The Business & Community Newsletter – June 2018

On May 16, 2018 at the Government of Canada's Beyond 2020 Ontario Innovation Fair at Toronto's Mattamy Athletic Centre (former Maple Leaf Gardens) Lynn Barr-Telford, Director General at Statistics Canada talked about how Statistics Canada is modernizing in today's rapidly changing data landscape. Using case studies of cannabis legislation and the opioids crisis, she talked about some innovative approaches to data development being explored at Statistics Canada including a new rapid stats survey mechanism.

Modernizing every step of the cycle

The department is looking at every aspect the survey cycle to improve our products in support of evidence based policy. From the outset, the goal is to support quality decisions by citizens, their governments and businesses based on evidence by maximizing the use of administrative/big data, better integrating data from a variety of sources. Statistics Canada aims to expand access to high value products and services, and improve analysis and visualization tools to evaluate and support responsible data use.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has a practical role to play in the collection of data. For example, combining traditional methods with AI in the 2016 Census, the department was able to improve immigration variables used to fill in missing values and identify best combination of respondent characteristics to make corrections. AI is also being used to improve Consumer Price Index and retail data and improve statistics on the economic impact international tourism.

Leading Edge

The department is always looking for other methods and partners to complement traditional and new methodologies. For example, it has partnered with the City of Surrey, BC to conduct the Opioid Data Collection and Community Response Project with an aim to better understand the various socio-economic and health-related factors of individuals with an elevated risk for opioid misuse and overdose. The department is seeking opportunities to talk with various people of all walks of life.

The audience on May 16 was made up of public servants from the Federal and Ontario governments as well as municipalities and students. "It was a great opportunity to really talk about the initiatives to an audience with a variety of perspectives." She feels that Statistics Canada, as the national statistical agency can only benefit from reaching out to as many as possible. "If we are to reach our goals, it is important for us to be able to be out there and get questions and feedback."

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted on September 25, 2015, by the United Nations General Assembly. The 17 SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. They cover a broad range of social and economic development issues, with a focus on the most vulnerable and a commitment that "no one will be left behind."

To measure and monitor progress on the SDGs, on May 16, the government of Canada is launched the SDG Data Hub, hosted by Statistics Canada.

The SDG Data Hub is the result of a partnership among several federal government departments. Data include indicators on health, education, income, agriculture, official development assistance, the economy and gender equality. Canada's statistics for the global indicators related to life on land, water and air are also included.

For example, for Goal 3—Good Health and Well-being—data show that the mortality rate related to unsafe water, sanitation or lack of hygiene declined from 2013 to 2014, while the mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisoning increased slightly.

According to data presented for Goal 5—Gender Equality—women spent 4.1 hours on unpaid work in an average 24-hour day in 2015, 60 minutes more than their male counterparts. Overall, both women and men spent less time on unpaid work in 2015 than they did in 2010, and the gap narrowed between men and women relative to time spent on unpaid work.

For Goal 12—Responsible Consumption and Production—data show that household energy consumption declined 2.0% from 2014 to 2015, while household water use fell 7.6% from 2011 to 2013.

To find out more, consult the SDG Data Hub.

On April 13, 2018, Statistics Canada and Transport Canada launched the Transportation Data and Information Hub. The hub provides Canadians with online access to comprehensive statistics and measures on the country's transportation sector.

The Transportation Data and Information Hub offers an array of information on the rail, road, air and marine modes. It also provides new performance indicators, such as truck wait times at border crossings.

Updated monthly, the Hub features data, analysis, maps, infographics and performance indicators. The interactive tools can be used to examine, for example, the cargo handled at specific Canadian ports, the number of international travellers entering Canada by border crossing, the types and volume of freight shipped by rail and truck, as well as the number of passengers travelling through Canada's airports.

To find out more, consult the Transportation Data and Information Hub.

On May 13, 2017, Government of Canada has tabled legislation that proposes to legalize the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis for non-medical use. If this legislation is approved, all levels of government will need sound statistical information to support the development of policies and regulations.

To meet this information need, Statistics Canada continues to release a variety of cannabis-related data.

Did you know:

• In 2012, 42.5% of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using cannabis in their lifetime.
• There were 44,301 incidents of cannabis possession in Canada in 2016. 
• Canada's 55 licensed cannabis producers reported that 8.7 hectares of greenhouse cultivation area were in active use in 2016.
• In 2017, about 4.9 million Canadians aged 15 to 64 spent an estimated $5.6 billion on cannabis for medical and non-medical purposes.
• Cannabis consumers identified dried flowers (78%), edibles (28%) and hashish (11%) as the most commonly used types of products consumed within the past three months.

Looking for information on cannabis and not sure where to start? Check out the Cannabis Stats Hub, where you'll find economic, health, justice and social statistics. The Hub is continually updated with new information.

Explore Statistics Canada's crowdsourcing platform, StatsCannabis, which invites Canadians to help Statistics Canada produce estimates by sharing information about their latest transaction. According to March 2018 StatsCannabis data, the average price of cannabis in Canada was $6.96 per gram.

For more interesting cannabis statistics, check out the following:

• Association between the frequency of cannabis use and selected social indicators
• Provincial and Territorial Cannabis Economic Accounts
• A snapshot of licensed cannabis producers
• National Cannabis Survey first quarter results and infographic
• Using municipal wastewater to measure Canadians' consumption of cannabis and opioids
• Analysis of trends in the prevalence of cannabis use in Canada
• Cannabis Economic Account
• Experimental Estimates of Cannabis Consumption in Canada
• A cannabis economic account – The framework
• Preparing the statistical system for the legalization of cannabis.