Appendix A: Sub-provincial geography descriptions
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Labour market information from the LFS is available for a variety of geographic levels. While designed to provide highly reliable data at the national and provincial levels, key labour market estimates are also available for Census metropolitan areas, Economic regions, and Employment insurance regions.
Census metropolitan area (CMA)
A CMA is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000, of which 50,000 or more must live in the core.
The CMAs are based on the 2011 Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). Below is a list of the 33 CMAs and their associated communities. Please note that Indian reserves, although geographically part of certain CMAs, are excluded from the LFS.
Labour Force Survey estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. As a result, estimates will show more variability than trends observed over longer time periods. Estimates for smaller geographic areas also have more variability. For an explanation of sampling variability of estimates and how to use standard errors to assess this variability, see Section 7 of this publication.
To view the geographical maps for the CMAs, visit our website at: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvDocument&Item_Id=213697&SurvId=213696.
For further descriptions of CMAs or other geographic areas used by Statistics Canada, visit the website: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/sgc-cgt/2011/sgc-cgt-intro-eng.htm.
St. John’s: Bauline, Bay Bulls, Conception Bay South, Flatrock, Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, Pouch Cove, St. John’s, Torbay, Witless Bay.
Halifax: Halifax.
Moncton: Coverdale, Dieppe, Dorchester (parish), Dorchester (village), Elgin, Hillsborough (parish), Hillsborough (village), Memramcook, Moncton (city), Moncton (parish), Riverview, Saint-Paul, Salisbury.
Saint John: Grand Bay-Westfield, Greenwich, Hampton (parish), Hampton (town), Kingston, Lepreau, Musquash, Petersville, Quispamsis, Rothesay (parish), Rothesay (town), Saint John, Saint Martins, Simonds, St. Martins, Upham, Westfield.
Saguenay: Larouche, Saguenay, Saint-Charles-de-Bourget, Saint-David-de-Falardeau, Saint-Félix-d’Otis, Saint-Fulgence, Saint-Honoré, Sainte-Rose-du-Nord.
Québec: Beaumont, Boischatel, Château-Richer, Fossambault-sur-le-Lac, Lac-Beauport, Lac-Delage, Lac-Saint-Joseph, L’Ancienne-Lorette, L’Ange-Gardien, Lévis, Neuville, Notre-Dame-des-Anges, Québec, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Sainte-Famille, Sainte-Pétronille, Saint-François-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Saint-Henri, Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Saint-Pierre-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Shannon, Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury.
Sherbrooke: Ascot Corner, Compton, Hatley, Magog, North Hatley, Orford, Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, Sherbrooke, Stoke, Val-Joli, Waterville.
Trois-Rivières: Bécancour, Champlain, Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes, Saint-Maurice, Trois-Rivières, Yamachiche.
Montréal: Baie-d’Urfé, Beaconsfield, Beauharnois, Beloeil, Blainville, Boisbriand, Bois-des-Filion, Boucherville, Brossard, Candiac, Carignan, Chambly, Charlemagne, Châteauguay, Coteau-du-Lac, Côte-Saint-Luc, Delson, Deux-Montagnes, Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Dorval, Gore, Hampstead, Hudson, Kirkland, La Prairie, L’Assomption, Laval, Lavaltrie, L’Épiphanie (parish), L’Épiphanie (town), Léry, Les Cèdres, Les Coteaux, L’Île-Cadieux, L’Île-Dorval, L’Île-Perrot, Longueuil, Lorraine, Mascouche, McMasterville, Mercier, Mirabel, Montréal, Montréal-Est, Montréal-Ouest, Mont-Royal, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Oka, Otterburn Park, Pincourt, Pointe-Calumet, Pointe-Claire, Pointe-des-Cascades, Repentigny, Richelieu, Rosemère, Saint-Amable, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Saint-Colomban, Saint-Constant, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Sainte-Catherine, Sainte-Julie, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Sainte-Thérèse, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Isidore, Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Lazare, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Mathieu, Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Saint-Philippe, Saint-Placide, Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Zotique, Senneville, Terrasse-Vaudreuil, Terrebonne, Varennes, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, Verchères, Westmount.
Ottawa – Gatineau - Ontario/Quebec: Bowman, Cantley, Chelsea, Clarence-Rockland, Denholm, Gatineau, La Pêche, L’Ange-Gardien, Mayo, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, Ottawa, Pontiac, Russell, Val-des-Bois, Val-des-Monts.
Ottawa – Gatineau - Quebec part: Bowman, Cantley, Chelsea, Denholm, Gatineau, La Pêche, L’Ange-Gardien, Mayo, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, Pontiac, Val-des-Bois, Val-des-Monts.
Ottawa – Gatineau - Ontario part: Clarence-Rockland, Ottawa, Russell.
Kingston: Frontenac Islands, Kingston, Loyalist, South Frontenac.
Peterborough: Cavan-Monaghan, Douro-Dummer, Otonabee-South Monaghan, Peterborough, Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield.
Oshawa: Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby.
Toronto: Ajax, Aurora, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Brampton, Caledon, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Halton Hills, King, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Mono, New Tecumseth, Newmarket, Oakville, Orangeville, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Uxbridge, Vaughan, Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Hamilton: Burlington, Grimsby, Hamilton.
St. Catharines – Niagara: Fort Erie, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet, Welland.
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo: Cambridge, Kitchener, North Dumfries, Waterloo, Woolwich.
Brantford: Brant, Brantford.
Guelph: Guelph, Guelph/Eramosa, Puslinch.
London: Adelaide-Metcalfe, Central Elgin, London, Middlesex Centre, Southwold, St. Thomas, Strathroy-Caradoc, Thames Centre.
Windsor: Amherstburg, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh, Windsor.
