T1 Family File, Final Estimates, 2016
Section 4 - Geography

Canada
Provinces and Territories
Census Geography

• Economic Regions
• Census Divisions
• Census Metropolitan Areas
• Census Agglomerations
• Census Tracts
• Federal Electoral Districts (2013 Representation Order)

Postal Geography

• City (postal city) Totals
• Urban Forward Sortation Areas (excludes Rural Routes and Suburban Services, and Other Urban Areas within City)
• Suburban Services*
• Rural Routes (Within City)*
• Rural Postal Code Areas (Within City)
• Other Urban Areas (Non-residential within city)
• Rural Communities (not in City)
• Other Provincial Totals

*These postal geography levels were available in the past but are no longer available for this data.

This level of data is an aggregation of the provincial/territorial totals (code 11). The national total is identified by the region code Z99099.

This level of data is an aggregation of the following geographies within a province:

City Totals = Code 08
Rural Communities = Code 09
Other Provincial Totals = Code 10

These totals are identified by a provincial/territorial postal letter, then a "990" followed by the province/territory code, as follows:

Newfoundland and Labrador = A99010
Nova Scotia = B99012
Prince Edward Island = C99011
New Brunswick = E99013
Quebec = J99024
Ontario = P99035
Manitoba = R99046
Saskatchewan = S99047
Alberta = T99048
British Columbia = V99059
Northwest Territories = X99061
Nunavut = X99062
Yukon Territory = Y99060

Census tracts (CTs) are small geographic units representing urban or rural neighbourhood-like communities in census metropolitan areas (see definition below) or census agglomerations with an urban core population of 50,000 or more at time of 1996 Census. CTs were initially delineated by a committee of local specialists (such as planners, health and social workers and educators) in conjunction with Statistics Canada.

The 2016 data tables contain 5,573 areas coded as level of geography 61, based on 2016 Census.

An economic region is a grouping of complete census divisions (see definition below) with one exception in Ontario. Economic regions (ERs) are used to analyse regional economic activity. Within the province of Quebec, ERs are designated by law. In all other provinces, they are created by agreement between Statistics Canada and the provinces concerned. Prince Edward Island and the territories each consist of one economic region.

The 2016 data tables contain 76 areas coded as level of geography 51, based on 2016 Census.

The general concept of a census agglomeration (CA) is one of a very large urban area, together with adjacent urban and rural areas that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that urban area. CAs have an urban core population of at least 10,000, based on the previous census.

The 2016 data tables contain 136 area codes as level of geography 42, based on the 2016 Census: 117 CAs, 6 provincial parts for the 3 CAs which cross provincial boundaries and 13 residual geographies called Non CMA-CA, one for each province and territory.

The general concept of a census metropolitan area (CMA) is one of a very large urban area, together with adjacent urban and rural areas that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that urban area. CMAs have an urban core population of at least 100,000, based on the previous census.

The 2016 data tables contain 37 areas coded as level of geography 41, based on 2016 Census:

001, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
205, Halifax, Nova Scotia
305, Moncton, New Brunswick
310, Saint John, New Brunswick
408, Saguenay, Quebec
421, Québec, Quebec
433, Sherbrooke, Quebec
442, Trois-Rivières, Quebec
462, Montréal, Quebec
505, Ottawa-Gatineau (3 items: combined, Quebec part and Ontario part)
521, Kingston, Ontario
522, Belleville, Ontario
529, Peterborough, Ontario
532, Oshawa, Ontario
535, Toronto, Ontario
537, Hamilton, Ontario
539, St-Catharines-Niagara, Ontario
541, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario
543, Brantford, Ontario
550, Guelph, Ontario
555, London, Ontario
559, Windsor, Ontario
568, Barrie, Ontario
580, Greater Sudbury, Ontario
595, Thunder Bay, Ontario
602, Winnipeg, Manitoba
705, Regina, Saskatchewan
725, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
810, Lethbridge, Alberta
825, Calgary, Alberta
835, Edmonton, Alberta
915, Kelowna, British Columbia
932, Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia
933, Vancouver, British Columbia
935, Victoria, British Columbia

A federal electoral district (FED) refers to any place or territorial area represented by a Member of Parliament elected to the House of Commons. There are 338 FEDs in Canada according to the 2013 Representation Order. The Representation Order is prepared by the Chief Electoral Officer describing, naming and specifying the population of each electoral district established by the Electoral Boundaries Commission and sent to the Governor in Council.

The 2016 data tables contain 338 areas coded as level of geography 31.

A census division (CD) is a group of neighbouring municipalities joined together for the purposes of regional planning and managing common services (such as police or ambulance services). A CD might correspond to a county, a regional municipality or a regional district.

CDs are established under laws in effect in certain provinces and territories of Canada. In other provinces and territories where laws do not provide for such areas (Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta), Statistics Canada defines equivalent areas for statistical reporting purposes in cooperation with these provinces and territories.

The 2016 Census contain 293 areas coded as level of geography 21; however, the 2016 data tables contain 295 areas since the CD of Halton (Ont.) straddles 2 Economic Regions.

