Enviro quick facts

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The following highlights are taken from Environment Accounts and Statistics Division publications.

Human Activity and the Environment, 2009

1. Spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages from stores resulted in production of almost 46,000 kilotonnes of greenhouse gases, equivalent to 6.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada in 2003. Almost one-quarter (23%) of these food-related greenhouse gas emissions was attributable to the production of fresh and frozen meat, while fish products contributed 2%.
2. In 1964, the food system was responsible for 9% of gross domestic product (GDP) and 12% of employment. By 2004 this had decreased to 4% of GDP and 5% of employment
3. In 1964, primary production from agriculture and fisheries contributed 28% to food-related GDP. By 2004 this share had decreased to 13%. In contrast the relative contribution of services, including transportation, food services, food retail, and marketing, increased from 38% to 56%.
4. In 2007, an estimated 38% of solid food available for retail sale was wasted, the equivalent of 183 kilograms per person. A decrease in food waste would reduce negative environmental impacts associated with food production, processing, distribution and services.

EnviroStats, 2009

1. The energy intensity of Canadian manufacturers in 2006 varied greatly within the sector, from a high of almost 200 terajoules per million dollars of GDP in the petroleum and coal products manufacturing industry, to a low of 2 terajoules per million dollars of GDP in the transportation equipment manufacturing industry. Similarly, investments in energy-related processes and technologies also varied.
2. Canada's renewable water assets each year amount to a volume of water about the size of Lake Huron. Between 1971 and 2000, the volume of this water runoff amounted to an annual average of 3,435 km³. These assets are mostly the result of rain and melted snow that flow over the ground, eventually reaching our rivers and lakes. Industrial activities such as energy generation, mining and manufacturing withdrew approximately 40 km³ of water in 2005. Agriculture withdrew an estimated 4 km³ in 2001, while Canadian households, institutions and services withdrew another 4 km³.
3. In 2006, Canadian livestock manure contained 1.1 million tonnes of nitrogen and 300 thousand tonnes of phosphorus, up by 17% and 21% respectively from 1981 levels. These increases are a result of increased populations of livestock as well as variations in nutrient output by animal type.
4. Canadian industry makes significant expenditures to reduce its impact on the environment. In 2004, Canadian manufacturers spent approximately $6.8 billion to comply with environmental regulations. Depending on which aspect of the firm was targeted by these investments, a broader range of business performance benefits was also realized.

Survey of Drinking Water Plan, 2005 to 2007

1. In 2007, Canadian drinking water plants processed 5,878 million cubic meters of raw water, the majority of which was surface water.
2. In 2007, the majority of the Canadian population (28 million) received their drinking water from plants serving communities of 300 or more people. That year, just under 24 million people received drinking water obtained from surface water sources.
3. In 2007, a total of $885 million in capital expenditures was spent to add, expand or upgrade drinking water plants. In 2007, $807 million was spent on operation and maintenance (O&M). The largest component of these expenses was labour costs ($302 million).
4. Total coliforms levels in untreated surface water peaked in either the late summer or fall for 2005, 2006 and 2007.
5. Peak monthly concentrations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) followed peak monthly temperatures; the presence of E. coli in untreated surface water peaked in the fall months for 2005, 2006 and 2007.
6. In 2007, 98% of plants treating either surface water or groundwater that reported monthly E. coli results never exceeded the federal guideline for drinking water. The results were similar for 2005 and 2006.

Environment Accounts and Statistics Analytical and Technical Paper Series

The Water Yield for Canada As a Thirty-year Average (1971 to 2000): Concepts, Methodology and Initial Results
by Robby Bemrose, Laura Kemp, Mark Henry and François Soulard (Catalogue no.16-001-M2009007)

In this paper, we present the methodology developed by Statistics Canada to calculate the average annual water yield for Canada. Water yield, for the purposes of this paper, is defined as the amount of freshwater derived from unregulated flow (m³ s^-1) measurements for a given geographic area over a defined period of time. The methodology is applied to the 1971 to 2000 time period.

The methodology developed in this study produced results that are coherent through space and time. These results will be used in the future to investigate changes in water yield on a more disaggregated basis. The result of the methodology indicates that the thirty-year average annual water yield for Canada is 3,435 km³.

Agricultural Water Use Survey 2007, Methodology Report
by Marie-Ève Poirier (Catalogue no.16-001-M2009008)

In 2008, Statistics Canada conducted the first Agricultural Water Use Survey. As part of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators initiative, this pilot survey conducted from 2006 to 2008, was intended to collect information about the volume of water used for irrigation, irrigated area, irrigation practices and the quality of on-farm water. This technical paper describes the methodology used for the pilot survey, including recommendations for future cycles of the survey.

Personal Use Vehicles in Canada: Fuel Consumption Profile and Comparative Analysis of the 2007 Canadian Vehicle Survey Results
by Chris Birrell (Catalogue no.16-001-M2009009)

In 2007, vehicles consumed 42,694 megalitres (ML) of gasoline and diesel with 76% of this total coming from light vehicles (less than 4.5 tonnes) and the rest from heavy vehicles (4.5 tonnes and over). Canadians driving light vehicles used 32,597 ML of fuel, 75% of which was identified as personal use while the remaining 25% was for business use.

Drinking Water Decisions of Canadian Municipal Households
by Gordon Dewis (Catalogue no.16-001-M2009010)

Water availability and water quality are ongoing issues of interest to Canadians. Canadians are concerned about how the environment affects their health, and thus about the quality of the water they drink. This paper presents results from the 2007 Households and the Environment Survey relating to drinking water decisions of Canadian municipal households.

In 2007, 56% of CMA households with a municipal water supply treated their water before drinking it. Aesthetic reasons (appearance, taste or odour) were most frequently reported by households (58%). One out of two reported the removal of water treatment chemicals, such as chlorine, while 45% treated their water for actual or perceived health risks such as bacterial contamination. Forty-one percent of households treated their water for the presence of metals or minerals.

Introducing a New Concept and Methodology for Delineating Settlement Boundaries: A Research Project on Canadian Settlements
(Catalogue no.16-001-M2010011)

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new concept and methodology developed by Statistics Canada to delineate or map boundaries for Canada’s settlements. Settlements, for the purposes of this research, are defined as tracts or blocks of land where humans have altered the physical environment by constructing residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and other installations/buildings.

The purpose of the settlements research project is to provide detailed, harmonized and comparable data sets that will allow for a more complete national analysis of settlements including their physical form and growth patterns. The methodology is applied to Census of Population data sets for 2001 and 2006.

Initial results for 2006 suggested that approximately 20,000 square kilometres of Canada’s land area was occupied by settlements.