Using this Site

Using this Site

Welcome to LIPdata.ca! This page explains what is on the site and how to use it. The contents of this page can be downloaded to use as a quick reference guide: Using the LIPdata.ca Website.  

  • HINT: If you are viewing this on a mobile phone, the indicator graphs will display best in landscape orientation.  For the greatest clarity, please view the graphs on a computer. 

REGIONAL HOME PAGES

Each IRCC region has a home page, which can be accessed by using the tabs at the top of the page. The BC-Yukon Region includes information about LIPs in British Columbia and the Yukon. The Prairies and Northern Territories or PNT Region includes data and information about LIPs in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories. Although Nunavut is part of the PNT, there are no LIPs operating there at present. The Ontario Region includes information for the many LIPs in the province of Ontario. The Atlantic Region includes information about LIPs in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. There is also a page called the Québec Region with provincial information, although there are no LIPs in Québec.

Within the four regions with LIPs, there is a description of the service area or geographic data boundary for the region and each LIP within it. The geographies are the boundaries used when ordering data. There are also success stories or links to videos about newcomers in the community, profiled by IRCC through its #immigrationMatters initiative. 

REPORTING DASHBOARD

A prominent feature of LIPdata.ca is a reporting dashboard, which includes federal census data for LIPs from 2006 and 2016. Nine icons on the left side of each page correspond to the following themes: Age and Sex demographics, Birth Country, Citizenship & Immigration, Education, Employment, Housing, Income, Language, and Migration. When you click on a theme, it will open a second layer that holds one or more indicators that can be selected. For example, the Housing theme has three indicators that can be displayed as graphs: Individuals Living in a Home that Does Not Meet Housing Standards; Tenure; and Housing Structure Type

INDICATOR GRAPHS

When an indicator is selected, two identical graphs open—one above the other. Once a graph is open, you can click on the Description tab to the upper right of the graph for definitions related to the data being displayed, along with source information for the data. For a complete description of all the indicators and sources in the dashboard, you can view or download the Dashboard Dictionary (dated 2020-02-03), which is periodically updated. Please check the revision date to be sure you are using the latest version.

Each graph defaults to “Canada” for region and “All Canada Data” for geography, as well as to 2023 for year (i.e., the year of the most recent data available for that indicator). However, each graph can be customized to compare various dimensions of the same indicator: geography, year, number/percent, and population group. The latter is comprised of total population, all immigrants, recent immigrants, and non-permanent residents, although not all indicators have data for every group. 

Having two identical graphs enables you to compare the same indicator in different ways. For example, a LIP could compare the same indicator for two different years. Note that both charts default to the latest year that has data—in this case, 2023—but that can be easily changed by using the drop-down menu for year. The same indicator could be compared for the same year but with values shown as a number on one graph and a percent on the other, in order to see the order of magnitude of the percentages shown. That selection is made by using the number/percent drop-down menu for each graph.

Once those categories are selected, the same indicator could be compared for the same year but displaying different population groups, which are turned off or on by clicking on the name of the group. A line will run through the name of a group that is turned off, meaning that data for that group will not be displayed. Clicking on the title again will remove the line and show the data. Finally, the same indicator could be used to compare a LIP to a different geography—be it another LIP, a province or territory, an IRCC region, or Canada as a whole. 

Note that screen shots can be taken of the graphs to use in other documents and raw data can be downloaded for further exploration.

A NOTE ABOUT GEOGRAPHIES

Geographies have two drop-down menus to shorten the lists within each one. The first menu is called Region and the second is called Geography. The Region menu starts with Canada and then lists each region from west to east—BC-Yukon, PNT, Ontario, Québec, and Atlantic. Listed alphabetically within each region are its provinces and territories. Select whichever location is of interest.

Once a location is selected, the Geography menu first lists the chosen location and then the provinces/territories (as appropriate) and LIPs within them, also in alphabetical order. If an IRCC region is selected, the Geography list includes all provinces and territories within that region, along with the LIPs within each of them. If a province or territory is selected, the Geography list includes only that location and the LIPs within it.

For example, for the PNT region, under the Region menu, data can be selected for the PNT region or for Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, or Saskatchewan. If, for example, Manitoba was selected under the Region menu, the Geography menu will have Manitoba and its LIPs listed: East Manitoba, Brandon, Dauphin & Area, Pembina Valley, Portage la Prairie, and Winnipeg. 

Comparative data are currently provided for Canada and the provinces and territories. This includes Québec and Nunavut, even though there are no LIPs in either of them. 

As new LIPs are funded, their data boundaries will be determined and boundary files will be ordered from Statistics Canada as needed. Once the boundary files are received, Statistics Canada data for each indicator will be ordered for all new LIPs. This is likely to be done in a single batch each spring. It takes several months to receive a data order of this nature so new data are likely to be received, processed, and uploaded some time during the fall of each year.

The most recent Inventory of LIP Geographies (dated 2020-03-12), describing LIP service area data boundaries, can be downloaded for reference. This file is updated periodically so please check the revision date to be sure you are using the latest version.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)

The platform for this website and dashboard was developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. It was made possible through a generous grant from Employment and Social Development Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides ongoing funding to support the LIPData.ca project. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted globally in 2015 under the guidance of the United Nations. Goals and their targets seek to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. 

A unique feature of this dashboard is that each indicator graph is linked to one or more Sustainable Development Goals and their targets. When you open a graph, you will see an SDG tab to the upper right of each graph (by the Description). That tab shows which of the SDG goals is best aligned with what is being reported. When you click on the SDG icon in that tab, the targets selected for that indicator graph will be listed below it.

LIPs NETWORK CDP INITIATIVE

The LIPs Network CDP-Immigration Data Portal Initiative is a collaboration that enables all LIPs in Canada to access additional immigration data. This is done through an Immigration Data Portal on the Community Data Program website that was created specifically for LIPs. As with the portal, key immigration data is available at each LIP’s level of geography—meaning its specific service area or geographic data boundary. Resources related to the collaboration are found on the LIPs Network CDP Initiative page.

CONTACT US

Comments and questions can be directed to LIPdata.ca through the Contact Us page. 

WHAT’S NEXT?

An exciting feature of the new dashboard is that there is no limit to the number of years, indicators, or geographies that can be added. As LIPs are formed, their service areas can be determined, which will enable data to be ordered for them during the next round of data purchases. Once new data has been ordered and processed, the dashboard will be updated to include it. 

DISCLAIMER

The LIPdata.ca dashboard uses data provided by Statistics Canada for Canada, the provinces and territories, and the standard or custom geographies needed for the four IRCC regions and all of the LIPs within them. Similarly, local data and information are generally provided by LIPs. While LIPdata.ca has supplied all of this information in good faith, it makes no representation, warranty, or condition (statutory, express, or implied) as to its accuracy; takes no responsibility for any errors or omissions which may be contained herein; and accepts no liability for any loss arising from any use or reliance on this website. 

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