Your municipality, your statistics
This series of articles is part of an ongoing effort by Statistics Canada to bring data to municipalities via its new Centre for Municipal and Local Data, following its established partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Check out some previous articles in the series:
"We are eager to have data that affect businesses in any way; they are essential in guiding our entrepreneurs," says François Desmarais, director of economic development at Entreprendre Sherbrooke, a paramunicipal economic development organization. “Statistics Canada’s census data have been our bread and butter for years," adds his colleague Michaël Bisaillon, analyst and administrator of the Observatoire commercial. “We cross-reference them with our own data to offer a personalized service to our clients.”
Founded in 2021, the organization of about 40 employees assists Sherbrooke businesses at all stages of their development, in addition to being responsible for regional mandates, including the regionalization of immigration for the Eastern Townships.
“We take all the data from Statistics Canada, all of them, since 2011," laughs Michaël. “I put them in a database with other data from elsewhere, including those from our team that does field work and can collect data in real time."
François Desmarais
These data are also found in two tools hosted on the Entreprendre Sherbrooke website and are accessible to all, namely Localiz and Analiz. The former allows users to find a commercial space in Sherbrooke that meets the entrepreneur's criteria, and the latter is a virtual space that gathers different socioeconomic data on the city and allows users to better understand the market and the consumption habits of the inhabitants of each sector of the city.
“Sherbrooke is growing at an amazing rate, with our population growth at just over 7% in Quebec,” says François. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, people wanted to leave the big cities like Montréal and Québec. Here, we have all the facilities of a big city, but we are five minutes from the countryside and the mountains. The living environment is extraordinary. With Statistics Canada data and our own, we can map our territory with remarkable precision and follow the evolution of the population and its characteristics. We are proud of what we have accomplished with Localiz and Analiz, two very powerful tools that are essential for planning.”
Michaël Bissaillon
Age pyramids, household incomes, languages, education levels of those aged 25 years and older, unemployment and employment rates, types of businesses, bike paths, bus routes, traffic, schools, to name a few, are among the hundreds of data points that the organization can extract and customize to meet the needs of entrepreneurs or the City of Sherbrooke, or to facilitate collaboration with other municipalities.
“To maximize the performance of these tools or to improve our services, I often communicate with Statistics Canada experts, who are always efficient and generous," says Michaël. “I myself need to understand the indicators and methodology before making data cross-references. I also keep an eye out for any new features on the site, such as the experimental indexes of economic activity. I also attend webinars which are very helpful in my job."
"Statistics Canada data are very accessible," François points out. “It’s remarkable. We have the freedom to use them and then develop tools that reflect our image. There is also diversity in the information available. For example, agriculture plays an important role in Sherbrooke. The census is full of interesting information on this subject.” And Michaël hastens to add: "Did you know that it lists, among other things, the number of tractors with more than 160 horsepower? That they are classified according to their power? In short, we take everything that interests us and is useful for the advancement of our community!"
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).