Statistics Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities: a collaboration to improve local level data

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, Statistics Canada (StatCan) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) announce the launch of a collaboration aimed at better leveraging the power of timely, trusted, and reliable data to empower communities and enriching the daily lives of Canadians.

Municipalities in Canada provide many of the critical services Canadians need to live, work and play. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for all levels of government to work more closely together to ensure data about local economic conditions, socioeconomic and health impacts, and other key indicators are being responsibly used to address the needs of diverse communities – from large, urbanized cities to smaller, rural or agricultural centres.

Thanks to the strong foundation and relationships both organizations have with municipalities all across Canada, Statistics Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will continue to look for new ways to generate real results for Canadians, and build on collaborations such as the Canadian Housing Survey and Core Public Infrastructure Survey.

By leveraging our combined expertise as well as long standing consultation and engagement practices, our collaborative efforts will identify opportunities to fill important data gaps at the municipal level.

This innovative collaboration is intended to improve local governments' awareness and use of Statistics Canada data, and strengthen data literacy.  It will help improve the agency's understanding of local issues and priorities, and help identify potential new data-related opportunities that better serve Canadians' needs for statistical information within their communities.

Quotes

"Statistics Canada is proud to build on a solid foundation of working with the FCM and its members to help better understand the needs of communities from coast to coast to coast. As we all work to respond to the social and economic impacts of COVID-19, it is more important than ever that we collectively pursue data-driven solutions that work for families, businesses, and diverse communities. As we prepare for the 2021 Census, we thank all Canadians who have trusted Statistics Canada, over the past 100 years, to tell their unique stories and capture the diverse and changing portrait of our nation as it grows and evolves at the neighbourhood and community level."

Anil Arora, Chief Statistician of Canada

"As the order of government closest to the everyday lives of Canadians, municipalities depend on good, reliable data to make decisions and policy that will improve communities in tangible ways. FCM's partnership with Statistics Canada will enhance municipalities' awareness of and access to StatCan data, and will strengthen the collection and use of local data—leading to better outcomes for Canadians."

Carole Saab, Chief Executive Officer, Federation of Canadian Municipalities

SOURCE Statistics Canada

Contacts: Statistics Canada Media Relations, [email protected], 613-951-4636; Federation of Canadian Municipalities Media Relations, [email protected], 613-907-6395

Related Links

www.statcan.gc.ca