Located in Victoria, British Columbia,
Canada, BC Stats is the central statistical agency of the
Province of British Columbia. We have the provincial government's
largest concentration of statistical products, services and expertise.
Our objectives are:
- to produce and interpret statistical information
relating to all facets of life in British Columbia, including
the demographic, social and economic conditions of the province
and its population.
- to serve the needs of a variety of clients in the public and
private sectors, for timely and reliable statistical information
and analytical services with respect to the Province of British
Columbia.
- to assist British Columbia provincial government ministries
and agencies with their statistical activities, (e.g., collecting,
compiling, analysing and distributing statistical information)
and in establishing appropriate technical standards and procedures
to avoid duplication in collecting information.
- to coordinate statistical matters between the British Columbia
Government and statistical agencies of other governments within
Canada.
The statistics contained in our publications and reports come
from various sources, including Statistics Canada, surveys conducted
by provincial government ministries and agencies, as well as from
administrative files.
BC Stats protects confidentiality of individual information.
Agency staff are required to take an oath of secrecy, and are
subject to substantial penalties if they violate confidentiality
as laid out in the British Columbia Statistics Act.
Organization
BC Stats is comprised of five main sections. Following is a brief summary of each section.
Data Services
BC Stats operates a statistical enquiry service in Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada, which is available to government employees
and the public by telephone or personal visit. Data Services
staff respond to inquiries from both government personnel and
the general public, as well as providing liaison and coordination
between Statistics Canada and British Columbia government ministries.
Often, questions cannot be answered by consulting only one publication.
The staff of Data Services have the expertise to help analyse
questions and determine which publications can best help you do
your research. If your question requires greater detail, the staff
will refer you to an expert in another section of BC Stats
who can explain how statistics were gathered and what they mean.
In some cases, you may be referred to the resources or publications
of another organization. A more detailed description of the services provided
by the Data Services section can be found on the BC Stats
services page.
Business and Economic Statistics
The business and economic statistics section is responsible for producing various data and
analysis related to business and measures of the economy. These include the calculation of
provincial gross domestic product (GDP) through the BC Economic Accounts and tabulation of
export and import data (international and interprovincial trade). The section also has an
interest in developing measures of sectors of the economy that fall beyond the bounds of
standard industrial definitions, such as tourism, high technology, small business and
fisheries and aquaculture. A description of the custom services available from the Business
and Economic Statistics Section can be found on the BC Stats services page.
Labour and Social Statistics
The Labour and Social Statistics Section of BC Stats provides information on Labour Force data,
Employment and Earnings information by sector, with additional information for sub-provincial areas, social conditions
in British Columbia, including income levels and sources of income, incidence of poverty, characteristics of
Income Assistance and Employment Insurance recipients and crime data by location and type of offence.
Also, designated group information is available in support of the Government's Employment Equity program,
as well as information on the Status Indian population living on and off reserve by Band
and age group. A description of the custom services available from the Labour and Social Statistics Section can be
found on the BC Stats services page.
Population Statistics
The Population Section of BC Stats provides annual estimates of population of various sub-provincial
administrative regions, population projections of British Columbia and selected sub-provincial regions,
international and interprovincial migration reporting and analysis and analysis of various population-related issues.
In additon, the section is responsible for the mapping and geographic translation services of BC Stats.
A description of the custom services available from the Population Statistics Section can be
found on the BC Stats services page.
Surveys and Analysis
The Surveys and Analysis Section was established to conduct surveys and
analysis for BC government ministry, crown corporation and agency clients on
a cost-recovery basis. Research projects range from client satisfaction surveys
to program evaluations to full-blown cross-industry economic impact analyses.
The section is designed to assist government ministries, crown corporations and
agencies with the development of surveys from start to finish. This includes
providing expert advice on establishing the survey objective, developing the
population list, appropriate sampling techniques, designing the questions and
the questionnaire, pre-testing the questionnaire, handling field operations,
editing and tabulating the data, estimation and weighting techniques, and
reporting accurately on the findings. For a more complete description of the services
provided by the Surveys and Analysis section, see the BC Stats
services page.
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