92 153 GIE2007002 PCCF Postal Code Conversion File Reference Guide
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Catalogue no. 92-153-GIE
Postal Code Conversion
File (PCCF),
Reference Guide
April 2007 Postal codes
How to obtain more information
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Statistics Canada
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF),
Reference Guide
April 2007 Postal codes
Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada
© Minister of Industry, 2007
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October 2007
Catalogue no. 92-153-GIE
Issue number 2007002
ISSN 1708-3095
Frequency: semi-annual
Ottawa
Cette publication est disponible en français sur demande (no 92-153-GIF au catalogue).
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April 2007 Postal codes
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
What’s new?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The postal code reference date for this Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) is April 2007.
The postal codes are linked to the geographic areas used in the 2006 Census of Population. The
reference date for these geographic areas is January 1, 2006.
New record level metadata are included indicating the source, quality and type of linkage made
between the postal code and the geographic area.
For the first time, virtually all postal codes are aligned to respect 2006 Census geographic areas
using an automated geocoding system. The geocoding was performed directly to the new
geographic areas rather than converting linkages from previous census geographic areas.
Records representing postal codes retired prior to January 1, 2006 are available in a separate
file. This file follows the same record layout as the PCCF.
More postal codes are linked to the block-face, compared with the previously released PCCF.
A conceptual review of the postal code to geographic area linkage was completed. The resulting
working paper, entitled How Postal Codes Map to Geographic Areas (Catalogue no.
92F0138MIE2007001), is available on the Statistics Canada website (www.statcan.ca).
Statistics Canada
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Catalogue no. 92-153-GIE
April 2007 Postal codes
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
Table of contents
Page
What’s new? ................................................................................................................................ 4
Table of contents ........................................................................................................................ 5
1. About this guide...................................................................................................................... 6
2. Overview ................................................................................................................................. 7
Reference dates ..................................................................................................................................... 7
3. How to use this product ......................................................................................................... 8
Purpose of the product ........................................................................................................................... 8
Limitations............................................................................................................................................... 8
General methodology ............................................................................................................................. 9
Content ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Comparison to the 2001 Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) ........................................................... 11
4. Data quality............................................................................................................................ 12
Lineage ................................................................................................................................................. 12
Linking to 2006 Census geographic areas ........................................................................................... 12
Positional accuracy............................................................................................................................... 14
Attribute accuracy................................................................................................................................. 15
Logical consistency .............................................................................................................................. 16
Consistency with other products........................................................................................................... 16
Completeness....................................................................................................................................... 16
5. Technical specifications ...................................................................................................... 17
File specifications ................................................................................................................................. 17
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) and Retired 2005 record layouts and data descriptions........... 17
Name files record layouts ..................................................................................................................... 24
Appendix A Glossary............................................................................................................... 25
Appendix B Hierarchy of standard geographic units for dissemination, 2006 Census .... 32
Appendix C Postal code structure ......................................................................................... 33
Appendix D Quality indicator.................................................................................................. 35
Appendix E Representative points......................................................................................... 36
Appendix F Census subdivision types by province and territory, 2006 Census............... 37
Appendix G Data file naming convention.............................................................................. 39
End-use licence agreement for Statistics Canada’s Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)40
Statistics Canada
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Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
1. About this guide
This guide is intended for users of the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF). It provides general
information about the product, including a description of the general methodology used in its creation.
Section 4, Data quality, gives a detailed description of the steps taken to create the PCCF. This section
also provides information to evaluate the suitability of the data for a particular use.
Section 5, Technical specifications includes record layouts and item descriptions.
Geographic terms and concepts are briefly described in the glossary (Appendix A). More details can be
found in the 2006 Census Dictionary (Catalogue no. 92-566-XWE). Supplementary information is
provided in the appendices.
This data product is provided 'as-is', and Statistics Canada makes no warranty, either express or implied,
including but not limited to, warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event
will Statistics Canada be liable for any direct, special, indirect, consequential or other damages, however
caused.
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Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
2. Overview
The Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) is a digital file which provides a correspondence between the
Canada Post Corporation (CPC) six-character postal code and Statistics Canada’s standard geographic
areas for which census data and other statistics are produced. Through the link between postal codes
and standard geographic areas, the PCCF permits the integration of data from various sources.
