A population centre, in the context of a Canadian census, is a populated place, or a cluster of interrelated populated places, which meets the demographic characteristics of an urban area, having a population of at least 1,000 people and a population density of no fewer than 400 people per square km2.
The term was introduced in the Canada 2011 Census; prior to that, Statistics Canada used the term urban area.
Statistics Canada listed 944 population centres in its 2011 census data; 513 of them, 54 per cent of all population centres in Canada, were located in Ontario or Quebec, the two most populous provinces.
History The term "population centre" was chosen in order to better reflect the fact that urban vs. rural is not a strict division, but rather a continuum within which several distinct settlement patterns, and several competing interpretations of the distinction, may exist. For example, a community may fit a strictly statistical definition of an urban area, but may not be commonly thought of as "urban" because it has a smaller population, or because it functions socially and economically as a suburb of another urban area rather than as a self-contained urban entity, or because it is geographically remote from other urban communities. Municipal boundaries are ignored in determining population centres and they are focused entirely on their geographic and built-up nature.
Accordingly, the new definition set out three distinct types of population centres: small (population 1,000 to 29,999), medium (population 30,000 to 99,999) and large (population 100,000 or greater). Despite the change in terminology, however, the demographic definition of a population centre remains unchanged from that of an urban area: a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre.
Characteristics
A population centre does not necessarily correspond to the boundaries of a municipality or of a census division. For example, a less densely populated area within a city's municipal boundaries may not be included as part of its population centre, while areas outside the city limits that directly continue a city's urban core population may be included.
For example, the population centre of Toronto extends into neighbouring Peel Region, Halton Region, Durham Region and York Region, encompassing places such as Oakville, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, Pickering and Ajax. Despite this, numerous other communities which are considered part of the Greater Toronto Area for political purposes are not part of the population centre of Toronto; because more rural areas separate them geographically from the primary zone of urban settlement, communities such as Milton, Georgetown, Caledon East, Bolton, Nobleton, and Stouffville instead form their own separate small or medium population centres,"Map: Toronto (Population Centre), Ontario". Statistics Canada, February 1, 2012. and even a portion of the city of Toronto itself, to the north and east of the Toronto Zoo in Scarborough, is excluded from the population centre as it is much less densely populated than the rest of the city.
However, the Statistics Canada definition of a population centre is that it does not cross the boundaries of a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA); even though the band of continuous urban development emanating outward from downtown Toronto along the shore of Lake Ontario extends even further into Hamilton and Oshawa, these two cities are both considered separate CMAs by Statistics Canada rather than being part of Toronto's, and accordingly each is also considered a distinct population centre.
Conversely, a single municipality may also contain more than one distinct population centre, if less densely populated or undeveloped regions separate more urbanized areas from one another. For example, Ottawa has seven distinct population centres (Ottawa-Gatineau, Constance Bay, Kanata, Richmond, Osgoode, Manotick and Metcalfe),Map: Ottawa - Gatineau (Population Centre), Ontario. Statistics Canada, February 1, 2012. the neighbouring city of Gatineau has a secondary population centre at Buckingham in addition to its primary urban core forming part of Ottawa-Gatineau, and Greater Sudbury has eight distinct population centres (Sudbury, Azilda, Capreol, Chelmsford, Coniston, Dowling, Lively and Valley East).Map: Sudbury (Population Centre), Ontario. Statistics Canada, February 1, 2012.
Lists By population rank RankPopulation centreProvinceSize groupPopulation (2021)Population (2016)ChangeLand area (km2)Population density (/km2) Toronto Ontario Large urban Montreal Quebec Large urban Vancouver British Columbia Large urban Calgary Alberta Large urban Edmonton Alberta Large urban Ottawa–Gatineau Ontario / Quebec Large urban Winnipeg Manitoba Large urban Quebec City Quebec Large urban Hamilton Ontario Large urban Kitchener Ontario Large urban London Ontario Large urban Victoria British Columbia Large urban Halifax Nova Scotia Large urban Oshawa Ontario Large urban Windsor Ontario Large urban Saskatoon Saskatchewan Large urban St. Catharines – Niagara Falls Ontario Large urban Regina Saskatchewan Large urban St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Large urban Kelowna British Columbia Large urban Barrie Ontario Large urban Sherbrooke Quebec Large urban Guelph Ontario Large urban Kanata Ontario Large urban Abbotsford British Columbia Large urban Trois-Rivières Quebec Large urban Kingston Ontario Large urban Milton Ontario Large urban Moncton New Brunswick Large urban White Rock British Columbia Large urban Nanaimo British Columbia Large urban Brantford Ontario Large urban Chicoutimi – Jonquière Quebec Large urban Saint-Jérôme Quebec Large urban Red Deer Alberta Medium Thunder Bay Ontario Medium Lethbridge Alberta Medium Kamloops British Columbia Medium Sudbury Ontario Medium Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Quebec Medium Peterborough Ontario Medium Chilliwack British Columbia Medium Châteauguay Quebec Medium Belleville Ontario Medium Sarnia Ontario Medium Airdrie Alberta Medium Drummondville Quebec Medium Welland – Pelham Ontario Medium Fort McMurray Alberta Medium Prince George British Columbia Medium Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Medium Fredericton New Brunswick Medium Saint John New Brunswick Medium Medicine Hat Alberta Medium Grande Prairie Alberta Medium Granby Quebec Medium Bowmanville – Newcastle Ontario Medium Beloeil Quebec Medium Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Medium Vernon British Columbia Medium North Bay Ontario Medium Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec Medium Brandon Manitoba Medium Joliette Quebec Medium Courtenay British Columbia Medium Cornwall Ontario Medium Victoriaville Quebec Medium Woodstock Ontario Medium St. Thomas Ontario Medium Chatham Ontario Medium Georgetown Ontario Medium Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Quebec Medium Spruce Grove Alberta Medium Shawinigan Quebec Medium Rimouski Quebec Medium Bradford Ontario Medium Campbell River British Columbia Medium Penticton British Columbia Medium Prince Albert Saskatchewan Medium Stouffville Ontario Medium Sorel Quebec Medium Mission British Columbia Medium Leamington Ontario Medium Orangeville Ontario Medium Leduc Alberta Medium Orillia Ontario Medium Stratford Ontario Medium Moose Jaw Saskatchewan Medium Cochrane Alberta Medium Lloydminster Alberta / Saskatchewan Medium Cape Breton – Sydney Nova Scotia Medium Okotoks Alberta Medium Innisfil Ontario Small Timmins Ontario Small Saint-Georges Quebec Small Parksville British Columbia Small Keswick – Elmhurst Beach Ontario Small Fort Saskatchewan Alberta Small Bolton Ontario Small Midland Ontario Small
By province or territory List of population centres in Alberta List of population centres in British Columbia List of population centres in the Canadian Territories List of population centres in Manitoba List of population centres in New Brunswick List of population centres in Newfoundland and Labrador List of population centres in Nova Scotia List of population centres in Ontario List of population centres in Prince Edward Island List of population centres in Quebec List of population centres in Saskatchewan
See also List of the largest cities and towns in Canada by area List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada Population of Canada by province and territory List of largest Canadian cities by census Population of Canada by year List of cities in Canada List of towns in Canada Regional municipality
References