Starting in 2007, Census divisions are identified in the tables by a six digits code:

2 first digits = Province
2 next digits = Economic Region
2 last digits = Census Division

This level of data is an aggregation of the provincial/territorial totals (code 11). The national total is identified by the region code Z99099.

These totals are identified by a provincial/territorial postal letter, then a "990" followed by the province/territory code, as follows:

Newfoundland and Labrador = A99010
Nova Scotia = B99012
Prince Edward Island = C99011
New Brunswick = E99013
Quebec = J99024
Ontario = P99035
Manitoba = R99046
Saskatchewan = S99047
Alberta = T99048
British Columbia = V99059
Northwest Territories = X99061
Nunavut = X99062
Yukon Territory = Y99060

This level of data is an aggregation of small communities in the province that had less than 100 tax filers, where these communities are combined into a "pot". Before 1992, it was identified by the same codes as the provincial/territorial totals, and only the "Delivery Mode" codes 2 and 3 distinguished between the two. To avoid this problem, starting with the 1992 data, an "8" appears after the provincial/territorial letter instead of a "9". The "9" will be reserved for the provincial/territorial total, as explained in 11 above. These "pot" codes are as follows:

Newfoundland and Labrador = A89010
Nova Scotia = B89012
Prince Edward Island = C89011
New Brunswick = E89013
Quebec = J89024
Ontario = P89035
Manitoba = R89046
Saskatchewan = S89047
Alberta = T89048
British Columbia = V89059
Northwest Territories = X89061
Nunavut = X89062
Yukon Territory = Y89060

For data obtained prior to reference year 2011, this level of geography was called “Rural Postal Codes (Not in a City)”.

This level of geography pertains to rural communities that have one and only one rural Postal Code. These rural communities are based on areas serviced by Canada Post. These areas are often very close to the official boundaries of rural communities. Rural Postal Codes can be identified by a "zero" in the second position of the Postal Code.

The 2016 data tables contain 3,935  areas coded as level of geography 09.

In postal geography, this city concept is often linked to older city boundaries or to neighbourhoods. Most often, this geography does not exactly correspond to official municipal limits.

This level of data is an aggregation of the following geographies for unique place names within a province/territory:

Urban FSA (Residential) = Code 03
Rural Route= Code 04
Suburban Services = Code 05
Rural Postal Code Areas (within city) = Code 06
Other Urban Area = Code 07

As of 2011, data for L.O.G. 04 and 05 are suppressed but included in the city totals.

They have the following format: e.g., Edmonton = T95479; Regina = S94876. The pattern is the postal letter of the city plus "9" in the second position (indicating a total), followed by a 4 digit numeric code for the community (often called "CityID").

Data based on the true municipal limits (census subdivisions) is only available through cost recovery data tabulations.

The 2016 data tables contain 1,767 areas coded as level of geography 08.

This aggregation of data (or "pot") covers non-residential addresses within an urban centre and all other data not otherwise displayed. Commercial addresses, post office boxes and general delivery are included, as are residential addresses with too few tax filers to report separately. They can be recognized by codes that are similar to the city totals, with a distinguishing difference: an "8" will follow the city postal letter rather than the "9" of the city total (e.g., Edmonton = T85479; Regina = S84876).

The 2016 data tables contain 433 areas coded as level of geography 07.

For data obtained prior to reference year 2011, this level of geography was called “Rural Postal Codes (Within a City)”.

These data pertain to rural Postal Codes that belong to communities with more than one rural Postal Code. These occur in areas that were formerly serviced by rural delivery service and changed by Canada Post to urban delivery service or in communities served by more than one rural Postal Code. Rural Postal Codes can be identified by a "zero" in the second position of the Postal Code. Although data is disseminated individually for each rural Postal Code associated with a community, only the community name appears with the disseminated data. The actual rural Postal Codes are not displayed with the disseminated data. Therefore, for this level of geography, community names will appear more than once.

The 2016 data tables contain 635 areas coded as level of geography 06.

No longer available.

Sparsely populated fringe areas of urban centres may receive their postal service from an urban post office by delivery designated as "suburban service". Their region code retains all six characters of the Postal Code. Suburban Services are usually near or on the perimeters of urban areas, and mail is delivered by a contractor to group mail boxes, community mail boxes and/or external delivery sites (e.g., kiosks, miniparks).

No longer available.

Reasonably well-settled rural areas may receive their postal service from an urban post office by delivery designated as "rural route". Mail is delivered by a contractor to customers living along or near well-defined roads. Their region code retains all six characters of the Postal Code.

Forward Sortation Areas (FSA) are identified by the first three characters of the Postal Code. This version of urban FSA only includes Postal Codes associated with regular residential mail delivery in an urban areas. They exclude the geography levels 04, 05 and 07) and therefore are often just a subset of the true complete urban FSA.

An Urban FSA of this type can be identified by the FSA followed by three blanks. One FSA can be split in different parts if it is associated with more than one city.

Data based on the true FSA delivery limits (without any FSA splits) is only available through cost recovery data tabulations for both urban and rural areas.

The 2016 data tables contain 2,534 areas coded as level of geography 03.