Release and Concepts Overview
2016 Census of Population:
Population and dwelling counts release

1. Objective of the Release and Concepts Overview series
2. Concepts and definitions:
   • Population and dwellings
   • Geography
3. Key indicators
4. Products available on day of release
5. Products available after release
6. 2016 Census Program web module
7. 2016 Census Program release schedule
8. Contact information

Census of Population release topics will be accompanied by their own Release and Concepts Overview and will be available from Statistics Canada's website in advance of each release.

The purpose of the Release and Concepts Overview series is to provide an overview of:

• the concepts, definitions and key indicators used by each of the 2016 Census of Population releases

• the products that will be available on each release day and later

The Release and Concepts Overview series will help partners, stakeholders and other data users to better understand the information being released.

This Release and Concepts Overview is for Population and dwelling counts to be released on February 8, 2017.

The information provided in this overview is subject to change.

Target population

Canadian citizens and landed immigrants with a usual place of residence in Canada, or who are abroad either on a military base, attached to a diplomatic mission, at sea or in port aboard merchant vessels under Canadian registry or Canadian government vessels.

Non-permanent residents in Canada:

• Refugee claimants and their family living in Canada
• Permit holders (work or study permits), and members of their family living with them in Canada

Foreign residents are excluded from the target population:

• Government representatives of another country, and their family members
• Members of the Armed Forces of another country who are stationed in Canada
• Residents of another country visiting Canada temporarily

Usual place of residence

Refers to the dwelling in which the person usually lives. It is used to identify the person as a member of a particular household and, potentially, family (depending on the composition of the household).

A person is considered to be a member of the household at their usual place of residence, only. For persons with one residence, that residence is their usual place of residence. For persons with no residence, their usual place of residence is where they stayed on May 10, 2016. For persons with more than one residence in Canada, their usual place of residence is the place where the person spends the major part of the year, with certain exceptions.

Note: The census counts people in their usual place of residence to ensure that a person is enumerated once and only once.

Dwelling

A dwelling is defined as a set of living quarters. Two types of dwellings are identified in the census, collective dwellings and private dwellings. The former pertains to dwellings which are institutional, communal or commercial in nature. The latter, private dwellings, refers to a separate set of living quarters with a private entrance either from outside the building or from a common hall, lobby, vestibule or stairway inside the building. The entrance to the dwelling must be one that can be used without passing through the living quarters of some other person or group of persons.

Private dwelling

Refers to a separate set of living quarters with a private entrance either from outside the building or from a common hall, lobby, vestibule or stairway inside the building. The entrance to the dwelling must be one that can be used without passing through the living quarters of some other person or group of persons.

Note: The available key indicators pertain to private dwellings only. Information on collective dwellings will be released on May 3, 2017.

Private dwelling occupied by usual residents

Refers to a private dwelling in which a person or a group of persons is permanently residing. Also included are private dwellings whose usual residents are temporarily absent on May 10, 2016. Unless otherwise specified, all data in housing products are for private dwellings occupied by usual residents, rather than for unoccupied private dwellings or dwellings occupied solely by foreign and/or by temporarily present persons.

Note: 'Private dwellings occupied by usual residents' is also referred to as 'occupied private dwellings' in certain census products.

In addition to making data available for Canada, the following other levels of geography will be available:

1. Province or territory
2. Census metropolitan area (CMA)
3. Census agglomeration (CA)
4. Census division (CD)
5. Census subdivision (CSD)
6. Census tract (CT)
7. Population centre (POPCTR)
8. Statistical Area Classification (SAC)
9. Federal electoral district (FED)
10. Economic region (ER)
11. Forward sortation area (FSA)^© (available at a later date)
12. Designated place (DPL)
13. Aggregate dissemination area (ADA) (new!)
14. Dissemination area (DA)
15. Dissemination block (DB)

Access the definitions from the 2016 Census Dictionary below:

1. Province or territory
2. Census metropolitan area (CMA)
   • Changes for 2016:
     1. There are two new census metropolitan areas:
        • Lethbridge (Alta.)
        • Belleville (Ont.)
     2. CMA of Montréal expanded to include the 2011 census agglomeration of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Que.)
3. Census agglomeration (CA)
   • Changes for 2016:
     1. The following are new census agglomerations:
        • Gander (N.L.), Sainte-Marie (Que.), Arnprior (Ont.), Carleton Place (Ont.), Wasaga Beach (Ont.), Winkler (Man.), Weyburn (Sask.) and Nelson (B.C.)
     2. The following 2011 CAs are no longer CAs:
        • Amos (Que.)
        • Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Que.) is merged with the CMA of Montréal
        • Temiskaming Shores (Ont.)
4. Census division (CD)
5. Census subdivision (CSD)
6. Census tract (CT)
7. Population centre (POPCTR)

   • A population centre (POPCTR) has a population of at least 1,000 and a population density of 400 persons or more per square kilometre, based on the current census population count. All areas outside population centres are classified as rural areas.

     Taken together, population centres and rural areas cover all of Canada.