The geographic coordinates attached to each postal code on the PCCF are commonly used to map the
distribution of data for spatial analysis (e.g., clients, activities). The location information is a powerful tool
for marketing, planning, or research purposes.
In April 1983, the Geography Division released the first version of the PCCF, which linked postal codes to
1981 census geographic areas and included geographic coordinates. Since then, the file has been
updated on a regular basis to reflect changes.
For this release of the PCCF, the vast majority of the postal codes are directly geocoded to 2006 Census
geography. This improves precision of the file over the previous conversion process used to align postal
code linkages to new geographic areas after each census.
About 94.18% of the postal codes were linked to geographic areas using the new automated process.
A quality indicator for the confidence of this linkage is available in the PCCF.
Reference dates
The reference date for postal codes contained in this product is April 2007.
The geographic reference date is a date determined by Statistics Canada to finalize the geographic
framework for which the census data are collected, tabulated and reported. The geographic reference
date for the 2006 Census is January 1, 2006.
Statistics Canada
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Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
3. How to use this product
Purpose of the product
The Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) provides a link between six-character postal codes and
standard 2006 Census geographic areas such as dissemination areas, census subdivisions and census
tracts. It also provides a latitude and longitude coordinate for a point representing the approximate
location of the postal code to support mapping.
Limitations
The PCCF contains multiple records for a postal code when the postal code straddles more than one
block-face, dissemination block, or dissemination area. It should be acknowledged that the Canada Post
Corporation source data used to create the PCCF contains some postal codes which have links to
multiple address ranges. For example, in the April 2007 file received from Canada Post Corporation,
423 postal codes were linked to between 50 and 100 different address ranges, and 264 postal codes
were linked to 100 or more address ranges.
Civic addresses are not available for some postal codes such as those associated with rural routes. Many
of these postal codes tend to straddle several dissemination areas and often cross boundaries of
standard geographic areas such as census tracts or census subdivisions. It is difficult, if not impossible, to
identify the precise physical location of a rural postal code.
Community mailboxes are a growing source for multiple records per postal code on the PCCF. In newer
urban delivery areas, postal codes are assigned to a community mailbox that may cover partial
dissemination blocks, both sides of a street, and different streets within 200 metres of the community
mailbox. These situations often result in multiple links being established between a postal code and
block-faces, unlike the more traditional urban postal codes, which correspond generally to a block-face.
The single link indicator (SLI) was created to assist users in dealing with postal codes with multiple
records. The method used to establish the single link indicator identifies the geographic area with the
majority of dwellings assigned to a particular postal code. Users should be aware that only a partial
correspondence between the postal code and other geographic areas is achieved when using the single
link indicator. It should also be noted that the single link indicator is identified on both active and retired
postal codes. Users will find when working with both active and retired postal codes, multiple SLIs will
appear for a postal code that has been retired and reintroduced.
The following table presents the number of postal codes (including retired postal codes) that show
multiple links by geographic area.
Table 3.1 Postal codes with multiple links
Geographic area
Dissemination block
Dissemination area
Census tract
Census subdivision
Census division
Census metropolitan area
Province/Territory
Number of
postal codes
112,566
87,197
16,056
7,241
2,008
252
3
The address associated with a postal code does not always represent the location where those receiving
mail using that postal code actually reside. This is particularly the case in rural areas, where rural route
service and post office pick-up are commonly used to deliver mail. The delivery mode type of 'W' (rural)
and 'H' (rural route) on the PCCF identify postal codes that are usually considered rural.
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A typical rural route address, such as 'RR#6, Georgeville, Québec', does not provide sufficient address
information to identify a precise physical location. A rural post office address such as 'PO BOX 4001
STN A VICTORIA BC' is also imprecise and not explicitly attached to the dwellings served by that postal
code. Consequently, rural postal codes cannot be used in the same manner as most urban postal codes
can to precisely geo-reference a physical location.
