Statistics That Matter

During the past year FedNor has contructed an extensive small-area database which provides a wide range of socio-economic and other information for Northern Ontario. As of October 1998 the database included the following major blocks of information:

• the 1996 census profile, for census divisions and sub-divisions (cities, townships, villages, etc.);
• population projections for the districts of Northern Ontario, 1996-2007;
• 1996 family expenditure patterns for Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario;
• population family structure, labour force activity and income data for selected years from 1989 through 1996 for the geographic areas covered by each Northern Ontario Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC);
• housing starts for selected Northern Ontario centres since 1984;
• the value of construction for Northern Ontario districts since 1989;
• labour force survey information--employment, unemployment rates, etc.;
• business and personal bankruptcy data for nine Northern Ontario centres since 1995;
• migration estimates by Northern Ontario district since 1986-87.

The database has a large number of potential uses and users--it can help identify markets for entrepreneurs starting a business, it can be used by public institutions such as school boards and hospital to assess future workloads, or by CFDCs in their strategic planning, etc. The database itself is located at FedNor's Sault Ste. Marie office, but in order to increase accessibility by potential users FedNor has make key elements of it--the items listed in the first four bullets above--available through the CFDC offices throughout Northern Ontario. This has been made possible through special licensing arrangements entered into by FedNor, Statistics Canada, and the individual CFDCs. This data is also accessible in the Sudbury region through the Regional Business Centre of the Sudbury Regional Development Corporation.

For further information on the FedNor database contact FedNor toll free at 1-877-333-6673, or your local CFDC

List of Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations