Appendix A: Glossary
See the 2016 Census Dictionary for more definitions: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/az1-eng.cfm. Some terms in this glossary are reserved for future iterations of this document as Census data are released by Statistics Canada. Therefore, some of the following terms may not be found in the current document.
Indigenous identity: Refers to those persons who reported identifying with at least one Indigenous group, i.e. 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 who were members of an Indian Band or First Nation. In 1991 and previous censuses, Indigenous persons were determined using the ethnic origin question (ancestry). The 1996 Census included a question on the individual’s own perception of his/her Indigenous identity. The census question has been the same since 1996.
Census division (CD): The general term for provincially legislated areas (such as county and regional district) joined together for the purposes of regional planning and managing common services (such as police or ambulance services). Census divisions are intermediate geographic areas between the province/territory level and the municipality (census subdivision).
Census family: A married or common-law couple (with or without children of either or both spouses), 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.
Census subdivision (CSD): CSD is the general term applying to municipalities (as determined by provincial legislation) or their equivalent (for example, Indian reserves, Indian settlements, and unorganized territories). Within the Sudbury & Districts, six types exist: City, Indian Reserve, Municipality, Town, Township, Unorganized.
Common-law couples: Two people of the opposite sex or of the same sex who live together as a couple, but who are not legally married to each other.
Composition of income (of a population group or geographic area): The relative share of each income source or group of sources, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate total income of that population group or geographic area.
Economic family: Refers to a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law, or adoption.
Foreign resident: A foreign resident is a person whose usual place of residence is outside Canada.
Francophone: Designates those who stated French as their sole mother tongue or as one of their mother tongues (single and multiple responses) (Ontario Office of Francophone Affairs, 2005).
Full-year and full-home language: Refers to the language most often spoken at home.
Knowledge of official languages: Refers to the ability to conduct a conversation in English only, in French only, in both English and French, or in neither of the official languages of Canada.
Labour force (in reference week): Refers to all persons 15 years of age and over, excluding institutional residents, who were either employed or unemployed during the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to census day.
Market income not included elsewhere: Refers to regular cash income received and not reported elsewhere. For example, severance pay and retirement allowances, alimony, child support, periodic support from other persons not in the household, income from abroad (excluding dividends and interest), non-refundable scholarships, bursaries, fellowships and study grants, and artists’ project grants are included.
Median household income: The income value at which 50% of households are below and 50% are above.
Mother tongue: Refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census.
Participation rate: Refers to the total labour force in the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to census day, expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over, excluding institutional residents.
Private household: A person or a group of persons, who occupy the same private dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada. The household universe is divided into two sub-universes on the basis of whether the household is occupying a collective dwelling or a private dwelling. The latter is a private household.
Temporary resident: A temporary resident of a dwelling is a person who resides there on census day, but has a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada.
Total dependency ratio (TDR): TDR = (# children aged 0–14 years + number of elderly aged 65+) divided by the total # persons aged 15–64 x 100%. Dependency ratios are economic indicators that are often used in international comparisons. Areas with high dependency ratios are economically stressed because they have a higher number of people who are economically dependent relative to those aged 15–64 who are likely to be earning a wage. The indicator does not consider the unemployed or those on social assistance who are also economically dependent. (APHEO, 2008)
Unattached individuals: Individuals not living in an economic family.
Unemployed: Refers to persons 15 years of age and over, excluding institutional residents, who, during the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to census day, were without paid work and were available for work and either:
- Had actively looked for work in the past four weeks, or
- Were on temporary lay-off and expected to return to their jobs, or
- Had definite arrangements to start a new job in four weeks or less.
Unemployment rate: Refers to the unemployed expressed as a percentage of the total labour force in the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to census day. Data are available for persons 15 years of age and over, excluding institutional residents.
Usual resident: A usual resident occupies the dwelling permanently or for the major part of the year.
This item was last modified on November 20, 2018