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Appendix A: Variable Definitions

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1. 2006 Population (Pop06)

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

Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2006

2. Aboriginal Percentage (AboPer)

Definition: Proportion of a regions' total population self-identifying with at least one Aboriginal group, that is, North American Indian, Métis or Inuit, and/or those who reported being a Treaty Indian or a Registered Indian, as defined by the Indian Act of Canada, and/or those who reported they were members of an Indian band or First Nation.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

3. Average Dwelling Value (AvgDwl)

Definition: Average expected value of an owner-occupied, non-farm, non-reserve dwelling (including the value of the land the dwelling is on) at the time of the Census. It refers to the dollar amount expected by the owner if the dwelling were to be sold.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

4. Median Household Income (MedInc)

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

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

5. Post-Secondary Graduates (PostSec)

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

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

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, 2006 Census

7. Growth Rate (Growth)

Definition: Percent change in a regions population size from 2001 to 2006.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 and 2006 Census

8. Government Transfer Income in 2005, as a Proportion of Total Income (GovTran)

Definition: Money income received by persons 15 years of age and older from all transfer payments from federal, provincial, territorial or municipal governments during calendar year 2005, as a proportion of total income. This variable is derived by summing the amounts reported in:

  • the Old Age Security pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance and Allowance for the Survivor
  • benefits from Canada or Quebec Pension Plan
  • benefits from Employment Insurance
  • Child benefits
  • other income from government sources.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

9. Housing Affordability (HouAff)

Definition:Refers to the proportion of the average monthly 2005 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, 2006 Census

10. Immigrant Percentage (ImmPer)

Definition: Those immigrants who came to Canada from 1996 to 2006 as a proportion of the total population.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

11. Income Share Held by Households whose Income Fell Below the Median Household Income in 2005 (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, 2006 Census

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, 2006 Census

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, 2006 Census

14. Long Term Unemployment Rate (LtUnemp)

Definition: Proportion of the labour force aged 15 and over who last worked in or before 2005. It does not include unemployed persons who never worked or last worked in 2006.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

15. Prevalence of Low Income before Tax in 2005 for Persons in Private Households (LowPop)

Definition: Proportion of persons in private households with 2005 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 urban area; 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, 2006 Census

16. Persons aged 17 years and under Living in Low Income Economic Families before Tax in 2005 (LowKids)

Definition: Proportion of children under age 18 living in economic families with 2005 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, 2006 Census

17. Male-Female Ratio (MFRat)

Definition: Total number of males in a given region in 2006 divided by the total number of females.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 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, 2006 Census

19. Population Density (PopDen)

Definition: Number of people per square kilometre.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census and Geography Division

20. Population under 20 (Pop20)

Definition: Proportion of the population in a given region under the age of 20 (2006 population).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

21. Population 65 Years and Older (Pop65)

Definition: Proportion of the population in a given region aged 65 years and older (2006 population).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

22. Strong MIZ (MIZ)

Definition: Population living in census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs), and communities that fall outside CMAs/CAs in which at least 30% of the employed labour force commutes to the CMAs/CAs. The measure is used to describe the degree of urban influence in the health region. CMAs and CAs are large urban areas, together with adjacent urban and rural areas that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that urban area. CMAs and CAs are defined as urban areas that have attained certain population thresholds: 100,000 for CMAs and 10,000 for CAs.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 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, 2006 Census

24. Visible Minority (VisMin)

Definition: Proportion of the population belonging to a visible minority group. As defined by the Employment Equity Act (1986), visible minorities are persons (other than Aboriginal people) who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.>

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census