Similarly, postal codes with a delivery mode type of 'K' (group of post office boxes) or 'M' (one post office
box) may be linked to the location of the postal installation on the PCCF, as opposed to the physical
location of customers who rent a post office box. A new variable indicating whether a postal code is linked
to a post office location or to where the customers reside is now available in the PCCF.
General methodology
The Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) is updated on a regular basis and is released every six months.
The regular maintenance of the file takes all postal code changes continually introduced by Canada Post
Corporation (CPC) and finds the corresponding census geographic areas. Every five years, after each
census, the PCCF is aligned with the new census geographic areas.
Every month, Statistics Canada obtains files from CPC containing the latest postal codes, address ranges
and other attributes such as delivery mode type. Whenever possible, postal code address ranges are
linked to a block-face, dissemination block or dissemination area. Municipality maps are also used and,
when necessary, contact is made with local authorities to obtain as precise a street and address location
as possible. When the block-face or dissemination block cannot be precisely determined, the postal code
is coded to a dissemination area(s).
All other postal code links to higher level geographic areas are derived from the block-face, dissemination
block or dissemination area.
Content
This version of the PCCF contains a total of 812,882 postal codes (811,445 active, 1,437 retired codes
that are not active). This total figure includes 78 reintroduced postal codes. Postal codes retired before
January 1, 2006 are included in a separate file called Retired 2005, available with the PCCF. These
postal codes are linked to the geographic areas used in the 2006 Census and to latitude and longitude
coordinates. This file contains postal code data under license from CPC. The CPC file from which the
active postal code data were obtained is dated April 2007. The PCCF includes all valid postal codes as of
April 2007 according to CPC.
Postal codes do not respect census geographic boundaries and so may be linked to more than one
standard geographic area, or assigned to more than one set of coordinates. Therefore, one postal code
may be represented by more than one record. Postal codes can also straddle provincial boundaries. See
Postal code structure (Appendix C) for more information.
Postal code data are available as a national file or as separate provincial/territorial files identified by using
Standard Geographic Classification (SGC) codes. This is summarized in Data file naming convention
(Appendix G).
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The following table provides the number of unique postal codes and total records by province/territory.
Table 3.2 Province and territory postal code counts1
Province/territory
Unique postal
Number of
codes
records
Newfoundland and Labrador
10,489
21,666
Prince Edward Island
3,179
6,122
Nova Scotia
25,530
51,004
New Brunswick
57,800
107,585
Quebec
204,917
419,064
Ontario
271,983
534,661
Manitoba
24,095
39,795
Saskatchewan
21,639
35,816
Alberta
77,935
163,538
British Columbia
113,837
220,462
Yukon Territory
943
1,953
Northwest Territories
506
1,389
Nunavut
29
79
Total
812,882
1,603,134
1. Please see Appendix C for an explanation of the method with which these counts were generated.
Note: 3 postal codes cross provinces.
Each record in the file consists of the following (for more detailed information, refer to Postal code
structure [Appendix C]):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
a six-character postal code
dissemination area (DA) identifier: made up of the province/territory code, the census division
code and the dissemination area code
dissemination block: a basic geographic unit (where possible)
latitude/longitude coordinates representing approximate point location for the postal code
census subdivision (CSD) name, code and type
geographic codes of other higher level standard geographic areas in which the dissemination
block/dissemination area is located
federal electoral district code – 2003 Representation Order
CPC information relevant to each postal code: its birth date, retirement date, type of mail delivery,
CPC community name, and various flags: single link indicator, type of representation point, and
postal code type.
Record level metadata related to the quality such as the quality indicator and the source of
geocoding. There is also an indicator showing whether the postal code is linked to a postal
installation.
Purchasers of the PCCF also receive supplementary files. Due to the size of the name fields, and
because of their repetition, the names are provided in separate files:
•
•
•
•
Census division names file (CD_DR.dat)
Federal electoral district names file – 2003 Representation Order (FED03_CEF03.dat)
Statistical Area Classification names file (SAC_CSS.dat)
Retired 2005 (R2005.dat)
The basic link between the postal code and other standard census geographic areas is made through one
or more 2006 Dissemination Blocks. The geographic areas contained on the PCCF are shown on the
hierarchy chart (Appendix B).
