Accessing Local Data
from the Canadian Census 2006

Community and Neighbourhood demographics
 

All variables from the 2006 Census have now been released.   In total a full profile now includes 38 pages of detailed demographic data. 

Click here to view a list of all 2006 Census variables.

You can access all these variables for free at a national, provincial and metropolitan area level by visiting the main Stats Can 2006 Census highlight pages.

Full Census Profiles for Local  Markets

If you are interested in full census profiles for a local market, you will need to request a custom retrieval.  Prices vary depending on the nature of the local market you are interested in.  Tell us the boundaries of your local market and we will provide you with a quote.

If a summary report will meet your purposes the following free resources provide summary Census profiles:

Community Data - 2006 Community Profiles

These profiles present community-level information from the 2006 Census of Population. You can search for your town, municipality or region by keyword search or by selecting it from a geographic hierarchy.

The data available in these profiles is limited by the 2006 Census release schedule. As more data is made available, these profiles will become more robust.

View Community Profiles

Neighbourhood Data - Geo-Search 2006

This  interactive mapping application is primarily designed to help you navigate through the Census geography structure but it  also contains basic population and dwelling statistics.

While this is fairly basic demographic information it is nevertheless a vital (and free) tool for market size estimates at a small neighbourhood level.  For example you can combine the dwelling data with expenditure data from the Survey of Household Spending to estimate the number of households and market value for your product or service.

Overall GeoSearch 2006 works well although it is not particularly intuitive.  It took me a few tries to figure it out and an older colleague of mine found it utterly frustrating.  Nonetheless you should not be intimidated by this tool.

You can start your search by either zooming in on your desired geography or by keyword searching.  While both features work they each have their drawbacks especially if you are interested in local demographics.  I found that using the zoom feature from a national level to a local neighbourhood was a lengthy process.  I had to wait for each new map to load.  It was only a matter of seconds each time but it did add up. The interface is certainly not as quick as GoogleEarth. 

On the other hand, the keyword search feature worked very quickly especially when I searched on street addresses, place names and postal codes. I could not however get the search by street intersection to work.  Apparently none of the intersections around my office actually exist.  I have a feeling the street intersection search feature is not very forgiving.  You have to enter the street name and type EXACTLY as they appear in the Census database.  Given that the other search features were successful I was not too concerned about the non-compliance of the intersections feature.

The zoom feature is set-up as the default format.  If you want to keyword search you need to select the "Search" tab below the map.  I recommend you start with a keyword search of either the name of your city/town or of a street address within your neighbourhood market.  Then use the zoom and pan features to fine tune the results.

It is at this point that GeoSearch 2006 becomes a bit confusing for the first time user. Once you have targeted your search, the next step is not readily apparent.  The question that jumps to mind is "Now what?".  What you need to do is place your target location within a standard Census geographical area.  To do this click on the "Layers" tab under the map and select the appropriate Census geography.  If you are unfamiliar with Census geographies the choices provided can seem like gobblely goop.  Basically a Census Division is a regional municipality or county. Each Census Division is made up of Census Subdivisions which are usually towns or cities.  The smallest geographical areas are Census Tracts - urban neighbourhoods of approximately 5000 people - which are then in turn divided into Dissemination areas and Dissemination blocks.  A Dissemination Area has approximately 500 people in it. If you are interested in a local neighbourhood you will likely select either Census Tract or Dissemination Area.  For more information see our Census Geography overview page. 

After you select your boundaries from the "Layers" Tab, you will need to zoom in or out until you can see the Census boundaries lines of your target area.  Once you see the area completely outlined click on the "Identify" button on the left column.  Your mouse pointer will now have a question mark on it.  Simply click inside the boundary lines of the area you want information about. The area will be highlighted green and you will be provided with a name or number identifying it. 

With your geographical unit highlighted you can now look at the relevant information available.  The "Geographic Hierarchy" tab below the map lets you see how your chosen market fits within larger geographic units.  You can also click on the "Thematic Maps" and "Additional Data" tabs below the map to get further statistical information about the area in question.

View GeoSearch 2006

There are a number of other resources that provide access to community and neighbourhood data.  However as of yet all of these still contain 2001 Census data.  For a list of these resources see Accessing Local Data - 2001 Census

© John White, GDSourcing - Research & Retrieval 2007