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The 'census geographic units of Canada' are the country subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada^[1] to conduct the country's five-yearly census. They exist on four levels: the top-level (first-level) divisions are Canada's provinces and territories; these are divided into second-level 'census divisions', which in turn are divided into third-level 'census subdivisions' (roughly corresponding to municipalities) and fourth-level 'dissemination areas'.

Contents

Census divisions

Census subdivisions

Census metropolitan areas

Consolidation

Census agglomerations

Census tracts

Dissemination areas

See also

Footnotes

External links

Census divisions

Canada's second-level geographic units are called "census divisions". In terms of size, they generally lie between the top-level administrative divisions of the province and territory and third-level administrative divisions such as sections, townships and ranges. Census divisions are divided into census subdivisions (see section below).

Nature of Canada's census divisions by province or territory

Province/Territory	Nature of census divisions
Alberta Manitoba Saskatchewan	Census divisions consist of groups of municipalities such cities, counties, municipal districts and rural municipalities. Each census division is numbered.
British Columbia Quebec	Census divisions correspond with regional districts or municipalities.
New Brunswick Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island	Census divisions correspond with counties.
Newfoundland and Labrador	Census divisions are delineated without reference to administrative or other forms of division and are numbered.[2]
Northwest Territories Nunavut	Territories that are divided into regions.
Ontario	Census divisions consist of "upper-tier" municipalities (counties, districts, regional municipalities, cities).
Yukon	A territory treated as a single census division.

In most cases, a census division corresponds to a single unit of the appropriate type listed above. However, in a few cases, Statistics Canada groups two units into a single statistical division:

★ In Ontario, Haldimand County and Norfolk County are grouped as a single census division, as are Brant and Brantford. Both groups were formerly single units under Ontario's regional government structure, but were dissolved in 2001.

★ In Quebec, 93 of 98 census divisions correspond precisely to the territory of one regional county municipality (possibly with the addition of Indian reserves, which do not legally belong to RCMs) or a "territory equivalent to an RCM" (TÉ). However, there are five census divisions consisting of two RCMs or equivalent territories each. See Regional county municipality for further information.

Census subdivisions

Census subdivisions generally correspond to the municipalities of Canada. They include unorganized territories and the Indian reserves and settlements determined by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Census metropolitan areas

: ''See template below for links to census metropolitan areas by size.''
A "census metropolitan area" (CMA) is a grouping of census subdivisions comprising a large urban area (the "urban core") and those surrounding "urban fringes" and "rural fringes" with which it is closely integrated. To become a CMA, an area must register an urban core population of at least 100,000 at the previous census. CMA status is retained even if this core population later drops below 100,000.
CMAs may cross census division and provincial boundaries. They do ''not'', however, cross the Canada-United States border.

Consolidation

A CMA may be consolidated with adjacent census agglomerations (CAs; see below) if they are closely integrated, to produce a grouping known as a "consolidated census metropolitan area" (CCMA). The component CMA and CAs are then described as the "primary census metropolitan area" (PCMA) and "primary census agglomeration (or agglomerations)" (PCA or PCAs).
CMAs may not be consolidated with each other.

Census agglomerations

A "census agglomeration" (CA) is a smaller version of a CMA in which the urban core population at the previous census was greater than 10,000 but less than 100,000.

Census tracts

CMAs and CAs with a population greater than 50,000 are subdivided into census tracts which have populations ranging from 2,000 to 8,000.

Dissemination areas

See also

Census divisions by province

★ Census division statistics of Canada

★ Census divisions of Alberta Newfoundland and Labrador Ontario Saskatchewan

★ Counties of New Brunswick Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island

★ Regions of Manitoba Northwest Territories Nunavut

★ Regional county municipalities of Quebec

★ Regional districts of British Columbia

Footnotes

1. Illustrated Glossary: Census Geography
2. Sometimes used for municipal organization or as health regions.

External links

★ ''Reference maps'' for census divisions at Statistics Canada.