Data and Statistics

Key resources
International
Canadian
Census
Postal code files
Geospatial datasets

Portals

CANSIM at Statistics Canada
CANSIM is StatCans statistical database. It contains thousands of tables and reports from all fields
odesi
ODESI contains microdata from Statistics Canada, Elections Canada, as well as polling data. Build your own tables or download microdata and user guides
Statistics Canada Census Portal
StatCans gateway to census information. Information is available for the most recent as well as prior censuses.
Canadian Census Analyzer
The Census Analyser provides access to census variables for most levels of geography, and to public use microdata files
ICPSR (Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Sciences Research)
The leading repository of American and international surveys and datasets in demography, political science, and sociology.

Reference materials

Beyond 20/20 Browser (PC Only)
Use this software to cross-tabulate tables you have downloaded from CANSIM
Statistics Canada Concordances
Learn how to compare NAICS codes from different years, NOC codes to SOC codes, etc.

See also: Statistical Information for Countries of the World and Financial Data

Government websites

OFFSTATS
Official Statistics on the Web Free statistics from official government agencies, arranged by country, region or topic
US Census Bureau
Browse by using on the the six topics in the blue bar at the top of the page 2012 US Statistical Abstract: Over 1400 tables tracking historic and current socio-economic statistics
UK Office for National Statistics
Browse by theme or region, or search for a publication

Databases and repositories

ICPSR (Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Sciences Research)
US and international surveys in criminology, demography, economics, health, political science, and sociology.
IPUMS (International Public Use Microdata Series)
Key Resource: US census microdata since 1850; international census microdata since 1960
EuroStat
EuroStat is the European Union's statistical office. It provides social and economic indicators that are comparable against all EU member nations
UNData
Large, comprehensive statistical database covering all countries of the world. Pulls together statistics from all the major UN sources.
United Nations Statistical Databases
Includes demographics, social indicators, vital statistics, disability and national accounts.
OECD iLibrary
Access to books, journals, reports, papers and other resources from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI)
Development data from more than 200 countries. Browse by country, topic, or indicator, or choose your specific variables in the Databank (blue button on the right-side of the page)
WHO (World Health Organization)
Data, stats, and analyis from the UN's health organization
PAHO (Pan American Health Organization)
Data, stats, maps, and analysis from the world's oldest international public health agency
World Factbook
Information on countries of the world prepared by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
FAOstat (UN Food and Agriculture Organization)
Featuring comparable stats and data from agricultural domains such as production, prices, food balances, and emissions.

See also: Statistical Information for Countries of the World and Financial Data

Statistics and data portals

CANSIM at Statistics Canada
CANSIM contains thousands of tables and reports in all fields, including health, economics, unemployment, and spending
ODESI
ODESI contains microdata from Statistics Canada, Elections Canada, as well as polling data. Build your own tables or download microdata and user guides
Statistics Canada Homepage
Discover resources, news, and research from Canada's national statistical agency See also: Census Resources
LISPOP (Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy)
LISPOP studies public opinion as it affects the policy process. It monitors the practices and claims of the public opinion and interest group industries, and serves as an educational resource pertaining to those claims and practices. n.b. Some access restricted. See also: LISPOP data on ODESI

Select resources

Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Library CMHC produces statistics and reports on Canadian housing starts, projections, and costs. Click on Canadian Housing Observer 2011, or click on on Publications and Reports to find Research Highlights and Housing Market Information
Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)
CREA provides statistics on housing prices, sales, and forecasts for select markets across Canada.
Environment Canada Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI)
CESI measures the progress of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, focusing on emissions, water quality, and nature and habitat protection
Elections Canada
Campaign results, voter turnout, and campaign finance information. Click on Resource Centre for reports and publications
Industry Canada Canadian Industry Statistics (CIS)
CIS presents economic indicators such as productivity and capital investment. Users can also browse categories by subject or NAICS code
Juristat
Juristat is Statistics Canada's annual publication for crime and justice statistics, such as homicide rates and violent crime rates by region.

Health

Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
Analyzes the performance of Canada's health system, e.g., wait times, quality of care, outcomes Note: Please contact Laurier's Data Librarian to access to CIHI's Discharge Access Database
Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
Surveillance Uses administrative data to analyze incidence, prevalence, and outcomes of chronic conditions and disease in Canada
Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW)
Tracks Canadians' quality of life in 8 different domains
The Source for Women's Health
Identifies and tracks sources of women's health data, reports, and reviews

Notable Surveys

Canadian Community Health Survey
Browse all tables, search within CANSIM and access microdata and user guide through ODESI
Aboriginal Peoples Survey
Access microdata and user guide through ODESI
Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey
Access microdata and user guide through ODESI
Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey
Access microdata and user guide through ODESI

Open data

Open Data encourages greater access to government datasets. Depending on the license, users can often download datasets in raw formats and incorporate them in their own projects.

Open Data Map of Canada
A dynamic map of all government-sponsored open data sites. Zoom into your city and click the link to go to its open data site.
datalibre.ca Open Data Index
A comprehensive and regularly updated list of government and citizen-led open data initiatives
opendata.gc.ca
Open data from the Government of Canada
Government of Ontario Open Data
City of Waterloo Open Data
Region of Waterloo Open Data
City of Guelph Open Data
City of Hamilton Open Data
City of Toronto Open Data

Note: The cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Brantford, and the County of Brantford do not have open data initiatives at this time.

Quick reference

Census 2011 resources

2011 Census Portal

Census Profiles

Get statistics for a particular province, region, city, or town

Census Profile of Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)

2011 Census Profile of Brantford Census Metropolitain Area (CMA)

National Household Survey (NHS) 2011 resources

The 2011 NHS is a self-administered survey that replaced the Long-form Census. Questions, question order, and response rates vary from the census. Users should consult the NHS User Guide and be mindful of comparing NHS tables against Census tables.

2011 NHS Portal

2011 NHS User Guide

Learn about the NHS's design, collection, and processing

Find statistics on a particular subject like immigration or ethnocultural diversity

Topic-based Tabulations

Find statistics on a particular subject like immigration or ethnocultural diversity

Analytical Reports

Get brief analytical reports, based on either topic or geography

2011 NHS Profile of Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)

2011 NHS Profile of Brantford Census Metropolitain Area (CMA)

Census 2006 resources

2006 Census Portal

Community Profiles

Get information for a particular province, region, city, or town

Topic-based Tabulations

Find information based on a particular subject like age, family type, or language

Analytical Reports

Get brief census-related reports, based on either topic or geography

2006 Census Profile of Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)

2006 Census Profile of Brantford Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)

Geographic files

Note: Also see the Library's Geospatial and Data Centre.

Official Statistics Canada Reference Maps for 2011, 2006, and 2001

Spatial files and attribute files

Restricted data

Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs)

Enumeration Area (EA) and Dissemination Area (DA) data

The Laurier Library makes available Canada Post postal code resources to university researchers (faculty, staff, and students) through the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI). These resources include the:

  • Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
  • Postal Code by Federal Ridings File (PCFRF)
  • Postal Code Conversion File+ (PCCF)

Beginning in Fall 2013, the DLI licence strictly limits access to members of DLI-member institutions for the purposes of teaching, research, and institutional analysis. All use must be non-commercial.

The new licence asks all researchers - faculty, staff, and students - to access these resources by contacting the Laurier Library’s Data Librarian, Michael Steeleworthy. You can expedite access by completing this form and by familiarizing yourself with the DLI Licence, especially Appendix II (pp. 7-9), which deals specifically Canada Post postal code resources.

If you currently have copies of these files or are using them in your research, please contact Michael Steeleworthy for more information about acess and use.

The Laurier Library is committed to providing access to these data products, which are essential to research in many fields at our university. We encourage you to contact us so we can discuss how you can continue your research with these resources under the terms of the new agreement.

  • Scholars GeoPortal - a web-based tool to access geospatial datasets licensed by the library. Includes land-based vector data (water, cultural features, etc.), census geography, orthophotography, and more. Access to students, faculty and staff of Ontario Universities.

In addition to the data available through Scholars Geoportal, the library provides local access to the following datasets through license agreements with municipal, provincial, and private agencies:

  • City of Brantford: orthophotography and geodatabase files including road network, airport, schools, rivers, landuse, lakes, parks, community centres
  • City of Cambridge: municipal data provided in geodatabase format; includes address points, building footprints, road network, ward, contours, parks, trails, landuse, parcels, stream network, and zoning data
  • City of Kitchener: orthophotography from 2012 and 2013; municipal data provided includes address labels, bikeways, buildings, hydro corridors and towers, boundaries, parks, railways, road segments, surface water features, storm water features, trees, and zoning (2014)
  • DMTI Spatial: access to data files not available through Scholars Geoportal, including CanMap Address Points (2013-16), Content Suite (2015-16), Postal Code Suite (2013-16), and Streetfile and Route Logistics (2008-13)
  • Regional Municipality of Waterloo: orthoimagery from 2012 and 2014; municipal data in geodatabase format includes addresses, building permits, environmentally sentitive policy areas, greenbelts, roads, urban growth centres, settlements, wells, airports, transit, planned and existing roads, cycling, wetlands, wellhead protection areas, and more
  • Teranet Ontario Parcel Database: Province-wide parcel dataset; includes property boundaries and identifiers such as Assessment Roll Number (ARN) or property identification number (PIN), which can be linked to ownership report files.

For access to these resources, please contact Peter Genzinger.