Jan Kestle Appointed to the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council
Toronto, July 8, 2019 – Environics Analytics, a leading provider of data, insights and analytics, would like to announce its president and CEO, Jan Kestle, has been named as a founding member of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council.
The Council will provide the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and the Chief Statistician of Canada with impartial and independent advice on matters concerning the overall quality of Canada’s national statistical system, in line with the principles entrenched in Canada’s Digital Charter.
The formation of this Council fulfills a requirement stipulated in a legislative amendment to the Statistics Act in 2017. The amendment formalizes Statistics Canada’s independence and ensures its decisions on statistical matters are transparent and based on professional considerations.
Kestle has collaborated with Statistics Canada for many decades as a part of the Ontario government’s statistics group and then leading Compusearch and Environics Analytics—two private sector companies that integrate Statistics Canada data into analytics solutions.
“Evidence-driven decision making is required for good public policy and high-quality data are essential. Canadians have long trusted and respected Statistics Canada to provide the foundation for information about all aspects of our lives,” says Kestle. “I am happy to join the Council and provide my input on the evolving requirements and opportunities for Statistics Canada to modernize and continue to lead our national statistical system.”
Kestle also emphasized that in the era of big data, it is vital that Canada continues to develop new ways to collect accurate data while reducing respondent burden and protecting individual privacy. “Helping Canadians understand why their government needs data and how the information they provide will be used and protected is an important task at hand.”
As part of its mandate, the Council will publish an annual report on a range of issues relevant to the national statistical system, including emerging issues, challenges and suggestions on how to overcome them.
“This new Council is made up of a diverse group of business, academic and cultural leaders representing all aspects of Canadian society. I look forward to meeting the other members and working together,” says Kestle.
About Environics Analytics
Environics Analytics is the premier marketing and analytical services company in Canada. It helps customers turn data and analytics into insight, strategy and results. The company offers the full range of analytical services—from data supplier to strategic consultancy—and provides over-the-counter reports, purpose-built software-as-a-service and a wide variety of modelling approaches. Its team of quantitative marketers, modellers and geographers are experts at helping organizations identify their business challenges, develop data-driven solutions and achieve success along every phase of their analytics journey.