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Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
The PCCF is available as standard packages for Canada, the provinces and territories. Custom orders
are available on request. Contact us by e-mail (infostats@statcan.ca) or by visiting our website
(www.statcan.ca).
Comparison to the 2001 Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
•
The 2006 PCCF record layout has changed (i.e., the order of the fields has changed).
•
The 2006 PCCF links to 2006 Census geographic areas, whereas the 2001 PCCF linked to 2001
Census geographic areas.
•
The 2006 PCCF has new variables, including: census subdivision unique identifier (CSDuid),
dissemination block code, delivery installation (PO), Quality Indicator (QI), and Source.
•
The April 2007 PCCF has more precision in the geocoding. In this version, 715,328 postal codes
(or 88.00% of the postal codes) are coded to block-face level. In the September 2006 PCCF,
541,960 postal codes (or 62.89% of the postal codes) were linked to block-face level.
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4. Data quality
Linkage data quality elements provide information on the fitness-for-use of a linkage database by
describing why, when, and how the data are created, and how accurate the data are. The elements
include an overview describing the purpose and usage, as well as specific quality elements reporting on
the lineage, positional accuracy, attribute accuracy, logical consistency and completeness. This
information is provided to users for all linkage data products disseminated for the census.
Lineage
Lineage describes the history of the linkage data, including descriptions of the source material from which
the data were derived and the methods of derivation. It also contains the dates of the source material,
and all transformations involved in producing the final digital files.
The Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) is the result of two updating activities. The first is done every
five years, after each census, to align the database to the latest census geographic areas. The other is
the ongoing maintenance activity that links the latest postal codes from Canada Post Corporation (CPC)
to census geographic areas. These links are recorded on the Geography Division’s postal code database.
Linking to 2006 Census geographic areas
Sources
The sources used to align the census geography linkage from 2001 to 2006 were:
• Monthly updates of the Address Lookup File, Postal Code Delivery Mode File, and Householder
File from CPC
• Geography Division’s Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)
• 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings
• September 2006 PCCF
• 2006 Census block-face, dissemination block, and representative points data files
• Dissemination area correspondence file
Process
The following steps were used to assign 2006 Census geographic areas to the PCCF:
1. Process information from the CPC files
2. Automated geocoding of postal codes to 2006 block-face, dissemination block or dissemination
area
3. Assign 2006 dissemination areas for postal codes based on September 2006 PCCF
4. Manually geocode postal codes
5. Sample verification of postal code records
6. Assign the single link indicator
7. Assign higher levels of geography.
Step 1: Process information from CPC files
The monthly files received from CPC between October 2006 and April 2007 are processed to assign Birth
date, Retired date, Historic Delivery Mode Type (H_DMT) and Delivery Mode Type (DMT). Records are
extracted from the CPC Address Lookup File with the postal code, PCtype and related address
information. Birth date is the date the postal code became effective. Retired date is the date the postal
code is no longer found in the CPC monthly files. The Delivery Mode Type is assigned using the Delivery
Mode Type File. When a DMT is updated for a postal code, the previous DMT becomes the H_DMT.
Users should note that some postal codes are retired and reintroduced at a later date, possibly in another
location.
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Step 2: Automated geocoding of postal codes to 2006 block-face, dissemination block or dissemination
area
All postal codes active in April 2007 are geocoded using a new automated geocoding system. A detailed
discussion of the new approach to geocoding is found in the working paper entitled How Postal Codes
Map to Geographic Areas, which is available on the Statistics Canada website (www.statcan.ca)
The new system uses the forward sortation area (FSA) search area file and a match between CPC
municipality and census subdivision (CSD) to determine the general area where the postal code would be
found. Census responses are used to create FSA search areas. These FSA areas are composed of
dissemination areas where a particular FSA was reported in the 2006 Census. Canada Post
municipalities are matched to 2006 Census Subdivisions using the province of the municipality and the
similarity in name. When the match is not clear, historical CSD files on the Spatial Data Infrastructure
(SDI) are used to determine the match.
