Survey of Household Spending, 2017 [Canada]: Interview File

The SHS is conducted annually in the ten provinces. Starting with SHS 2015, the survey is conducted every two years in the three territorial capitals (Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit). The SHS underwent a major redesign in 2010. The new methodology combines a questionnaire with recall periods based on the type of expenditure (last month, last 3 months, last 12 months or last payment) and a daily expenditure diary that a sub-sample of households is selected to complete for a two-week period following the interview. Also, data on income and income taxes now come mainly from the T1 (Individual Tax Return) administrative data files from the Canada Revenue Agency. Finally, collection is carried out on a continuous monthly basis from January to December from a sample of households distributed over twelve monthly collection cycles. Although the expenditure data collected since 2010 are similar to those of previous years, the changes to data collection, processing and estimation methods have created breaks in the data series. As a result, users are advised not to compare SHS data from 2010 onward with data prior to 2010, unless otherwise noted.