Introduction
The Office of Statistics and Information Act establishes the duties of the Office of Statistics and Information (OSI) as the official Alberta statistical agency and Statistics Canada’s focal point for the province.
Collection of personal information
The OSI is authorized to collect personal information, either on its own or jointly with another party by conducting surveys and censuses.
The Act has provisions for protecting personal information and penalties for offences.
Most personal information used by the OSI will be an indirect collection from:
- other Government of Alberta ministries and agencies
- government departments and statistical agencies in other jurisdictions
The Act authorizes the OSI to enter into agreements to collect and disclose information, so the OSI may disclose information to these same parties.
Information and privacy
The OSI’s privacy practices comply with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. The OSI’s practices are also affected by other provincial and federal privacy legislation concerning the public sector and private sector.
Statistical focal point
The OSI represents Alberta to the Statistics Canada Federal-Provincial-Territorial Consultative Council on Statistical Policy. The OSI:
- identifies Government of Alberta (GoA) statistical needs
- communicates as one government with one voice to the Consultative Council
- coordinates GoA representation on the Consultative Council's subcommittees through the GoA Statistics Council
See the Statistics links and resources page for links to other provincial and territorial statistical focal points.
About Alberta statistics
Alberta statistics are generally produced by a government body and are:
- publicly available facts
- summarized data about a subject, or
- other information
Some Alberta statistics are deemed ‘Official Statistics’ where:
- there are multiple data sources
- there is a lack of consensus or understanding about which source should be used
- one data source is deemed ‘official’ and this is the data source that should be used in most cases
- potential users are informed about which data source to use for specific purposes
The OSI publishes both Alberta Statistics and Official Statistics. Most of the Official Statistics are stored in the Open Government Portal. There are no technical or legal restrictions for using open data.
OSI Regulation
The Office of the Statistics and Information Regulation describes the circumstances under which the Alberta government may determine that a census or survey undertaken by the Office of Statistics and Information will be mandatory.
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Contact
General OSI enquiries
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-2071
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 780-426-3951
Email: [email protected]
Media enquiries
Contact the Treasury Board and Finance Spokesperson.