New Data Available

New Alberta shelter and Housing First data (2009 to 2018) linked to administrative tax files (T1FF, T4, T4E and T5007), 1999 to 2021, is now available in Research Data Centres across Canada.

The Government of Alberta and Statistics Canada collaborated to create a longitudinal administrative tax dataset for people that stayed in a shelter or participated in a Housing First program in Alberta between 2009 and 2018. The linkage between the Alberta data and tax data (T1FF, T4, T4E and T5007) enable the exploration of levels and sources of income of those included in the dataset. Distinctions can also be made based on length and frequency of shelter and Housing First program episodes.

The datasets available in the Research Data Centres (RDCs) consists of two types of files: Core Datasets and Supplementary Datasets.

• Core Datasets, the linked population file, identifies individuals that visited a shelter or occupied a Housing First program dwelling during the reference period from 2009 to 2018, including tax filers and non-tax filers, who were linked to a tax identifier. The file includes information on the start and end years of each individual’s residency. 

• Supplementary Datasets are special extracts from annual tax datasets. They contain only tax records that linked to the population file. Supplementary Datasets include special extracts of selected variables on income earned through employment, employment status, benefits and social assistance, and on family composition from the T1 Family File (T1FF) and files from three slips: T4 – Statement of Earnings Paid, T4E – Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits and Other Benefits, and T5007 - Statement of Benefits between 1999 and 2021.

New COVID-19 Antibody data now linked to hospitalization, cancer, death, and income information now available in Research Data Centres across Canada 

As part of its record linkage activities, Statistics Canada has added the linkage of the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey – Cycle 2 (CCAHS-2), conducted between April 1 and August 31, 2022, to several key administrative databases:

• Discharge Abstract Database (DAD): fiscal years 2010/11 to 2022/23

• National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS): fiscal years 2010/11 to 2021/22

• Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR): 1992 to 2022

• Canadian Vital Statistics – Death Database (CVSD): 2022 and 2023

• Administrative Personal Income Masterfile (APIM): 2016 to 2023

• T1 Family File (T1FF): 2010 to 2022. 

These linked data can be used to identify populations at risk during and following a pandemic. 

The Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SFGSME) 2023is now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

The survey is designed to find out what kinds of financing small and medium enterprises are using, and to collect information on recent attempts to obtain new financing. The survey also collects information on barriers to growth, the financial position of small and medium enterprises, the characteristics of ownership and the extent to which the enterprise is involved in innovation and intellectual property.

The objective of this survey is to collect general characteristics on small- and medium-sized businesses and their financing activities. It collects information on the types of debt, lease and equity financing that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) rely on. Furthermore, it collects information on any recent attempts to obtain new financing. It also collects additional information about circumstances that affect the way these businesses operate.

Statistics Canada is conducting this survey on behalf of a consortium led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The data obtained from this survey will be used by both the public and private sectors. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada will use this information to study the availability of financing to SMEs and to recommend policy changes to assist businesses. Other government departments will use this information to develop national and regional programs and for policy planning. Businesses will use this information for market analysis or to compare the performance of their firm with the performance of firms of a similar size within the same industry. Industry associations will use the information for industry performance measurement and for market development, and suppliers of financing for SMEs will use the information to determine gaps in their services.

The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2024is now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

The central objective of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is to gather health-related data at the sub-provincial levels of geography (health region or combined health regions).

New Long-Form Census of Population 2016 data linked to Long-Form Census of Population 2021 is now available in Research Data Centres across Canada.

The Census 2016 – 2021 linkage file (CEN_2016_2021) is a key file that facilitates the creation of a microdata file containing unique person-level census records that have been linked between the 2016 and 2021 long-form Censuses. The resulting linkage is comprised of individuals living in the country in 2016, who were still alive and living in the country in 2021, and completed the long-form Census in both 2016 and 2021. This file includes identifiers to merge the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, a main weight to produce estimates, and replicate weights to produce confidence intervals.

The Canadian Social Survey - Quality of Life, Climate Change and Trust (CSS-QLCCT) (CSS17) (CSSW1 2025) is now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

The Canadian Social Survey (CSS) will collect information on a variety of social topics such as health, well-being, impacts of COVID-19, activities, time-use, emergency preparedness, quality of life, energy use, virtual health care and trust. The CSS will provide data at the national level (excluding the territories).

This information may be used by all levels of government and various organizations, to inform the delivery of services and supports for Canadians during and after the pandemic, and to guide policy development on a range of social and economic issues.

The Census of Population (CEN) 2021 – Documentation Update is now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

Additional documentation available:

• A new income reference guide is now available for census 2021.

Updates to the General Social Survey (GSS) Cycle 37 - Time Use Survey 2022 are now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

Addendum – June 2025

Updates have been made to this microdata file. Please note the following minor changes:

• PDWKDUR: This derived variable now includes DUR503 in the main file.
• OTHDUR: This derived variable now includes DUR499 in the main file. 

Please also note the following minor changes to documentation only (no changes to the data): 

• In the codebook, the note for the variable PDWKDUR has been updated to indicate that DUR153 is included instead in the variable MEALSDUR.
• In the codebook, the note for the variable SCHLDUR has been updated to indicate that DUR154 is included instead in the variable MEALSDUR.
• In the codebook, the universe for ATT_170 has been updated to indicate that it includes cases where ATT_160 = 6.

In the user guide, the concordance table in Appendix B has been updated to reflect the above changes.

Updates to the Business–Employee Analytical Microdata (BEAM) are now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

We are pleased to announce the release of a new version of the Business Employee Analytical Microdata in the Research Data Centres. This updated file covers the period from 2001 to 2021, extending the analytical possibilities for users studying labour market dynamics, firm performance, and employer-employee relationships over two decades.

New in this release

• Extended time coverage: 2001–2021
• Introduction of a synthetic Statistical Area Classification variable in business-level (incorporated and unincorporated) components and in T1 files. The synthetic SAC allows for regional analysis while maintaining confidentiality and continues to support robust microdata research at the sub-provincial level.

Updates to the Employment Insurance Coverage Survey (EICS) 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 are now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

Updated codebooks are now available:

The “Universe” of the WTPM variable was corrected in both English and French. 

Before: Persons employed part-time at last or current job

Correction: All respondents

This same change was applied to the data dictionaries of EICS2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Updates to the Farm Management Survey (FMS) linked to Census of Agriculture (CEAG)

are now available for download and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects.

Updates to the FMS_EGF_CEAG_REAG_AllYears dataset

Two updates are now available for the FMS_EGF_CEAG_REAG_AllYears dataset. This dataset links microdata from the Farm Management Survey (FMS) to a selected subset of variables from the Census of Agriculture (CEAG).

1. 2017 FMS-CEAG linkage files are now available.
2. An updated version of the documentation is now available. These updates:

• correct errors where some Census of Agriculture variables were incorrectly listed as being included in the linkage files when they were not
• reformat the data dictionary for improved readability.
• include record layouts for each file in the dataset in the data dictionary