Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database

Question:
Is it possible to have:

• Imports
• by Country

*by 10 digit level, specifically for 4412319013 Plywood, mahogany from the Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database?

Answer:
I’ve received the following response from subject matter:

“The request mentioned below is possible but entails more information.

We would need to know:
- The years required
- Monthly or Yearly

Other variables available for Imports are:
-          Country of Export
-          Country of Origin
-          Port of Entry/Clearance
-          Mode of Transport
-          US State of Export/Origin
-          Duty Collected
-          Freight
-          Unit of Measure
-          Quantity
-          Value
Please send the above variables to the client as well as what years they need and if its monthly/yearly.

Follow-Up Question:
Researcher replied with:

Range of Years - latest 5 complete years available;

Data: Yearly (imports of only 4412319013);

Unit of Measure - sheets of plywood (all sizes, most common measure 4'x8'/metric equivalent, all thicknesses, usually between 6mm and 18mm);

Quantity - Total number of sheets;

Value - Total $ CAN assessed and basis of value (eg, Retail Sale in Canada or other basis)

Follow-Up Answer:
I’ve received the following response from subject matter:

“I have looked into this data request and there are some issues with the requested data (please see in red),

Imports
Year: 2014-2018
Yearly
HS10: 4412319013
Unit of Measure: The unit of measure  is associated with the HS code for the commodity. Please refer the client to chapter 44 of the HS classification. I took a brief look and it looks like it’s mostly identified as 6mm in thickness size, but the unit of measure for these commodities is MTK ( Square Metre )
Quantity: The quantity doesn’t focus on number of sheets, only on square metre.
Value ($CDN) "

Follow-Up Question:
Bonjour/Hello,

Researcher would like another quote for just:
Total square meters of this marine plywood, 4412319013, imported into Canada in 2018
Quantity: square metre
Value ($CDN)

and assumes the value is wholesale, (not retail), correct ?

Follow-Up Answer:
I’ve received the following response:

“Unfortunately, I am unable to answer the clients question inquiring if the value is wholesale and not retail. If the client would like to seek further clarification on that specific subject matter, I would suggest contacting MWTD.


As for the price of a custom tabulation including the year 2018, the cost will remain [the same] (plus applicable tax).”

Provincial Electoral District Census Profiles

Question:
I am assisting an economics student on a research question based around census profiles (that include ethnic origin and place of birth questions) around provincial electoral district boundaries. This is easily do-able for federal electoral districts –but I haven’t found a consistent methodology for provincial electoral boundaries. Some provinces have posted profiles on their own portals –not sure how consistent the methods are. Perhaps there’s a collocation of that I’m unaware of.

• https://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/statisticsBySubject/Census/2006Census/ProvincialElectoralDistricts.aspx
• https://open.alberta.ca/publications/alberta-provincial-electoral-division-profiles-2016-2019-boundaries
• https://www.gov.mb.ca/mbs/reports/ped_profiles.html
• https://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/english/provincial/electoral-map/socioeconomic-files.php

I have reached out to explore the researchers openness to a geospatial approach since most of the boundary files seem to be available.

Answer:
We’ve had the following information passed on:

“As long as all of the PEDs are available online via open data, we could create a national or provincial files. We don’t currently have PED boundaries other than Ontario (which we have created and have permission to use for other organizations).

I checked with one of our geographers, and she provided the following additional information:

If the files are retrieved via open data portals I don’t think we would need permission to use them.  It doesn’t seem that there is a standard methodology, other than provinces aiming to have representation by population. From the quick look I took at the BC PEDs, the boundaries do not follow any SGCs. Provinces also amend and update boundaries at different times. For example, BC updated their PEDS in 2015, Manitoba in 2018.   I would need to consult with the client to find out if they wanted the most recently updated boundaries, or the boundaries used in the last provincial elections.

All that to say is yes, we can create them.  This would be a cost-recovery activity so there would be a charge for the work.”

CCHS 2015 and Applying Survey Weights

Question:
A graduate student has asked me where to find the survey weights for the CCHS 2015: Nutrition Component, Food and ingredient details.  In particular she’s interested in weighting the FIDDCON variable (Location of food consumption).  There is no survey weight variable for the ‘Food and ingredient details’ section of the CCHS on ODESI.  Variables often used for developing a sample/constructing weights were collected in the CCHS (age, gender, geography) and there is a Weights variable for the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2015-2016: Annual Component on ODESI, but age/gender/geo are not part of the ‘Food and ingredients details’ data set in which FIDDCON is included.  I don’t see a ‘key’/common variable that could connect the weights from the Annual Component dataset to the Food and ingredients details data set.  I’d appreciate any help figuring out how to obtain the survey weights for this part of the survey, or help understanding what I am missing about how survey weights are used.