Postal codes with civic address ranges associated with them (PCtype 1 and 2) are coded to the
appropriate dissemination area, dissemination block or block-face in the SDI. About 94.03% of the
PCtype 1 and 2 postal code records in the April 2007 PCCF were coded in this way.
The postal code response in the 2006 Census is used to code rural routes, postal installation/post office
boxes and postal codes that service general areas. These postal codes are geocoded to the
dissemination area (DA) level. The number of DAs coded to is reduced in a post process to remove
duplication in DA assignment. However, not all active postal codes are geocoded in this way, either
because the address information is not found or the census response is not significant (at least four
responses of that postal code per dissemination block) to determine the appropriate area for geocoding.
A quality indicator (QI) is assigned in the automated geocoding process. The indicator is based on the
confidence of the link of the postal code to the geographic area. Please see Appendix D for more details.
Step 3: Assign 2006 Dissemination Areas based on correspondence of 2001 to 2006 geographic areas
When a match could not be found through the automated address matching system, postal codes that
had been previously coded to a 2001 Census geographic area are linked to a 2006 Census geographic
area using the correspondence between 2001 and 2006 Census geographic areas. These links are
created at the 2006 DA level only.
Step 4: Manual geocoding
Postal codes are manually geocoded when they could not be coded at an acceptable degree of precision
using the automated process or when they could not be converted using the correspondence between the
2001 and 2006 geographic areas.
In addressable areas covered by the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), an attempt is made to link postal
codes to one or more block-faces. The list of new postal codes and address range records from CPC was
matched to the SDI street listings according to elements common to both files (e.g., province,
municipality, street name, type, direction, and address range). Once matched, the postal code and related
geographic area codes are transferred to the postal code database.
For those postal codes that could not be coded by the above method, municipal and other maps are used
to find the street(s). If a street could not be found on a municipal map or other authoritative source, local
authorities (such as Planning and Engineering Departments and local post offices) are contacted to assist
in the location of the street. In areas experiencing high growth, new maps are requested from the proper
authority. After the street is located, the position of the boundary relative to that street on the SDI is used
to determine the associated dissemination area.
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Step 5: Verification
The relationship between the postal code, dissemination blocks and dissemination areas is verified by
sampling records from the geocoding completed in each of the processes above. These records are
independently manually geocoded. The two sets of geocodes are compared as part of the verification.
Step 6: Assign the single link indicator (SLI)
Many postal codes are represented by multiple records on the PCCF. The single link indicator (SLI) is
created to assist users dealing with postal codes having multiple records. The SLI provides a geographic
record for mapping a postal code representative point. The SLI has a value of '1' to flag the best (or only)
link for a given postal code. The value '0' indicates an additional record.
Please note that the SLI is identified on both active and retired postal codes. Users will find when working
with both active and retired postal codes that multiple SLIs will appear for a postal code that was retired
and reintroduced. However, there will only be one SLI for a set of active records for a postal code.
When assigning the SLI, priority is given to postal codes associated with civic addresses or dwellings
(based on the PCtype). The confidence of coding to the geographic area (the Quality Indicator) and the
precision of the geocoding (the block-face, dissemination area or dissemination block), as well as the
population are considered. When the postal code was linked to a DA associated with multiple federal
electoral district (FED), urban area (UA), or designated place (DPL), the SLI is linked to the record
represented by the greatest proportion of the FED, UA, or DPL population.
Users are cautioned that the single link indicator provides only a partial correspondence between the
postal code and other geographic areas.
Step 7: Assign higher levels of geography
Higher levels of geography are assigned based on the block-face, dissemination block, or dissemination
area. Please see the hierarchy chart in Appendix B for how geographic areas are related. When a
dissemination area is related to more than one FED, DPL or UA, more than one record appears in the
PCCF for that postal code to dissemination areas linkage.
Positional accuracy
Positional accuracy refers to the absolute and relative accuracy of the positions of geographic features.
Absolute accuracy is the closeness of the coordinate values in a dataset to values accepted as being
true. Relative accuracy is the closeness of the relative positions of features to their respective relative
positions accepted as or being true. Descriptions of positional accuracy include the quality of the final file
or product after all transformations.
