Survey of Heritage Institutions

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1938

Reference period of change - 2011

Although a questionnaire was printed for 2011, due to operational constraints, no data were collected or disseminated. In 2012, the survey was cancelled.

Reference period of change - 2007

Target population - As of reference year 2007, the industry classification is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2007.

Reference period of change - 2006

Starting with reference year 2006, this survey became an industry-based sample survey entitled "Annual Survey of Service Industries: Heritage Institutions". It is now conducted by Service Industries Division, as part of the Unified Enterprise Surveys programme.

For 2006, a shorter questionnaire, designed to collect only core financial data (revenues and expenses), was used for this industry. The questionnaire was sent only to a subset of businesses with complex operational structures. Data for the remaining businesses selected in sample were compiled using administrative data.

Sampling - For this reference year, only revenue and expense variables are being produced. Questionnaires were sent only to a subset of businesses with complex operational structures. The remaining businesses were estimated using administrative data only.

Reference period of change - 2005

For 2005, a shorter questionnaire, designed to collect only core financial data (revenues and expenses), was used for this industry. The questionnaire was sent only to a subset of businesses with complex operational structures. Data for the remaining businesses selected in sample were compiled using administrative data.

Data sources - For the 2005 reference year, only revenue and expense variables are being produced. Questionnaires were sent only to a subset of businesses with complex operational structures. The remaining businesses were estimated using administrative data only.

Reference period of change - 2004

Commencing with reference year 2004, this survey, which now comprises both the for-profit and not-for-profit establishments, is administered by the Service Industries Program, in collaboration with the Culture Statistics Program.

Target population - As of 2004, the target population consists of all statistical establishments classified as Heritage Institutions according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2002) during the reference year.

Instrument design - In 2004, the questionnaire was redesigned to achieve a number of objectives:

- reduce overall response burden;
- produce more relevant industry information;
- become more compatible with business accounting practices and make the questionnaire easier to complete;
- reduce our collection and processing costs;
- produce statistics that are more comparable with those of other industries and other countries.

Reference period of change - 2002/03

This survey was previously conducted for the 1999/2000 reference period. Although a questionnaire was printed for 2001, due to operational constraints, no data were collected or disseminated.

Reference period of change - 1997/98

In April 1988, the Canadian Parks Service introduced a new way of recording public attendance at national parks, national historic sites, and canals, in order to more precisely reflect the Parks Service mandate. Three types of attendance are recorded: entries (counted whenever a person enters, regardless of purpose); visits (counted whenever a person enters for the first time on a visit for the purposes of heritage appreciation or recreation; multiple entries on a visit are eliminated); and visit-day or hours (counted whenever a person on a visit for heritage appreciation or recreation purposes stays a day or part-day, or an hour or part-hour).

The attendance data now reported in the heritage survey are visits. Prior to 1988-89, reporting for parks or historic sites usually included what is now defined as visits, but often included some of what is now defined as entries.

In 1995-96, 318 heritage institutions were added to the survey frame. These additional institutions affect the magnitude but not the direction of the data trend for key variables such as total attendance and total revenue.