Additionally, I’ve been reading through the documentation for CCHS2015 and having a hard time reconciling the various components and timelines and the numbers of respondents to each part of the survey.  If there’s someone on the list who is relatively familiar with this survey, I’d love to have a 30-minute phone chat about it, please just let me know a couple of times you’d be available this week or next.

Answer:
I’ve received the following response from subject matter:

“The survey weights are found in the HS file. The researcher will need to merge the FID file with the HS file in order to apply the survey weights.”

Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS)

Question:
The copy of the data on the EFT server for the above survey ends in 2011, but there is evidence that there is something more recent, as shown on

http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=5017

Having examined the available data, the researcher has the following question:
"These provide enrollments by high-level groupings of Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes, and what I am after are more fine grained breakdowns, potentially down to individual CIP codes.  Do you know how I would go about gaining access to that finer-grained PSIS enrollment data?"

Answer:

I've received the following response from subject matter:

"Normal DLI resources for PSIS would not satisfy the request below and a custom request to the CIP-6 level would be far too large to be workable in table format.  I think microdata access is a must for this request.  I am currently investigating possibilities that lie outside the box.  Do you think that the client could qualify for and be able to access an RDC?"

I will let you know if they pass anything else along, however it looks as if the RDCs may be your best bet.

Modernization Bulletin

The April 2019 issue of the Statistics Canada Modernization Bulletin is now available on the EFT. The bulletin aims to keep you up to date on the latest Statistics Canada initiatives and transformations.  

EFT: /MAD_DLI_IDD_DAM/Root/ModernizationBulletinModernisation

Please note that we are currently working on having these accessible with an ISSN number in the near future!

Spending on Child Care Services

Question:
I’m assisting a researcher who is looking to answer “how much net out of pocket spending (pretax) do individuals by gender and by household composition spend on paid child care services?”. I have recommended the 2016 Census PUMF, but the researcher is looking for 2017 data from the Survey Household Spending if possible. It’s not feasible to wait until the fall for the SHS PUMF to come out. What would the timeline and cost be for a custom tab?

Answer:
Hello, there is a new survey that was released April 10, 2019: Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements (SELCCA) that should be able to answer these questions. It is available in the RDCs and will be available in the RTRA program shortly.

This is a link to the Daily release https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190410/dq190410a-eng.htm  and to the survey information: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=5287. We can let you know once it is in RTRA.

Follow-up Answer:
We can otherwise pursue a custom tab if the researcher wants it from the SHS instead.
We’ve received the following response:

“The table attached to this email includes data pertaining to the 2017 SHS by Gender for Child Care Services. Should they require more data than that which is provided here, we can certainly look into performing a custom tabulation.”

Survival analysis or Time-to-Event datasets

Question:
I have a graduate student wondering if there are any microdata sets from Statistics Canada that might be useful for survival analysis. The topic or focus of the data is not important, so long as the dataset would lend itself to this type of analysis. He already has datasets from hospital discharges, but is looking for others. Basically the dataset would need to contain microdata (not aggregated) and provide information on the time elapsed before an event happens. Common subjects are disease onset or death, mechanical failure of equipment, etc., but again any topic would work.

I hope I have explained this well enough to be understood (I only grasp it at a basic level myself!). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
I’ve received quite a lengthy response from subject matter that will hopefully help some:

“To clarify, by “time-to-event”, is the student looking for longitudinal data? For example, are they looking for data points regarding what happens in between two things (i.e. what happens to my health from the point when I am diagnosed with a  disease to when I die?)

To my knowledge, there are no longitudinal Health Public Use Microdata Files on any topic (deaths, disease onset, et cetera).  The National Population Health Survey (or NPHS) was longitudinal, but, by the very nature of longitudinal data, it does not lend well to PUMF analysis. As such, we only offer NPHS data for reference years 1994 – 1995, 1996 – 1997, and 1998 – 1999 and there is no longitudinal element to the PUMF. I have attached the NPHS PUMF questionnaire here in case the student might see some data points of interest. We also have PUMFs for the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). These offer a greater range of reference periods – dating back to 2000 and in two-year intervals up to and including 2016. I have attached that questionnaire as well. If these options might work - we can offer the access for free.

Normally, to acquire data like this, some researchers apply for record linkages. This enables them to link one thing (hospital records) to another thing (death certificates) in order to make meaning about how the two records might work together regarding outcomes. However, this is not a dataset and requires an application, approvals, and is usually done on a record by record basis. I have attached a copy of the application form for record linkage to this message just in case, though I honestly do not think this is what would best meet the needs of the student. 

CIHI (https://www.cihi.ca/en/access-data-and-reports ) might also be able to offer some information relating to patient experiences, hospital stays, health outcomes, emergency care, et cetera.”