The geographic coordinates assigned to postal codes are either block-face, dissemination block or
dissemination area representative points calculated for census purposes. Therefore, the positional
accuracy of the postal code is dependent on:
• the accuracy of the links established between the postal code and the block-face, dissemination
block, or dissemination area
• the positional accuracy of the block-face, dissemination block, or dissemination area
representative point with respect to the block-face, dissemination block, or dissemination area.
Using different methods to create links in the PCCF results in varying degrees of accuracy for those links.
Postal codes linked to block-faces are considered to be the more precise, as they are linked as closely as
possible to address ranges representing the location of the postal code according to CPC. When the
block-face link can not be produced, postal codes are linked to a dissemination block or dissemination
area.
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The table below illustrates the lowest level to which geocoding was completed for postal codes
associated with address ranges (PCtype 1 and 2).
Table 4.1 Geocoded postal code of PCtype 1 and 2 records – active in April 2007
Geocoded records
Records
Postal codes associated
with records
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
1,239,107
81.54%
710,562
89.49%
Geocoded to dissemination block
137,607
9.05%
50,913
6.41%
Geocoded to dissemination area
142,997
9.41%
52,964
6.67%
1,519,711
100.00%
794,050
100.00%
Geocoded to block-face
Total
Note: Some postal codes may have more than 1 representative point.
The Quality Indicator (QI) illustrates the confidence of the link established between the postal code and
the more precise geographic area for each record geocoded using the automated system. For more
information on the QI, please refer to Appendix D.
The geographic coordinates included on the PCCF are derived from Statistics Canada’s Spatial Data
Infrastructure (SDI). Users should be aware that absolute positional accuracy is not an intended feature of
the SDI. Consequently, these files and any by-product are not recommended for engineering or legal
applications or for emergency dispatching services.
For more information on the method used to calculate representative points for block-faces, dissemination
blocks and dissemination areas, refer to Representative points (Appendix E).
Attribute accuracy
Attribute accuracy refers to the accuracy of the quantitative and qualitative information attached to each
feature (such as population for an urban area, street name, census subdivision name and code).
The PCCF is a flat file providing attributes for postal codes and for those dissemination area(s),
dissemination block(s), etc. linked to the postal code. Most of these attributes are taken from two
independent sources. Some attributes are also created for the PCCF.
The geographic code, type, and name of all higher level standard geographic areas in which a block-face,
dissemination block or dissemination area is located are extracted from the Spatial Data Infrastructure.
The information relevant to each postal code – birth date, retirement date, delivery mode type, type of
postal code and CPC community name – is carried forward from the CPC address look-up file and
auxiliary files. In some cases, the postal code type was imputed by Statistics Canada (see Section 5,
Technical specifications)
The single link indicator (see Process) and the type of representative point are assigned by Statistics
Canada.
Tests are run to ensure that certain basic data relationships were consistent within the set of records in
the PCCF.
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Logical consistency
Logical consistency describes the fidelity of relationships encoded in the data structure of the digital
linkage data.
In some cases, especially in rural areas, the postal code service areas do not respect dissemination area
boundaries. When this occurs, the same postal code is repeated with different geographical information
(i.e., different coordinates or dissemination area codes). These multiple records for a postal code reflect
the relationship between the postal code and census geographic areas. Also, a postal code can be linked
to more than one block-face or dissemination block within the same dissemination area.
Conversely, different postal codes could have the same coordinates. This happens when more than one
postal code has been linked to the same dissemination area. Also, more than one postal code can be
linked to a single block-face or dissemination block.
Every set of active records for a postal code has one SLI equal to ‘1’. Every set of retired records for a
postal code, for a given retirement date, has one SLI equal to ‘1’.
Consistency with other products
Geographic areas contained in the PCCF are consistent with all 2006 Census related geographic
products, except for the 2006 Census Forward Sortation Area Boundary File (Catalogue no. 92-170XWE, XCE). The 2006 Census Forward Sortation Area Boundary File represents only the FSAs reported
in the 2006 Census, whereas the PCCF is updated twice a year to include recent postal codes and also
includes retired postal codes.
