Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and Statistics Canada are celebrating five years of successful partnership for the collection of data for tracking energy efficiencies in forest sector mill operations.
By providing detailed and quality data to Statistics Canada annually, Canada’s forest products sector is affirming its commitment to data-driven solutions and actively tracking its progress as it works to help Canada meet its Pan-Canadian Framework objectives of clean growth and a low carbon economy.
Each year, Statistics Canada combines various survey and administrative data to develop comprehensive measures of the Canadian economy. Through the Industrial Consumption and Energy (ICE) Survey, Statistics Canada provides data which is used to track industry’s energy efficiency progress. FPAC and Canada’s forest products sector were the first to provide administrative data for inclusion into Statistics Canada’s ICE Survey.
Benefits of this Agreement for Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is committed to reducing the reporting burden on respondents. As such the agency welcomed the opportunity to work with FPAC towards reducing the response burden for companies in the forestry and wood sectors.
A strong collaborative working relationship between both parties has been integral to ensure that proper quality control measures are in place to verify the data. FPAC’s willingness to respond to Statistics Canada’s data queries in a timely fashion and share their expertise has led to improved sector knowledge by government in addition to a high-quality dataset.
Under a data-sharing agreement, Statistics Canada shares the collected data with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) annually. These data have helped to improve the federal government’s awareness and understanding of the progress Canada’s forest sector has made towards the generation of renewable energy and lowering of GHG emissions.
Benefits of this Agreement for FPAC and Canada’s Forest Products Sector
As the first industry association in the country to sign such an agreement with Statistics Canada for the ICE Survey, FPAC has found this partnership to be very beneficial for our sector and would encourage other sectors to consider a similar arrangement. Partnerships like this one allow us to gather quality data, and work in a way that is efficient, timely, and cost-effective.
Prior to 2015, FPAC issued its own in-house annual survey which collected much of the same data that is collected by Statistics Canada, and more. By signing an agreement with Statistics Canada for data collection in relation to the ICE survey, FPAC streamlined the process across our industry, minimizing the reporting burden for the pulp and paper and wood products sectors, while getting Statistics Canada important data that it requires to do its work.
Through the creation of an industry-specific reporting guidance document, FPAC also ensured a representative dataset for the industry was captured to ensure clarity and consistency in reporting. An industry-wide coordinated approach helps us bring comprehensive and reliable information to support data-driven decision making. To further strengthen this partnership, FPAC conducts quality control and seeks timely feedback from industry partners in order to ensure data accuracy.
Statistics Canada and FPAC are proud of the positive outcomes that have been achieved through this innovative partnership. We remain committed to continuing this work and to identifying new opportunities to work together to realize win-win solutions.
Sincerely,
Derek Nighbor Anil Arora
President and Chief Executive Officer, FPAC Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada
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