Provincial methodologies

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For health regions in Quebec and British Columbia, the administrative files used for adjusting the 2006-based population estimates for non-census years differ from those used by Statistics Canada in the description above. For these provinces, the health region population estimates were supplied by the Institut de la statistique du Québec and BC Stats respectively.

  • Quebec

For the most recent year (2010), the preliminary population estimates are provided by ISQ at the census division level and they are then converted to Health Regions following the conversion factor method.

For all preceding years (1996 to 2009), the estimates are provided by Statistics Canada.

  • British Columbia

The methodology used by British Columbia to derive small area populations by gender and age group is divided into two parts.

A Regression Approach, specifically the Difference-Correlation Method (DCM), is the primary method underlying the sub-provincial population estimates. A secondary method, known as Proportional Allocation (PA), is also used to estimate the population for certain classes of areas. Both these methods use information derived from a set of indicators obtained from administrative files that are symptomatic of regional population changes.

In essence, the British Columbia small area population estimation model works as follows. Beginning with the most recent federal census (in this case the 2006 Census of Canada), each region's share of provincial population is adjusted up or down according to the current share of the provincial total of a weighted combination of residential hydro connections and/or Old Age Security recipients. Estimates of the population living in municipalities along with that portion of the population living outside the municipality but within the regional district (for example, unorganized area), are controlled at the provincial level by a British Columbia population estimate prepared by Statistics Canada. Regional district population estimates are derived by summing the municipal and unorganized area population estimates. Local health areas are also controlled at the provincial level, and in order to ensure consistency, the local health area population estimates within each regional district are then tied to the regional district population estimates.