Completeness
Completeness refers to the degree to which geographic features, their attributes and their relationships
are included or omitted in a dataset. It also includes information on selection criteria, definitions used, and
other relevant mapping rules.
Completeness in the context of the PCCF is the degree to which all valid postal codes are accounted for
on the PCCF and all geographic codes from the 2006 Census are linked to a postal code. All postal
codes as of April 2007 according to CPC have been linked to census geography. There are 372
populated dissemination areas that are not linked to any postal code on the PCCF. Of the DAs that are
linked to a postal code, there are 7 populated dissemination areas that are not linked to any active postal
code on the PCCF.
There are also 1,437 retired postal codes included in the PCCF. Postal codes retired before January 1,
2006 are included in the auxiliary file, Retired 2005. There are 59,247 retired postal codes in the Retired
2005 file.
The newly created Quality Indicator (QI) is currently available only for the records using the automated
geocoding process. When postal codes were geocoded using address information, each of the three
characters of the QI contains an 'A', 'B' or 'C' indicating the confidence of geocoding. When QI could not
be determined, an 'N' is used to represent 'unknown'. The QI for the records that are manually geocoded
or were directly converted from the 2001 Census geocodes contain an 'NNN' for the QI.
Every attempt was made to ensure that the PO value indicated whether a postal code of PCtype 3 or 5
was coded to a postal installation or to the area serviced by the postal code. Occasionally a PCtype 3 or 5
record may be coded to a postal installation (indicated in a record with PO=’1’) and to a service area
(indicated by a record with PO=’0’). In some cases, including where the geographic area linkages were
directly based on conversion from the 2001 Census geocodes, the PO is unknown (this is indicated by a
PO=’2’).
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5. Technical specifications
File specifications
The current version of the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) includes five files: the PCCF, three name
files (CD_DR.dat, FED03_CEF03.dat, SAC_CSS.dat), and a special auxiliary file, Retired 2005
(R2005.dat). Postal codes retired before January 1, 2006 are included in the Retired 2005 file. This
reduces the size of the PCCF. These are ASCII files and do not include any software nor instructions on
how to use the product within specific Geographical Information Systems (GIS) or mapping packages.
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) and Retired 2005 record layouts and data
descriptions
Table 5.1 Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) and Retired 2005 record layouts
Position Size Type1 Field name
1
6 C
Postal code
7
3 C
FSA
10
2 C
PR
12
4 C
CDuid
7 C
CSDuid
16
70
C
CSDname
23
3 C
CSDtype
93
3
C
CCScode
96
3 C
SAC
99
1
C
SACtype
102
7 C
CTname
103
2
C
ER
110
112
4 C
DPL
116
5 C
FED03uid
121
4 C
125
1 C
126
8 C
134
2 C
136
1 C
UARA
UARAtype
DAuid
Dissemination block
Rep_Pt_Type
137
11 N
LAT
148
13 N
LONG
161
1 C
162
1 C
163
30 C
193
1 C
194
1 C
195
8 C
203
8 C
211
1 C
212
3 C
SLI
PCtype
Comm_Name
DMT
H_DMT
Birth_Date
Ret_Date
PO
QI
Source
Description
Postal code
Forward sortation area
Province/territory code
Census division unique identifier
Census subdivision unique identifier
Census subdivision name
Census subdivision type
Census consolidated subdivision code
Statistical Area Classification code (includes CMA/CA)
Statistical Area Classification type (includes CMA/CA)
Census tract name
Economic region code
Designated place code
Federal electoral district – 2003 Representation Order
unique identifier
Urban areas rural areas code
Urban areas rural areas type
Dissemination area unique identifier
Dissemination block code
Representative point type
Latitude of lowest level geographic area for postal code
record (as indicated in Rep_point variable)
Longitude of lowest level geographic area for postal code
record (as indicated in Rep_point variable)
Single link indicator
Postal code type
Community name
Delivery mode type
Historic delivery mode type
Birth date (yyyymmdd)
Retired date (yyyymmdd)
Delivery installation
Quality indicator
Source of geocoding
1 C
215
1. The type ‘N’ refers to numeric values while ‘C’ refers to both alphabetic and numeric characters.
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Postal code
The postal code is a six-character code defined and maintained by Canada Post Corporation (CPC) for
the purpose of sorting and delivering mail. The form of the postal code is 'ANA NAN', where ‘A’ is an
alphabetic character and ‘N’ is a numeric character. The first character of a postal code represents a
province or territory, or a major sector entirely within a province. Refer to Postal code structure (Appendix
C) for more information.
