Close X
Friday, October 4, 2024
ADVT 
National

Always Ticking: Canada's Population Clock Shows Demographic Changes In Real Time

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Jun, 2019 11:50 PM

    A Quebecer moves to the Northwest Territories, a family in Newfoundland and Labrador welcomes a new arrival, another in British Columbia mourns a loss, an immigrant settles somewhere in Ontario.


    Within the span of just a few minutes, an online tool from Statistics Canada offers an evocative snapshot of the country's ever-shifting population through a series of statistically modelled demographic events.


    The so-called "population clock" — which went live shortly after Canada Day last year — uses StatCan data to present a real-time visualization of the country's major demographic trends, including births, deaths, immigration and emigration.


    Watching it is somewhat akin to playing a real-life, nationwide version of the city-building video game SimCity: coloured bars representing births, deaths and various migrations slowly fill up or deplete, leading to animations on a map showing each occurrence playing out across the country.


    It's not quite true to life, of course — the federal government doesn't claim to be tracking every individual in the country in real-time — but one of the page's main designers says it's pretty close.


    Patrick Charbonneau, a senior analyst with StatCan's demography division, says the model is based on the agency's latest population estimates, which are updated every three months.


    "The counts that are shown in the population clock are strictly for visualization purposes, to give Canadians a sense of how fast the population is changing. It's more of a learning tool than a decision-making tool," said Charbonneau.


    "But those numbers are still obtained through really robust methodology nevertheless."


    Charbonneau said the agency launched the clock in an effort to increase "statistical literacy" in the general population — particularly among young Canadians — and to give people a sense of how the population is changing.


    "I think it's something that everyone should be able to know — how fast the population is changing ... What is the rhythm? What is the pace?" said Charbonneau.


    He said the clock has proven popular in its first year, becoming one of the most-visited pages on StatCan's website. He said he's also heard accounts from teachers who have shown it in their classrooms to introduce students to population studies.


    Howard Ramos, a professor of sociology at Dalhousie University, said it's important for Canadians to maintain a life-long interest in the demographic trends that continue to shape the country.


    "I think that a lot of Canadians would even be surprised by the overall population — we're now at 37 and a half million people. I think a lot of people's notion of how big we are or how populated we are is often frozen by what they got in high school social studies," he said.


    "It would offer a lot of insight on the importance of immigration in Canada. I think that certainly you see that in the bigger cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. But in the rest of the country, this tool really shows the impact and the importance of immigration to maintaining our population, not to mention growing it."


    Ramos urged Canadians to check out the tool for themselves, and if they find it interesting, to "dig into" the vast amount of data available on Statistics Canada's website.


    "This is a great way for us to get to know who we are," he said.


    "If you live only in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, you might not know what it's like to live in the Yukon, or in Cape Breton, or in the Prairies. And these kinds of tools allow us to begin to see what those places look like, and begin to imagine them."


    Online: 

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Seva Thrift Store Donates $20,000 To The Surrey Hospital And Outpatient Care Foundation

    SEVA Thrift Store makes an impact donating $20,000 to the Surrey Hospital and Outpatient Care Foundation during their 2nd Anniversary Celebration on September 23, 2018. Proceeds support the Children's Campaign for medical equipment and services at the hospital.

    Seva Thrift Store Donates $20,000 To The Surrey Hospital And Outpatient Care Foundation

    Perminder Chohan Foundation Endows A $20,000 Fund At Kwantlen Polytechnic University

      B.C. businessman Perminder Chohan’s philanthropic foundation has created a $20,000 endowment to support the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation and help students in financial need.

    Perminder Chohan Foundation Endows A $20,000 Fund At Kwantlen Polytechnic University

    Preston GM Langley FC 2018-2019 Fundraiser

    This community partnership is meant to support local Youth Soccer from Mini Players (U4) to BCSPL Players which is the highest level of soccer for youths in BC. 

    Preston GM Langley FC 2018-2019 Fundraiser

    Keep It Spooky, Keep It Safe, Say Vancouver Police As Halloween Approaches

    The Vancouver Police Department and its partners, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, BC Ambulance Service, and the Canadian National Fireworks Association, are asking the public to keep safety top of mind this Halloween by following some simple safety tips:

    Keep It Spooky, Keep It Safe, Say Vancouver Police As Halloween Approaches

    NEB Orders Tighter Safety Measures At B.C. Site Of Natural Gas Pipeline Blast

    NEB Orders Tighter Safety Measures At B.C. Site Of Natural Gas Pipeline Blast
      VICTORIA — The National Energy Board has issued new safety orders for a pipeline explosion site in north-central British Columbia to strictly monitor natural gas flows to protect people and the environment.

    NEB Orders Tighter Safety Measures At B.C. Site Of Natural Gas Pipeline Blast

    Sea Lion In B.C. Suffering From Gunshot Wounds To The Head Euthanized

    Sea Lion In B.C. Suffering From Gunshot Wounds To The Head Euthanized
    VANCOUVER — A sea lion being treated for gunshots to the head has died at the Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.

    Sea Lion In B.C. Suffering From Gunshot Wounds To The Head Euthanized