Guide to the Census of Population, 2021
Chapter 10 – Dissemination

Introduction

The main goal of the Census of Population dissemination process is to ensure that census and geography products and services meet the primary needs of the majority of data users. Similar to previous Census of Population releases, Statistics Canada strives to provide more data free of charge to the public, while at the same time seeking ways of publishing census results in a timely and user-friendly manner. The first results from the 2021 Census of Population will be made available to data users on February 9, 2022. All major releases of standard products are scheduled to take place in 2022, with value-added features integrated into existing data products. As well, additional analysis and other products will continue being released beyond 2022. These include the public use microdata files (PUMFs), additional reference materials and data tables.

How census data are used

Governments, businesses, associations, community organizations and many others use census data extensively. The following are some examples:

• The federal government uses population counts from the decennial census (held in years ending in the number 1, for example, 2011, 2021) to realign the boundaries of federal electoral districts. These data are required under the Constitution Act, 1867, and ensure equal representation of the population in the House of Commons.
• Data from the decennial and quinquennial censuses are used to produce population estimates.
  • These estimates are used in the calculation of transfer payments from the federal government to the provinces and territories, and from the provincial and territorial governments to municipalities.
  • In 2021/2022, the Government of Canada projects allocating roughly 84 billion dollars to provincial and territorial governments through its major transfers (Canada Health Transfer, Canada Social Transfer, Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing) and direct targeted support. Even a small error in the estimates could lead to the misallocation of billions of dollars.
• Government departments need to know the age trends of the population to estimate future demands for child tax benefits and old age pensions.
• In 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Natural Resources Canada collaborated with Statistics Canada to present selected census data from the 2016 Census to help inform Canadians of the public health risks of the COVID-19 pandemic and to use for modelling analysis.
• Communities use census information on population growth and movement for planning services such as schools, daycare, police services and fire protection.
• Town planners, social welfare workers and other government agencies use census information on families.
• Transportation planners for provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments use census information to analyze traffic flows, assess existing transportation services and plan for changes to these services and to road networks.
• Life insurance companies base their premium tables on census age data.
• Businesses determine new factory, store and office locations based largely on the size and distribution of the population in different areas.
• Manufacturers of household and farm equipment are guided by census data in determining the best market locations for their products. They can also assess the benefits of developing specific products by knowing the characteristics of the population in particular areas.

Overview of 2021 Census of Population products and services

Products and services from the 2016 Census Program were evaluated through consultation with data users in the 2021 Census Dissemination Consultation Results: What we heard from Canadians and through the analysis of web metrics for their continued usefulness and relevance in 2021.

The 2021 Census of Population products and services are meant to:

• satisfy policy and market analysis data needs
• be easy to use and understand
• contain information giving users both a historical and geographical perspective
• present data by topic
• offer levels of geography with the potential to better meet users' needs
• provide users with new product options
• help to identify linkages between various census topics.

The 2021 Census of Population products and services line consists of five main types of products and services:

(1) Data products

These products and services have been designed to present a wide range of census information, including population and dwelling counts, and data by variable and topic. These products are released for standard geographic areas and include:

• Data tables
• Census Profile
• Age pyramids
• Focus on Geography Series
• Census Program Data Viewer
• Data visualizations (including interactive graphs)
• Indigenous Population Profile
• Profile of Official Language Communities
• Public use microdata files.

Indicators are also available on Statistics Canada’s Census Program module, highlighting some key facts and figures at the national and provincial/territorial level.

To enrich the user experience with census data, new functionalities will be built into selected products, which will make it easier to work with the data.

(2) Analytical products

These products, specifically designed for the electronic medium, provide data and interpretation for selected characteristics on key findings from 2021 Census topics. Analysis products include:

• The Daily
• Census in Brief
• Insights on Canadian Society
• Infographics
• Videos
• Thematic maps.

