THUNDER BAY – The Northern Policy Institute has just made it easier to access statistical data at the community level.
As a consortium lead with the Canadian Council of Social Development’s Community Data Program, NPI is now able to make important social and economic data available to communities and organizations throughout Northern Ontario. This program falls in line with NPI’s vision to build capacity in the north through evidence-based decision making.
This program will reach a broad membership across Northern Ontario, which offers a group purchase plan to reduce the cost for users to secure data beyond that which is released free by providers like Statistics Canada.
The Northern Ontario Data Consortium is the third program of its kind offered in Northern Ontario. Parry Sound/Nipissing and Sudbury have had regional consortia for several years. This new group covers all “the rest” of the north and allows municipalities, indigenous organizations, and community groups to purchase data at significant savings by sharing the costs with each other.
“The hope is that by providing a better and more cost effective way for communities and organizations across the North to access essential data, they will be able to make more informed decisions that affect the everyday lives of those living in our communities,” said Northern Policy Institute President Charles Cirtwill.
The Community Data Program was created by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), and consists of a national network of 29 community data consortiums, providing memberships to over 50 municipalities and 1000 users, including social planning councils, family service agencies, United Way’s and school boards.
Members are given access to municipal, provincial and federal data sets, through a secure website which connects you to online data products for download.
Data sets include Census/ National Household Survey target group profiles, Census/ National Household Survey custom cross tabulations, Canadian Business Patterns, Taxfiler Data, Environics Envision, and Citizen and Immigration Canada permanent residence statistics.
For more information on how you can access the Northern Ontario Data Consortium visit www.northernpolicy.ca/nodc or contact info@northernpoliy.ca
