Mapping a shortcoming in Canada's statistical data

Mark Jarvis tried to put together an interactive map detailing the hardest places to live in Canada, but the Public Policy Researcher with the University of Toronto's Mowat Centre couldn't get the data he needed to complete the project.

It just isn't available in Canada, unlike in the United States where detailed statistics allowed The New York Times to develop a county-by-county look at things like obesity, education, and poverty levels. 

The result of Jarvis' efforts was a picture of Canada with huge blank spots throughout.

We've made decisions over time that have not prioritised having robust local data on a broad enough range of social and economic indicators- Mark Jarvis, Mowat Centre

Jarvis points to the decision by the federal government to do away with the mandatory long-form census, and replace it with a voluntary Household Survey, as one of the most significant of those decisions.

He says there are three things that need to change about the way Canada approaches statistics.

First, he'd like the government to reverse its decision and once again make the long-form census mandatory.

Second, he would expand what information is collected through that long-form census.

Third, he would like to increase data sharing among federal departments.

"We need more robust data in Canada not just because we want to make pretty maps, but because it will actually let us better understand what's happening in our communities," he explains. "Especially if we want to be able to deliver more targeted policies and services, that actually respond to local realities."