(3) Reference products

These products are designed to help users make the most of census data. They cover various aspects of the census and are intended to support the use of the data by giving users a better understanding of the methods and concepts used. The list of reference products includes:

• Guide to the Census of Population
• Census Dictionary, including a new product with classifications that will provide expanded information on the full range of variables, including concepts and definitions available from the census dissemination database
• Reference guides
• Technical reports
• Concept videos.

(4) Geography products

Geography products for the 2021 Census reflect both the changes to geography concepts and the more precise geometry and more detailed base map visible features (such as water, roads and road names).

The list of geography products includes:

Reference documents:

• Illustrated Glossary
• Geography Catalogue
• Reference guides
• Working papers
• Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names

Maps:

• Reference maps
• Thematic maps
• GeoSearch

Spatial information products:

• Cartographic boundary files
• Digital boundary files
• Road network files (available annually)
• Dissemination Geographies Relationship File

Attribute information products:

• Geographic Attribute File
• GeoSuite
• Correspondence Files.

(5) Custom services

These services allow for products and services to be tailored to more specific and complex requests that cannot otherwise be accommodated by the standard products. User-defined tabulation services are made available upon the release of each variable.

Custom data services include the following:

• Census custom tabulations
  • Custom tabulations are produced to meet the needs of individual users according to their exact requirements in terms of content, geography, format and output medium. This includes the derivation of new variables and the creation of custom geographies.
• Semi-custom services
  • Semi-custom profiles
    • Semi-custom profiles replicate a fixed profile for custom geographies. This format allows for easy comparison of characteristics of geographies. The semi-custom profile content pertains to individuals, families, households and dwellings.
  • Target group profiles
    • Target group profiles replicate a fixed profile for a custom target group (such as a specific linguistic group). This format allows for easier analysis of the characteristics of a target group on its own. The content of a target group profile pertains to the universe of individuals only (no family, household, or dwelling data are available).
  • Semi-custom cross-tabulations
    • Semi-custom cross-tabulations enable users to replicate the content of published tabulations for the geographic area(s) and output medium of their choice. Some tabulations provide a simple overview of the country, while others consist of three or four cross-tabulated variables, and still, others are of particular or analytic interest.
• Census microdata data files at the Research Data Centres (RDCs)
  • Census microdata files in RDCs are master files in flat file format. These files provide authorized researchers access to comprehensive social, demographic and economic data about Canada and its people, and they contain a wealth of characteristics on the population.

Custom geography services include the following:

• Custom area creation
  • The geography custom area creation allows users to define their own geographic areas for census data tabulations. Custom geographic areas are produced from the aggregation of standard geographic areas or block faces, where available. Confidentiality constraints apply.
• Custom product creation
  • The custom product creation service is available to produce non-standard geographic products that satisfy clients’ individual requirements. Clients may require various custom geographic files, special data retrievals, manipulations of geographic data or combinations of data from a variety of sources.
• Custom map creation
• Print-on-demand
  • A print-on-demand service is available for maps.

Connecting with Canadians

Statistics Canada continues to use traditional and new media to provide access to relevant, accurate and timely statistical information, and to foster engagement, cooperation and information-sharing among people who use statistical information. For 2021, the Census of Population is engaging with Canadians to ensure the general public and key stakeholders are aware of information and resources such as data, infographics, videos and analytical products, available from census releases. Various channels will be used to communicate updates to Canadians including social media platforms, blogs, newsletters and virtual sessions with subject matter experts. A list of different resources to use to stay up to date on Statistics Canada information can be found on the “Stay connected” web page. Statistics Canada will also continue to engage with stakeholders such as media and key data users regarding census releases through tailored tactics and activities to maximize the reach of census data, strengthen partnerships and reinforce the value of statistical information.

Availability of products and services

For 2021, census data will continue to be disseminated primarily via the Internet through Statistics Canada's website. Each data release will be summarized and published in The Daily, Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin.

Seven official 2021 Census of Population data releases are scheduled between February 9 and November 30, 2022.

In addition, there are two 2021 Census geography product releases scheduled for November 17, 2021 and February 9, 2022. A Census of Agriculture release is also scheduled for May 11, 2022.

