Census metropolitan area (CMA)

A Census geographical unit consisting of one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a large urban area (known as the urban core). The census population count of the urban core is at least 100,000 to form a census metropolitan area (CMA). To be included in the CMA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the central urban area, as measured by commuting flows derived from census place of work data. Once an area becomes a CMA, it is retained as a CMA even if the population of its urban core declines below 100,000.