     Population centres are classified into three groups, depending on the size of their population:

     • small population centres, with a population between 1,000 and 29,999
     • medium population centres, with a population between 30,000 and 99,999
     • large urban population centres, with a population of 100,000 or more.
8. Statistical Area Classification (SAC)
9. Federal electoral district (FED)
10. Economic region (ER)
11. Forward sortation area (FSA)^©
    • As in previous censuses, population and dwelling counts for FSA will be available at a later date.
12. Designated place (DPL)
    • Usually a small community that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres (areas with a population of at least 1,000 and no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre). Designated places are created by provinces and territories in cooperation with Statistics Canada.
13. Aggregate dissemination area (ADA)
    • New geographic area
    • What is an ADA?
14. Dissemination area (DA)
15. Dissemination block (DB)

Population counts

• Number of enumerated people on May 10, 2016, by the Census of Population.
• Census counts are usually lower than counts from the Population Estimates Program for the same reference date, as the latter takes into account census net undercoverage.

Example: On May 10, 2011, there were 33,476,688 people enumerated in the census.

Population growth between 2011 and 2016

• Difference, in percentage, between the population enumerated in the 2011 and 2016 censuses.

Example: Between 2006 and 2011, Canada's population grew by 5.9%.

Population share of provinces and territories

• Proportion, in percentage, of a region within a larger region.

Example: According to the 2011 Census, the population of the province of Quebec represented 23.6% of that of Canada.

Population density

• Number of people per square kilometre. It is computed by dividing the total population by the land area.

Example: In 2011, Prince Edward Island had the highest population density among provinces and territories, at 24.7 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Private dwellings and private dwellings occupied by usual residents counts

• Number of enumerated private dwellings and private dwellings occupied by usual residents on May 10, 2016, by the Census of Population.

Example: In total, there were 314,007 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in New Brunswick in 2011.

Growth in the dwelling counts between 2011 and 2016

• Difference, in percentage, between the number of dwellings enumerated in the 2011 and 2016 censuses.

Example: For Canada as a whole, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased by 7.1%.

The following products will be available with the Population and dwelling counts release on February 8, 2017:

• Analytical products
  • The Daily article
  • Census in Brief
  • Videos
  • Infographic
  • Focus on Geography Series
• Social media
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Chat with an expert
• Data products
  • Highlight tables
  • Census Profile
• Reference products
  • Release and Concepts Overview series
  • Guide to the Census of Population
  • Census Dictionary
• Geography products
  • Reference maps
  • Thematic maps
  • GeoSuite
  • GeoSearch

Analytical products

The following provides additional details on some key products to be available at the time of the Population and dwelling counts release. Together, they will provide main findings, important messages, latest trends and additional background information.

• The Daily article: will include the main population and dwelling counts results at the national, provincial and territorial levels, as well as for some large census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs).
• Census in Brief: two short articles will provide analyses focusing on current population issues involving challenges that are relevant from a public policy perspective:
  • Municipalities in Canada with the largest and fastest-growing populations between 2011 and 2016
  • Municipalities in Canada with population decreases between 2011 and 2016
• Videos: two short videos showing results from the 2016 Census provide an overview of the long-term trends in population growth and those expected in the future (1861 to 2061). One video provides a national portrait, while the other focuses on cities.
• Infographic: will allow users to quickly visualize some key findings from the 2016 Census of Population, including population growth between 2011 and 2016 for Canada, provinces and territories and a few large census metropolitan areas (CMAs).
• Focus on Geography Series: will present population and dwelling highlights through short texts, tables and figures for various levels of geography, including Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs), and Canadian municipalities (census subdivisions [CSDs]). Allows users to find key information at a glance for their given region/area.

Social media

• Facebook, Twitter and YouTube: the official social media accounts will also be used to communicate and engage with the public for the 2016 Census of Population dissemination of results.
• Chat with an expert: users are invited to chat with Statistics Canada experts on the topic of Population and dwelling counts on February 10, 2017, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Eastern time. For more information, refer to Statistics Canada's website: Chat with an expert.

Reference products

• Guide to the Census of Population, 2016: this reference document provides an overview of the 2016 Census of Population processes, including content determination, collection, processing, data quality assessment and data dissemination. It will be useful to both new and experienced users who wish to familiarize themselves with and find specific information about the 2016 Census.
• Census Dictionary: provides detailed definitions of census concepts, variables and geographic terms, as well as historical information to facilitate the comparison of variables between census years.

The following products will be available with later releases:

Analytical products

• Articles in Insights on Canadian Society (ICS)
• Data visualization tool. More information about this initiative will be made available during the release cycle.

Data products

• Age pyramids
• 2016 Census Aboriginal Population Profile
• 2016 Census Individuals Public Use Microdata File (PUMF)
• 2016 Census Hierarchical Public Use Microdata File (PUMF)
• 2016 Census Long-form Research Data Centre (RDC) Microdata File

Reference products

• Reference guides (various topics)
• Technical reports

To access the 2016 Census of Population products, please consult the 2016 Census Program web module.

Release dates, 2016 Census Program

Release date	Release topic
November 16, 2016	Geography
February 8, 2017	Population and dwelling counts
May 3, 2017	Age and sex Type of dwelling
May 10, 2017	Census of Agriculture
August 2, 2017	Families, households and marital status Language
September 13, 2017	Income
October 25, 2017	Immigration and ethnocultural diversity Housing Aboriginal peoples
November 29, 2017	Education Labour Journey to work Language of work Mobility and migration

General enquiries

• 1-800-263-1136 – Canada and the United States only
  7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (time zones within Canada)
• Email: STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca

Media Relations – Media Hotline

• 613-951-INFO (613-951-4636)
  8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday, excluding holidays
• Email: STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca