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New releases

Canadian industry's expenditures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
This paper describes a revision of the 2002 greenhouse gas emission reduction expenditure estimates made by Canadian business. These estimates were derived from the 2002 Survey of Environmental Protection Expenditures. Included for comparison purposes are 2004 estimates of greenhouse gas reduction expenditures. Additional tables include statistics on the technologies used by industry as well as the obstacles and drivers encountered by industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Released June 25, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16-001-M No. 5)

Waste Management Industry Survey: Business and Government Sectors, 2006
The report presents results from two surveys: the Waste Management Industry Survey: Business Sector and the Waste Management Industry Survey: Government Sector. Information on the physical quantities of non-hazardous waste disposed and recycled in Canada was gathered from these two surveys. The first survey covered those operations and facilities owned by businesses that provided waste management services while the second covered operations and facilities owned by Canadian local governments and other local bodies engaged in the delivery of waste management services. Information on the employment and financial characteristics of businesses and local governments involved in the supply of these services is also reported.

Released June 23, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16F0023X)

Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Data Sources and Methods
These reports present details on the data sources and methods underlying the indicators for air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater quality reported in Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16-251-X).

Air quality indicators: Released June 20, 2008 (Statistics Canada, catalogue no. 16-254-X)

Greenhouse gas emissions indicator: Released June 20, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16-255-X)

Freshwater quality indicator: Released June 20, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16-256-X)

Agricultural Water Use Survey
The Agricultural Water Use Survey was conducted in March 2008 to gather information on the volumes of water used, irrigation methods and practices, and sources and quality of water used for agricultural purposes on Canadian farms. The data obtained are used to support the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators initiative, a partnership between Statistics Canada, Environment Canada, and Health Canada. The information will also be used by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to report on the environmental performance of the agriculture sector, and to inform future water use policy and program development to support Canadian irrigators.

Released June 6, 2008. Data are available upon request, please contact environ@statcan.gc.ca. The full report will be released in the fall of 2008.

Human Activity and the Environment: Annual Statistics 2007 and 2008
With emphasis on human activity and its relationship to natural systems—air, water, soil, plants and animals—Human Activity and the Environment presents a compendium of maps, tables and charts. This information is punctuated with simple analysis and interpretation, which together provide statistical insight into Canada's environment. The feature article in this issue is "Climate change in Canada." The article provides the latest greenhouse gas emission data, an overview of impacts on the environment and concludes with adaptation and mitigation activities underway by governments, businesses and citizens.

Highlights:

Greenhouse gas emissions in Canada increased 25% between 1990 and 2005. Without increases in efficiency, however, the increase in emissions would have been even greater.

Over this same period, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per unit of economic activity decreased 18%, while energy use increased 23%.

Energy production and consumption are by far the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, accounting for more than 80% of emissions in 2005.

Seventy-six percent of the increase in domestic industrial emissions from 1990 to 2003 was due to the production of goods and services for export.

Released April 22, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16-201-X)

Commuting Patterns and Places of Work of Canadians, 2006 Census
This product examines the journey to work of Canadians and includes data on workplace location, mode of transportation to work and commuting distance between home and work. Data from the 2006 Census show that although the majority of Canadians use their cars to travel to work, more workers are using public transportation for their daily commute.

Released April 9, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 97-561-X)

Organic: from niche to mainstream
This article, part of the 2006 edition of Canadian Agriculture at a Glance, provides insight on the rapidly evolving organic food sector of agriculture in Canada. With growing consumer demand and increasing visibility, many organic food products in Canada are being showcased in grocery stores, natural food stores, farmers' markets and in community-supported agriculture projects. For consumers the challenge is to know what "organic" really means. Is it the same as "certified organic"? How large is the market for organic food in Canada and what are farmers doing to address the demand?

Released March 28, 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 96-325-X)

Upcoming releases

Survey of Environmental Protection Expenditures, 2006
This publication will consist of preliminary data from the 2006 Survey of Environmental Protection Expenditures. Estimates of environmental protection expenditures, by industry and province, made by Canadian businesses in response to environmental regulations, conventions or voluntary agreements, will be presented. The estimates will include capital and operating expenditures made for pollution abatement and control, pollution prevention, environmental assessments and audits, and environmental monitoring activities.

Release – Summer 2008 (Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 16F0006X)

New developments

What's next – Survey of Drinking Water Plants
Terence Nelligan, Environment Accounts and Statistics Division

Statistics Canada is developing a new survey that will collect information from drinking water plants in Canada. This survey is part of a broader initiative of Statistics Canada, Environment Canada and Health Canada to develop national indicators of air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater quality. These Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) are intended to provide Canadians with more regular and consistent information on the state of their environment and how it is linked with human activities. As part of this indicators initiative, the Survey of Drinking Water Plants will support the development of a national indicator of source and treated water quality.

In 2007, Statistics Canada requested the inventories of drinking water plants (DWPs) held by the provinces and territories to facilitate a survey of facilities that draw and process raw/source water from the environment and convey treated/finished water for consumption. Excluding systems that supply water to communities with less than 300 people and other regulated systems that service schools, camp grounds, commercial establishments, provincial parks, etc., a survey frame of approximately 2,600 DWPs serving communities of 300 or more people was compiled, the majority being publicly-owned (municipal) systems. With respect to DWPs in First Nations communities, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has agreed to include the survey content in their engineering review of DWPs that will be conducted in 2008 and 2009.

The survey collects detailed information concerning the quantity and quality of raw (source) and treated (finished) water processed by DWPs in Canada. Information concerning the treatment processes used and the associated costs of acquiring and treating raw water is also collected by the survey. The survey covers a three year reporting period (2005 to 2007) in order to support the CESI project and its national water quality indicator. Three years of data will allow parameters sampled at lower frequencies to be available for use in the source and treated water quality indicator pilot being developed by Health Canada. The survey will be run under the authority of the Statistics Act. The survey is expected to be mailed out in the spring of 2008 with preliminary data anticipated by the end of 2008 and a report of the results made available by the spring of 2009.

Latest indicators: Natural resource wealth
Joan Forbes, Environment Accounts and Statistics Division

This new addition to EnviroStats' front page set of indicators tracks changes in the estimated dollar values of Canada's non-produced assets, also referred to as natural resource assets. Monetary values of land, timber, energy and mineral resource stocks make up Canada's natural resource wealth.

Not all stocks of timber, energy and mineral resources are included in the measurement. Only the portions of stocks that meet a pre-determined set of criteria are given a value. These estimates are ultimately integrated into an annual national balance sheet table that presents a broader measure of the country's national wealth.

For additional information, please see:

Statistics Canada, 2006, Concepts, Sources and Methods of the Canadian System of Environmental and Resource Accounts , Catalogue no. 16-505-G, Ottawa.

Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table 378-0005 – National Balance Sheet, National Wealth Accounts, annual.