Statistics Canada is discontinuing several long-running environmental and water-related surveys as part of spending reductions outlined in the federal government’s Comprehensive Expenditure Review, the department confirmed in a statement to Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine.
Among the programs being eliminated are the Biennial Drinking Water Plants Survey, which produces “a national portrait of potable water production, treatment processes and costs,” says Statistics Canada. The Biennial Industrial Water Survey and the Municipal Wastewater Systems in Canada Survey will also be discontinued. The Municipal Wastewater Systems in Canada Survey documented discharge volumes and treatment processes for municipal systems discharging more than 100 m³/day across Canada.
The agency says the changes are intended to streamline operations while maintaining core national statistical programs and reducing duplication where data can be obtained through alternative sources.
The Municipal Wastewater Systems in Canada Survey will publish its final dataset for the 2024 reference year on June 30, 2026. While the survey is being discontinued, wastewater effluent information will continue to be collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations and made publicly available through the federal Open Government Portal.
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The Agricultural Water Survey is also being eliminated.
The Biennial Drinking Water Plants Survey will release its final 2024 data by August 7, 2026, while the Biennial Industrial Water Survey will publish its final dataset in November 2026. The Agricultural Water Survey has already concluded, with its final 2024 data release published in October 2025.
Statistics Canada said the reductions stem from Budget 2025 measures and the broader Comprehensive Expenditure Review, which require federal departments and agencies to identify operational savings while protecting priority programs. The agency entered a workforce adjustment period in January 2026 and has since undertaken targeted program changes aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of Canada’s national statistical system.
Statistics Canada emphasized that its core economic and demographic programs — including the Census of Population, Consumer Price Index, gross domestic product, trade statistics and labour market data — will continue without interruption.
“Most changes affect how data are collected and produced, rather than the availability of data,” the agency said in a public statement about the reductions. Statistics Canada says it plans to expand its use of administrative records, modelling, automation and artificial intelligence, while also adjusting publication frequencies and levels of detail where appropriate.
In addition to the survey cancellations, the scope of Statistics Canada’s Census of Environment program will be reduced. Core ecosystem datasets covering areas such as land, forests, oceans, agriculture, urban environments, freshwater systems and wetlands will continue. However, the agency plans to scale back engagement activities, governance functions, product updates and research and development efforts.
Further program reductions are outlined by Statistics Canada here.
