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The naked eye versus the CPI: How does our perception of inflation stack up against the data?

January 19, 2022, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
A man sitting at a table with pencil and paper and a miniature shopping cart calculating expenses.
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Anyone who has filled up at a gas station, shopped at a supermarket or paid a utility bill recently knows that prices are rising. The question is, by how much?

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Here we go again, round five of the pandemic

January 21, 2022, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Female Doctor wearing protective eye wear, a surgical mask and boxing gloves.
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The Omicron variant is the latest curve ball thrown our way by the pandemic.

The last 22 months have been an emotional roller coaster for many Canadians and data suggest that our mental health has ebbed and flowed with each succeeding wave of the pandemic.

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Vaping: The latest version of an old habit

January 18, 2022, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
A black-and-white photo of teenaged girl vaping.
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Fewer of us are lighting up cigarettes, but some Canadians—especially younger ones—are turning to vaping, the 21st-century way of inhaling tobacco, nicotine and a host of other products.

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The changing nature of work

January 14, 2022, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Workers of various professions wearing protective medical masks.
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You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning

Take the 8:15 into the city

BTO’s 1970s rock classic “Takin’ care of business” doesn’t ring quite as true today as it once did, with much of the change in how we work occurring since the onset of the pandemic. We’ve taken a close look at the changing nature of work prior to and during the pandemic in our Economic and Social Reports series and found some interesting trends.

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada

January 4, 2022, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Graphic image of pink lungs with white ribbon
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Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in Canada. In fact, more Canadians die of lung cancer than colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancers combined. In 2021 alone, an estimated 21,000 Canadians are expected to have died of lung cancer. The high rate of death (mortality rate) from lung cancer reflects both its high rate of diagnosis (incidence rate) and its low survival rate.

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Sobering data on impaired driving this holiday season

December 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Blurred vision while driving at night, due to drug or alcohol impairment
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‘Tis the season to be jolly and for many Canadians, that means getting together with family and friends for good cheer and drink. If you are driving this holiday season, we have some data for you to mull over before you get behind the wheel.

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Providing and using child care in Canada

December 20, 2021, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
A girl drawing a rainbow on a window.
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The family dynamic was completely upended by COVID-19. Families were much more likely to spend time together given record job losses and lockdowns in the spring of 2020. Parents became teachers with the closure of schools. For many frontline workers with children at home during the lockdowns, child care became an essential service.

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Telework is changing the way we use transit

December 8, 2021, 2:20 p.m. (EST)
Graphic image showing people walking, cycling, taking the bus, driving cars, riding scooters.
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As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians are working from home. Just five years ago, about 4% of employed Canadians teleworked. In 2021, six times as many Canadians are working from home compared with 2016. 

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Taking stock of the farm damage caused by flooding in British Columbia

December 7, 2021, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Abbotsford and Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada shown on a road map.
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The Lower Fraser River Valley has some of the most productive farmland in Canada. Mild winters, rich soil and close proximity to the nation’s third-largest metropolitan area make it an ideal location for farm enterprises. Much of this prime farmland was underwater for several days during the second half of November, killing livestock, and destroying or damaging farm machinery and infrastructure.

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Will you respond?

December 7, 2021, 2:00 p.m. (EST)
person filling out a survey with a pen
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Statistically speaking, there have been a lot of dramatic ups and downs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of these is response rates.

Response rates for virtually all of our surveys have been impacted since the onset of the pandemic, and we would like to raise those rates to ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality data you can trust.

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