For a complete list of release dates, refer to the 2021 Census Program release schedule.

Protecting privacy

Published census data go through a variety of automated and manual processes to determine whether the data need to be suppressed. This is done primarily to ensure that the identity and characteristics of respondents are not disclosed, a concept that will be referred to as confidentiality.

Overview of suppression for confidentiality reasons

Confidentiality refers to the assurance that Statistics Canada will not disclose any information that could identify respondents. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data. Consequently, data for geographic areas with a population below a certain threshold are not published.

Random rounding

All counts in census tabulations undergo random rounding, a process that transforms all raw counts into randomly rounded counts. This reduces the possibility of identifying individuals in the tabulations.

Preventing disclosure

The risk of direct or residual disclosure must also be addressed when determining product content. A number of factors must be considered when assessing the risk of disclosure. The detail of individual variables, cross-classification of variables and geographic level of the data will all contribute to the level of risk. For example, there may be no risk in producing tables with the number of persons in the dwelling and detailed groupings of age by various characteristics of the household members for large geographic areas. However, the risk of disclosure would increase for lower levels of geography.

Area suppression for standard and non-standard geographic areas

Area suppression is used to remove all characteristic data for geographic areas whose population size is below a certain threshold. The population size threshold for all standard areas or aggregations of standard areas is 40, except for blocks, blockfaces and postal code^OM defined areas. Consequently, no characteristics or tabulated data are released if the total population of the area is less than 40. However, for six-character postal code^OM areas, and areas built from the block or blockface, the population size threshold is 100. These population size thresholds are applied to 2021 Census data as well as to all previous census data.

Additional area suppression is applied for confidentiality reasons when using income data in census tabulations. Estimates of income data are suppressed for areas where the population in private households is less than 250 or where the number of private households is less than 40.

Coverage of data published from the 2021 Census short-form questionnaire

Canada has a total of 152 census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, and 2021 Census data are available for all of these areas in the standard products. In addition, the 2021 Census short-form questionnaire standard products are available for all 293 census divisions and 338 federal electoral districts.

For census subdivisions (CSDs) or municipalities, 2021 Census data can be published for the vast majority. As a result, short-form questionnaire counts are published in the standard products for 4,554 CSDs, representing 88.2% of the 5,161 CSDs (counts for those with a population of less than 40 are not published for confidentiality reasons, and counts for 63 CSDs are not available because of incomplete or partial enumeration). Table 10.3 shows the distribution of the total number of CSDs and the number of CSDs for which data have been published, by province and territory. Table 10.4 shows the distribution of the total number of CSDs and the number of CSDs for which income data have been published, by province and territory.

Coverage of data published for the 2021 Census long-form questionnaire

For the 2021 Census, the primary quality indicator that accompanies each disseminated output is the total non-response (TNR) rate—which replaced the global non-response rate (GNR) that was used for the 2016 Census of Population and for previous cycles. In previous census cycles, areas with a GNR above a certain threshold were suppressed from disseminated products (the threshold used in 2016 was 50%). Suppression of data based on quality was discontinued in 2021. However, it is recommended that data from areas with a TNR rate above 50% be used with caution. For additional information about the quality indicators, users are encouraged to consult the 2021 Census Data Quality Guidelines, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98‑26‑0006. Standard products for the 2021 Census long-form questionnaire are available for all 293 census divisions (CDs) and all 338 federal electoral districts (FEDs).

Long-form questionnaire estimates are published in the standard products for 4,517 CSDs, representing 87.5% of the 5,161 CSDs. These 4,517 CSDs have a population of more than 40 inhabitants (data on those with a population of fewer than 40 inhabitants are not published for confidentiality reasons, and counts for 63 CSDs are not available because of incomplete or partial enumeration). Table 10.5 shows the distribution of the total number of CSDs and the number of CSDs for which data have been published, by province and territory. Table 10.6 shows the distribution of the total number of CSDs for which income data have been published, by province and territory.

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