Statscan hopes to renew annual culture surveys
Statistics Canada expects to hear by late February or early March on a funding proposal that would see as many as seven biennial cultural surveys returned to annual events, and data collection initiated on 10 new cultural areas, including new media. Dubbed the Cultural Statistics Program Improvement Initiative, the proposal is currently being reviewed by senior managers at Statscan and Canadian Heritage. If approved, the two departments would jointly contribute funding for two years. John Gordon, chief of Statscan’s Cultural Surveys Section, says past data collection in this area has tended to focus on how traditional cultural industries, such as publishing and broadcasting, are moving into online activities. The 10 new areas identified for data collection are new media, visual artists, cultural tourism, libraries, arts education, culture trade and investment data gaps, cultural consumption, commercial performing arts, performance venues, and the retail trade of cultural goods.

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