The Government of Canada collects real-time data from reporting stations across the country, produces scientific reports, and publishes policy documents. The resources listed below may be useful for ecology and evolutionary biology research.

• Federal Science Libraries Network (FSLN)

  The FSLN is a consortium of Government of Canada science-based departmental and agency libraries that support the Government of Canada's open science priorities. Users can search the collection of the whole FSLN or one library at a time.

• Federal Open Science Repository of Canada

  This is a repository that provides online open-access to federally-authored scientific articles and publications from eight different Government of Canada science-based departments and agencies.

• Environment and Climate Change Canada

  Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is the federal department responsible for preserving and conserving Canada's nature and natural resources, and responding to climate change. ECCC publishes open-data and other resources, including:

  • Water level and flow (hydrometric) data, from different stations in Canada's waterways and lakes, both current and historical.

  • Climate change science, research and data, including adjusted and homogenized data for surface air temperature, precipitation, surface pressure, and surface windspeed.

  • The Canadian species at risk public registry and a guide to the Species at Risk Act

  • The Wild Species: The General Status of Species in Canada report series. A new report containing general status assessments for a cross-section of Canadian wildlife is released every five years.

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is the federal institution responsible for managing Canada's fisheries and oceans resources. DFO provides fishing licenses and permits, considers policy related to marine protected areas and spaces, and conducts research related to aquatic species and habitats. DFO resources include:

  • The Marine Environmental Data Section (MEDS), which publishes policy and real-time data, near real-time data, historical data, and data products. Users must put in a request for data by category (e.g., location, date range, and/or geographic area) using the MEDS data request form. 

  • The DFO Open Data repository, where you can search and find open datasets from studies that the government has completed. Each dataset comes with parameters, physical sample details, and explanations of sampling methods. Use limitations sometimes apply—in those cases, the DFO encourages users to contact data custodians (who they provide information for) to ensure scientific integrity and appropriate data use. 

Finding Statistics at the University of Toronto:

Conference Proceedings

Government Publications

University of Toronto Libraries hold an extensive collection of government materials, with particular strength in documents from Canada, Ontario, the United States, Great Britain and international governmental organizations such as the United Nations, European Union, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Bank.

To find government information search these guides: