Government Information in Canada/Information gouvernementale au Canada, Volume 3, number/numéro 2 (fall/automne 1996)
Review / Compte rendu

Strategis: Industry Canada Online
Strategis: Industrie Canada en direct
1

Marilyn Spindler 2
CIBC Business Information


Strategis, the bilingual Web site of Industry Canada, was created to make available the information resources of that government department. To quote from About Us, accessible from the Web site's home page, "we are committed to business and we dedicate ourselves to the success of all Canadian businesses at home and abroad." An ambitious undertaking, to be sure, which has resulted in the pulling together of over 300,000 documents in less than a year. While it would be difficult to determine a direct link between their efforts to date and the success of all Canadian business, I feel that they are succeeding admirably in improving the accessibility of useful Industry Canada information and providing links to valuable information from other sources. The site is suitable to business people, researchers, consumers, and students. Use is currently free but charges will apply for use of certain segments in the future.

Content

The site was reorganized in October 1996 in response to user feedback. There are currently eight main categories, which can be accessed either from the main menu itself or from a useful, bird's-eye site map available both in text and graphical format. From the Company Information category's Canadian Company Capabilities page, the user can access the BOSS Directories with which many business people and researchers are already familiar in other formats. In fact, the FAQ for the Company Capabilities database tells us that the BOSS print directories will eventually be phased out in favour of the Web version. For those not already familiar with BOSS, these very valuable sources allow the identification of companies that produce specific products, and further show the geographical areas to and from which they export and import. This is one of the databases to which a future fee will be applied. The Corporations Database, also within Company Information, provides information on the incorporation of Canadian companies. Both are searchable and both provide the opportunity for companies to register themselves and add or update information about themselves, thus improving currency. The process that ensures the integrity and security of the information added or changed is fully explained on the FAQ page.

International Business Opportunities, Trade and Investment includes monthly graphically-presented data on trade statistics and foreign markets for Canadian goods and services. I would particularly like to draw attention to a feature recently added to Investments in Canada. Why Invest in Canada is structured as a visual presentation to potential investors and can be downloaded for use as such. Furthermore, there are additional, more specific, presentations on industries such as aerospace and information technology.

Business Information by Sector provides an in-depth look at a number of Canadian industries. For each industry, coverage may include industrial analysis and statistics, links to trade associations, links to relevant statutes and regulations, and information about trade shows and conferences. The currency of the reports varies. Some of the subsections of the health industry report, for example, were dated 1993, while most of the report on information technologies was dated 1996. The new Sector Competitiveness Frameworks is linked from this page. Ten industries are investigated from the point of view of current overview and prospects. An additional ten industries will be added in the spring of 1997 and ten more in the summer of 1997. A second phase is currently planned, which will eventually present action plans for improving the global competitiveness of all thirty industries.

Microeconomic Research and Statistical Analysis presents statistics on leading indicators, consumer and business confidence, price movements, exchange rates and interest rates, to name a few. Special reports on topics such as international competitiveness, corporate taxation, the information economy, and small business facts can be found here. Quarterly provincial industrial overviews and a link to the Statistics Canada Daily are just some of the other features of this category.

Technology, Innovation and Licensing contains the Canadian Patent Database, which is searchable by keyword and provides access to licensable technologies from forty countries worldwide.

From Business Support and Services you can retrieve pathfinders that outline how to incorporate a business, how to prepare a business plan, how to obtain a sales tax license, and whom to contact for useful information. At this point you could elect to call up the Small Business Loans Act or access Canadian Industry Statistics to benchmark your company against others in your industry.

Consumers and the Marketplace lays out the mandates of and services provided by Industry Canada sections such as the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. No actual bankruptcy statistics are provided here, just the telephone number. This category is also the home of Consumer Quarterly magazine, which examines such issues as voluntary standards, biotechnology and changes in the financial services sector.

Finally, Human Resources and Training provides links to experts in the human resource and management fields, with an obvious emphasis on upgrading technological competencies.

Evaluation

Apart from the usefulness of the content, numerous other features make this Web site attractive to repeat visits. First, there is a lot of background information available as to how and why the data has been gathered. The About Us button provides some of this. Also, the provenance of each report is clearly stated on a consistent spot at the top of the page. For each report the author, the author's department or directorate within Industry Canada, and the date are provided. For the most part, the information in the reports is current. Navigation within the site is relatively easy and clearly marked, offering several different methods depending on the user's level of familiarity. A more seasoned searcher can click on the Site Map on the home page and from this map click on the precise subcategory desired. This allows for quick retrieval and exit. The Search feature is effective and includes a help function that explains the logic behind the search. In searching the company databases, you can elect to simply search by keyword or take advantage of multiple field searching. The What's New feature, also accessible from the home page, is particularly informative. By clicking here, not only can you see what has been added to the Strategis Web site in the last month, but you can also choose to look at the What's New Archive, which documents the history of additions to the database since its launch in March 1996. The user can also elect to register to receive by email weekly alerts about changes and additions to the Web site. I did so and received acknowledgement of my registration within one half hour. I now receive an update clearly organized by the same main categories used on the Web site. The links provided to other relevant Web sites, such as Statistics Canada, provincial government departments, and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, help save valuable research time.

Help is available both through the Help buttons on nearly every page and through a toll free helpline (1-800-328-6189). When I called the toll free number I found the personnel responsive and well-informed. Finally, there is an opportunity to provide feedback. By clicking on Your Opinion, which appears on most pages, you have access to a questionnaire that poses specific questions and provides space for comments. Feedback from users has to date resulted in modifications to both the organization of the information and the navigational tools available.

It is true that the look of the site may not be as attractive or exciting as that found on some other Web sites. However, limiting the use of graphics does make retrieval and printing faster. This point was also part of the feedback from serious users. I would suggest, however, that the grey buttons such as the Site Map, What's New, and Search on the home page be made more eye-catching, so that the first-time user is more tempted to use them. Also, I would hope to see bankruptcy statistics on the site. Last on my list is the wish that some of the long industry documents such as Sector Competitiveness Frameworks could be printed off in larger chunks. Overall, this is a worthwhile site to bookmark, as it is constantly evolving, and in a direction that is responsive to the information needs of its users.


Notes

[1] May be cited as/On peut citer comme suit:

"Strategis: Review," Government Information in Canada/Information gouvernementale au Canada 3, no. 2 (1996). [http://www.usask.ca/library/gic/v3n2/spindler/spindler.html]
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[2]

Marilyn Spindler
Senior Information Specialist
CIBC Business Information
Toronto, Ontario
tel: (416) 980-3053
fax: (416) 861-3666
spindler@cibc.ca
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