Barrie: Barrie, Innisfil, Springwater.
Greater Sudbury: Greater Sudbury.
Thunder Bay: Conmee, Gillies, Neebing, O’Connor, Oliver Paipoonge, Shuniah, Thunder Bay.
Winnipeg: East St. Paul, Headingley, Macdonald, Ritchot, Rosser, Springfield, St. Clements, St. François Xavier, Taché, West St. Paul, Winnipeg.
Regina: Balgonie, Belle Plaine, Buena Vista, Disley, Edenwold, Edenwold No. 158, Grand Coulee, Lumsden, Lumsden Beach, Lumsden No. 189, Pense, Pense No. 160, Pilot Butte, Regina, Regina Beach, Sherwood No. 159, White City.
Saskatoon: Allan, Asquith, Blucher No. 343, Bradwell, Clavet, Colonsay, Colonsay No. 342, Corman Park No. 344, Dalmeny, Delisle, Dundurn, Dundurn No. 314, Elstow, Langham, Martensville, Meacham, Osler, Saskatoon, Shields, Thode, Vanscoy, Vanscoy No. 345, Warman.
Calgary: Airdrie, Beiseker, Calgary, Chestermere, Cochrane, Crossfield, Irricana, Rocky View County.
Edmonton: Beaumont, Betula Beach, Bon Accord, Bruderheim, Calmar, Devon, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Gibbons, Golden Days, Itaska Beach, Kapasiwin, Lakeview, Leduc, Leduc County, Legal, Morinville, Parkland County, Point Alison, Redwater, Seba Beach, Spring Lake, Spruce Grove, St. Albert, Stony Plain, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County, Sundance Beach, Thorsby, Wabamun, Warburg.
Kelowna: Central Okanagan, Central Okanagan J, Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland.
Abbotsford-Mission: Abbotsford, Mission.
Vancouver: Anmore, Belcarra, Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Greater Vancouver A, Langley (city), Langley (district municipality), Lions Bay, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver (city), North Vancouver (district municipality), Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver, White Rock.
Victoria: Capital H (Part 1), Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, North Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich, Sidney, Sooke, Victoria, View Royal.
Economic region (ER)
An Economic region is a grouping of complete Census divisions (with one exception in Ontario) created as a standard geographic unit for analysis of regional economic activity. In the case of Prince Edward Island, the province constitutes one economic region.
The composition of economic regions is determined through a consultative process with the provinces, except for Quebec, where economic regions are designated by law (‘les régions administratives’).
The boundaries currently used are based on the 2011 Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). Excluding the territories, the LFS publishes estimates for 66 ERs, seven of which are combined for data quality purposes.
Labour Force Survey estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. As a result, estimates will show more variability than trends observed over longer time periods. Estimates for smaller geographic areas also have more variability. For an explanation of sampling variability of estimates and how to use standard errors to assess this variability, see Section 7 of this publication.
To view the geographical maps for the Economic regions, visit our website at: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvDocument&Item_Id=213698&SurvId=213696.
Brief descriptions of the economic regions currently used are provided below.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Employment insurance region
In compliance with the Employment Insurance Act, the Labour Force Survey publishes seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for Employment insurance regions (EIRs). These rates are generally used to determine eligibility, benefit entitlement and weekly amount of benefits for persons living within a particular Employment insurance region.
The boundaries of these regions are determined by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and are currently based on 1996 Census boundaries, with the exception of those in Prince Edward Island and in the territories, which respect the 2011 Census boundaries.
For geographic descriptions and maps of Employment insurance regions, see the ESDC website: http://srv129.services.gc.ca/eiregions/eng/geocont.aspx.
The Economic insurance regions by province are outlined below.
Newfoundland and Labrador
01. St. John’s; 02. Newfoundland and Labrador.
Prince Edward Island
65. Charlottetown; 66. Prince Edward Island.
Nova Scotia
04. Eastern Nova Scotia; 05. Western Nova Scotia; 06. Halifax.
New Brunswick
07. Fredericton-Moncton-Saint John; 08. Madawaska-Charlotte; 09. Restigouche-Albert.
Quebec
10. Gaspésie – Îles-de-la-Madeleine; 11. Québec; 12. Trois-Rivières; 13. South Central Quebec; 14. Sherbrooke; 15. Montérégie; 16. Montréal; 17. Central Quebec; 18. North Western Quebec; 19. Bas-Saint-Laurent – Côte-Nord; 20. Hull; 21. Chicoutimi-Jonquière.
Ontario
22. Ottawa; 23. Eastern Ontario; 24. Kingston; 25. Central Ontario; 26. Oshawa; 27. Toronto; 28. Hamilton; 29. St. Catharines; 30. London; 31. Niagara; 32. Windsor; 33. Kitchener; 34. Huron; 35. South Central Ontario; 36. Sudbury; 37. Thunder Bay; 38. Northern Ontario.
Manitoba
39. Winnipeg; 40. Southern Manitoba; 41. Northern Manitoba.
Saskatchewan
42. Regina; 43. Saskatoon; 44. Southern Saskatchewan; 45. Northern Saskatchewan.
Alberta
46. Calgary; 47. Edmonton; 48. Northern Alberta; 49. Southern Alberta.
British Columbia
50. Southern Interior British Columbia; 51. Abbotsford; 52. Vancouver; 53. Victoria; 54. Southern Coastal British Columbia; 55. Northern British Columbia.
Yukon
59. Whitehorse; 60. Yukon (excluding Whitehorse).
Northwest Territories
61. Yellowknife; 62. Northwest Territories (excluding Yellowknife).
Nunavut
63. Iqaluit; 64. Nunavut (excluding Iqaluit).
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