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. 2011 information is featured, and 2006 and 2001 resources are located in the left-hand column
- 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 in the left-hand column, 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. See topics by browsing by Chronological Index in the left-hand menu.
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
- Statistics Canada Census Portal
2011 Census and 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) is featured. Archived information to 1996 is located in the blue left-hand column
- Canadian Census Analyzer
Get census microdata and postal code conversion files. Restricted Use: Please see StatCan Terms and Conditions
- 2011 Census Dictionary
Get definitions and information on the terms used in StatCan resources
- 2011 Census Illustrated Glossary
Get definitions and see diagrams of geographic areas, including CMAs and CSDs
Census 2011 resources
2011 Census Portal
Census Profiles
Get statistics for a particular province, region, city, or town
- 2011 Census Tract Profiles
Get information for neighbourhoods; search by postal code
- Topic-based Tabulations
Find statistics a particular subject like age, family type, or language
- Analytical Reports
Get brief analytical reports, based on either topic or geography 2011
Census Profile of Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)
- 2011 Profile of Waterloo Census Subdivision (CSD)
- 2011 Profile of Kitchener Census Subdivision (CSD)
- 2011 Profile of Cambridge Census Subdivision (CSD)
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
- See Chapter 5 on Data Quality and Comparability
- See Chapter 6 on Data Suppression for Confidentiality and for Quality
- Census Profiles: Get statistics for a particular province, region, city, or town
- 2011 NHS Census Tract Profiles: Get information for neighbourhoods; search by postal code
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 Profile of Waterloo Census Subdivision (CSD)
- 2011 Profile of Kitchener Census Subdivision (CSD)
- 2011 Profile of Cambridge Census Subdivision (CSD)
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
- Census Tract Profiles: Get information for neighbourhoods; search by postal code
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)
- 2011 Profile of Waterloo Census Subdivision (CSD)
- 2011 Profile of Kitchener Census Subdivision (CSD)
- 2011 Profile of Cambridge Census Subdivision (CSD)
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
- Get open access spatial files and attribute files for 2011, 2006, and 2001 from Statistics Canada <
- Get a selection of files for 1981 to 2006 censuses from Laurier's TUG Data Repository (TDR)
- Researchers are to read and abide by Statistics Canada Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) Conditions of use.
Restricted data
Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs)
- Census PUMFs from 1971 to 2006 are available on ODESI for scholarly, non-commercial research purposes only
- Researchers are to read and abide by Statistics Canada Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) Conditions of use.
Enumeration Area (EA) and Dissemination Area (DA) data
- Some census EA/DA data are available for scholarly, non-commercial research purposes on the Canadian Census Analyzer and from Laurier's Government Information Librarian.
- Researchers are to read and abide by Statistics Canada Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) Conditions of use.
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.