Appendix A: Variable Definitions

1. 2011 population (Pop11)

Definition: Estimate of the total number of individuals living in a region.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2011

2. Aboriginal percentage (AboPer)

Definition: Proportion of a regions' total population self-identifying with at least one Aboriginal group. 'Aboriginal identity' refers to whether the person reported being an Aboriginal person, that is, First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit) and/or being a Registered or Treaty Indian (that is, registered under the Indian Act of Canada) and/or being a member of a First Nation or Indian band. Aboriginal peoples of Canada are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, section 35 (2) as including the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.

Source: Statistics Canada,  2011 National Household Survey

3. Average dwelling value (AvgDwl)

Definition: It refers to the dollar amount expected by the owner if the dwelling were to be sold.

Source: Statistics Canada,  2011 National Household Survey

4. Median household income (MedInc)

Definition: Median household income for persons aged 15 and over, from all sources.

Source: Statistics Canada,  2011 National Household Survey

5. Post-secondary graduates (PostSec)

Definition: Population aged 25 to 54 who have obtained a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree.

Source: Statistics Canada,  2011 National Household Survey

6. Employment rate (25 to 54) (Emp)

Definition: Number of employed persons aged 25 to 54 divided by the total number of individuals between the ages of 25 and 54 in a given region.

Source: Statistics Canada,  2011 National Household Survey

7. Growth rate (Growth)

Definition: Percent change in a regions population size from 2006 to 2011.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2006 and 2011 Census

8. Government transfer income in 2010, as a proportion of total income (GovTran)

Definition:  Refers to all cash benefits received from federal, provincial, territorial or municipal governments during 2010.

Source: Statistics Canada,  2011 National Household Survey

9. Housing affordability (HouAff)

Definition:Refers to the proportion of the average monthly 2010 total household income which is spent on owner's major payments (in the case of owner-occupied dwellings) or on gross rent (in the case of tenant-occupied dwellings). Includes private households in occupied non-farm, non-reserve dwellings with household income greater than $0 in 2005 (i.e., excludes negative or zero household income).

It should be noted that not all households spending 30% or more of incomes on shelter costs are necessarily experiencing housing affordability problems. This is particularly true of households with high incomes. There are also other households who choose to spend more on shelter than on other goods. Nevertheless, the allocation of 30% or more of a household's income to housing expenses provides a useful benchmark for assessing trends in housing affordability.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

10. Immigrant percentage (ImmPer)

Definition: Those immigrants who came to Canada from 2001 to 2011 as a proportion of the total population.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

11. Income share held by households whose income fell below the median household income in 2010 (MedShr)

Definition: Proportion of income (from all sources, before tax) held by the bottom half of all households, based on the median household income for that specific region. A proportion of 50% would represent no inequality.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

12. Internal migrant mobility (MigMob)

Definition: Proportion of people that lived in a different Canadian municipality at the time of the previous census (5-year internal migrants). This excludes Canadians in households outside Canada (military and government personnel).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

13. Lone-parent families (LnePrnt)

Definition: Proportion of lone-parent families among all census families living in private households. A census family refers to a married couple (with or without children of either or both spouses), a couple living common-law (with or without children of either or both partners) or a lone parent of any marital status, with at least one child living in the same dwelling. A couple living common-law may be of opposite or same sex. "Children" in a census family include grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census

14. Long term unemployment rate (LtUnemp)

Definition: Proportion of the labour force aged 15 and over who last worked in or before 2010. It does not include unemployed persons who never worked or last worked in 2011.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

15. Prevalence of low income before tax in 2010 for persons in private households (LowPop)

Definition: Proportion of persons in private households with 2010 incomes below the Statistics Canada low-income cut-off (LICO). The cut-offs represent levels of income where people spend disproportionate amounts of money for food, shelter, and clothing.

LICOs are based on family size as well as the size of the population centre; cut-offs are updated to account for changes in the consumer price index. Data were not derived for economic families or unattached individuals in the Territories or on Indian Reserves

A private household refers to a person or a group of persons (other than foreign residents) who occupy a private dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

16. Persons aged 17 years and under living in low income economic families before tax in 2010 (LowKids)

Definition: Proportion of children under age 18 living in economic families with 2010 incomes below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-offs (LICO). Data were not derived for economic families in the Territories or on Indian Reserves.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

17. Male-female ratio (MFRat)

Definition: Total number of males in a given region in 2011 divided by the total number of females.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census

18. Owner-occupied private non-farm, non-reserve dwellings (OwnDwl)

Definition: Proportion of dwellings in which the owner also lives. Band housing and collective dwellings (i.e. rooming houses, nursing homes, military camps etc.) are excluded from both numerator and denominator. Non-farm dwelling refers to a private dwelling, other than one situated on a farm or occupied by a farm operator. Non-reserve dwelling refers to a private dwelling not on a reserve and not band housing.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

19. Population density (PopDen)

Definition: Number of people per square kilometre.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census and Geography Division

20. Population under 20 (Pop20)

Definition: Proportion of the population in a given region under the age of 20 (2011 population).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census

21. Population 65 years and older (Pop65)

Definition: Proportion of the population in a given region aged 65 years and older (2011 population).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census

22. Strong MIZ (MIZ)

Definition: Strong Census Metropolitan Area and Census Agglomeration Influenced Zones (MIZ) is the population or the proportion of the population living in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA), Census Agglomerations (CA) and communities that fall outside CMAs and/or CAs that have at least 30% of the employed labour force commuting to CMAs and/or CAs. The Statistical Area Classification (SAC) groups census subdivisions according to whether they are a component of a census metropolitan area, a census agglomeration, a census metropolitan area and census agglomeration influenced zone (strong MIZ, moderate MIZ, weak MIZ or no MIZ), or the territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). The SAC is used for data dissemination purposes. Care should be exercised when applying the MIZ concept in the three territories. As many CSDs in the territories are very large and sparsely populated, the place of work-population relationship upon which the MIZ is constructed is unstable.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census

23. Unemployment rate (Unemp)

Definition: Total number of unemployed individuals 15 and older divided by the total number of individuals 15 and older participating in the labour force.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

24. Visible minority (VisMin)

Definition: Proportion of the population belonging to a visible minority group. Visible minority refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as 'persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.' The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey