Optional modules for CCHS 2017 and 2018

Question:
Can you advise which modules were optional in the CCHS 2017 and 2018? Are these reported consistently somewhere?

Answer:
Please find attached the CCHS Content Selection. This document provides the different type of content (core, theme, optional and rapid response) selected over time by each provinces and territories.

 *Original e-mail included an attachment that is available upon request*

Location of shape files and DA information for past of Saskatchewan and NWT

Question:
I need to find a shape file for the northern part of Saskatchewan.  We are putting together a map of the Athabasca Watershed which goes into northern Saskatchewan and very southern part of NWT

Are these available through DLI along with the DA population.

Answer:
I’ve received the following reply from subject matter:
“All our 2016 Census boundary files (including shapefiles) can be found here: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/bound-limit/bound-limit-2016-eng.cfm

We have provinces and territories, which the client might be interested in or they can search on Open Maps (Federal Geospatial Platform): https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset?collection=fgp&q=  Open Maps contains geography products from various Canadian government agencies, including Statistics Canada.”

General inquiry re: digitization of StatCan publications

Question:
My UL recently came back from the COPPUL Director’s meeting, and said that they were told that all Statistics Canada publications had been digitized and are freely available online, and then indicated they would like me to discard our print and fiche collection accordingly. Based on [the] question about the 1971 Place Name Reference and the reply , however, I am guessing that this is not the whole story. I was planning on investigating the actual online coverage this summer anyway, but if anyone else has heard about this apparent development and has any additional information to share I would really appreciate it.

Answer:
Please see below for an official statement from the Statistics Canada Library regarding the digitization project. I’ve attached a spreadsheet that includes all of their outstanding items, as well as an interesting article entitled “The Book Report” which discusses many of the same things.

Digitization Project Update:
I am pleased to announce that with the help of the Publishing and Depository Services Directorate (PDSD) at Public Services and Procurement Canada, all phases of the Digitization Project are expected to be completed by the end of this month.

The Library completed the scanning of its collection of print-only official Statistics Canada and Dominion Bureau of Statistics (DBS) publications in March 2018. Over the course of the 2018-19 fiscal year, these scanned files were transferred to PDSD for cataloguing, hosting, and dissemination. This month, PDSD completed the cataloguing of all of these files and they are now accessible through the Government of Canada Publications catalogue. In addition, by the end of March 2019, the associated catalogue records in the Statistics Canada Library’s online catalogue will also link through to the digitized versions. At that point, the digitization project will be considered complete.

Please note that the Statistics Canada Library has retained at least one copy of the original in print format for its repository.

Libraries interested in weeding their collection of print material from Statistics Canada and the DBS should be aware of the following:

• Publications that were originally published in both print and digital format were not scanned since the digital copy already exists.
• Due to frequent changes in publishing procedures over more than 100 years of publishing, it was not always clear if a publication should be in scope as an official publication. Other libraries may have print documents from Statistics Canada and the DBS that we consider to be “supplementary” rather than “official” publications and so these may not have been digitized.
• Some publications in our collection predate the creation of the DBS but were also digitized if they were predecessors to a series that was taken over by the DBS.
• This was a mass scanning effort of approximately 140,000 documents. Despite quality controls, the quality of scanned documents can differ.
• It is possible that a document was missed during the scanning process or that it is missing from our print repository.
• There are 107 documents that we were unable to digitize as they were last copies or too fragile. A list of these is attached. If any libraries have surplus copies of these items and are willing to donate them for scan and destroy purposes, please let us know.

If you come across any scans that are illegible or have missing pages or if you are aware of any missing items, please contact us. We will add missing items to the online collection as we become aware of them going forward.

I appreciate your cooperation in this effort and am delighted that this significant collection of more than one hundred years of historical Canadian statistics can now be accessed online by researchers anywhere in Canada and around the world. 

Modernization Bulletin

The March 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

RTRA Extracts for SHS 2016

Question:
A few months ago, it was reported on this list that the U of Ottawa was doing RTRA extracts from SHS 2016, and would make the tables available to others.  Does anyone have any information on how this is going?

As I promised a few months ago, I am going to send the subject division cookies,  when they finally release a new SHS PUMF.

Answer:
We have completed considerable work on the RTRA SHS extracts but we are understanding now why StatCan dropped these as it involves considerable custom programming for the sheer volume of expenditure &/or equipment classes.  It is important to us to document our work and perhaps share it back with StatCan.

Can you tell [us] what expenditure or equipment classes you need and any breakdowns by province, some CMAs or major household and dwelling variables?  We can research specifics and will get back to you on list with the follow-up details.

One additional point is that the latest SHS year in RTRA is 2015.  Will that suit your needs? 

We will also ask StatCan to verify if / when 2016 will be made available.

Survey of Hhld Spending PUMFs

Question:
Will there be PMNFs made for the SHS from 2012 to 2016?

Answer:
Subject matter has simply responded saying that they are creating a PUMF for the SHS 2017 – I suspect this is meant to indicate that there are no plans to create one for 2012 to 2016.

Survey of Household Spending (SHS)

Question:
I am wondering if a recent version of the Survey of Household Spending (SHS) is available. I looked on the FTP server and the most recent data set is from 2009. But here it states there might be more current versions. 

Answer:
The 2017 SHS PUMF is expected to be released in the Fall – this would be the most current version.

Follow-up Question:
Just to confirm, there will not be a 2016 PUMF?

Follow-up Answer:
Based on the answers I’ve received from subject matter, it appears as if the 2017 will be the only one they are producing.