 months
4: 6 months to less than 12 months
5: 12 months or more
6: Don't know
Flow condition: If the business or organization is a private sector business, go to Q28. Otherwise, go to "Contact person".
Ownership
(i) The groups identified within the following questions are included in order to gain a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on businesses or organizations owned by members of various communities across Canada.
28. What percentage of this business or organization is owned by women?
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
29. What percentage of this business or organization is owned by First Nations, Métis or Inuit peoples?
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
30. What percentage of this business or organization is owned by immigrants to Canada?
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
31. What percentage of this business or organization is owned by persons with a disability?
Include visible and non-visible disabilities.
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
32. What percentage of this business or organization is owned by LGBTQ2 individuals?
The term LGBTQ2 refers to persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or two-spirited.
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
33. What percentage of this business or organization is owned by members of visible minorities?
A member of a visible minority in Canada may be defined as someone (other than an Indigenous person) who is non-white in colour or race, regardless of place of birth.
Provide your best estimate rounded to the nearest percentage.
Percentage:
OR
1: Don't know
Flow condition: If more than 50% of this business or organization is owned by members of visible minorities, go to Q34. Otherwise, go to "Contact person".
34. It was indicated that a percentage of this business or organization is owned by members of visible minorities. Please select the categories that describe the owner or owners.
Select all that apply.
1: South Asian
e.g., East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan
2: Chinese
3: Black
4: Filipino
5: Latin American
6: Arab
7: Southeast Asian
e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai
8: West Asian
e.g., Afghan, Iranian
9: Korean
10: Japanese
11: Other group - Specify other group:
OR
12: Prefer not to say