FSA
The forward sortation area is the first three characters of the postal code, designating a postal delivery
area within Canada.
PR
The PR uniquely identifies provinces and territories.
10
11
12
13
24
35
46
47
48
59
60
61
62
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Yukon Territory
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
CDuid
This uniquely identifies a census division. The first two digits of the CDuid identify the province or territory
(PR). Census division names are found in the Census division names file (CD_DR.dat).
CSDuid
This uniquely identifies a census subdivision in the country. The province/territory, census division, and
census subdivision (municipality) codes combine to represent the 2006 Standard Geographical
Classification (SGC).
CSDname
This contains the name of the census subdivision (municipality) in effect as of January 1, 2006.
CSDtype
This field provides abbreviations used to identify the census subdivision (municipality) type.
See Appendix F: CSD types by province and territory, 2006 Census, for the complete list.
CCScode
This identifies a census consolidated subdivision within a census division. It should be combined with the
CDuid to uniquely identify a census consolidated subdivision in the country.
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SAC
The Statistical Area Classification groups census subdivisions according to whether they are a
component of a census metropolitan area (CMA), a census agglomeration (CA), a census metropolitan
area and census agglomeration influenced zone (strong MIZ, moderate MIZ, weak MIZ or no MIZ), or the
territories (Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Corresponding names are found in the
Statistical Area Classification names file (SAC_CSS.dat).
000
001-995
996
997
998
999
Territories
CMA/CA unique identifier
Strongly influenced zone
Moderately influenced zone
Weakly influenced zone
No influenced zone
SACtype
This identifies the type of Statistical Area Classification in which the census subdivision is located.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Census metropolitan area
Tracted census agglomeration
Non-tracted census agglomeration
Strongly influenced zone
Moderately influenced zone
Weakly influenced zone
No influenced zone
Territories
CTname
This identifies a census tract within a CMA/CA. To uniquely identify each census tract in its corresponding
census metropolitan area or tracted census agglomeration, the three-digit CMA/CA code must precede
the CT 'name'. If a census tract is split into two or more parts due to a population increase, the number
after the decimal point identifies the splits. For example, CT 0042.00 becomes CT 0042.01 and CT
0042.02. If CT 0042.01 is subsequently split, it becomes CT 0042.03 and CT 0042.04.
Non-tracted areas outside a CMA/CA are assigned a code that is a concatenation of '99' plus the two-digit
province/territory code. For example, records in areas outside of a CMA/CA in Nova Scotia are assigned
a CT name of '9912.00'.
ER
This identifies an economic region within a province/territory. This field must be combined with the
province/territory code to uniquely identify an economic region.
DPL
This identifies a designated place within a province/territory. This field must be combined with the
province/territory code to uniquely identify a designated place.
Areas which are not a designated place are assigned a four-digit code that is a concatenation of '99' plus
the two-digit province/territory code. For example, records in areas outside of a DPL in New Brunswick
are assigned a DPL of '9913'.
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FED03uid
This uniquely identifies a federal electoral district – 2003 Representation Order. The first two digits of the
FED03uid identify the province or territory (PR). Corresponding names are found in the 2003 Federal
electoral district names file (FED03_CEF03.dat).
UARA
Urban area codes are unique four-digit codes that are assigned sequentially upon the UA creation. These
codes remain constant between censuses. If an urban area is retired due to amalgamation or failure to
meet the population or density thresholds, then its code is retired.
Rural area codes are unique four-digit codes which are a concatenation of '99' plus the two-digit
province/territory code. For example, records in rural areas in Manitoba are assigned '9946'.
This field will be '0000' for postal codes linked to dissemination areas only (Rep_Point = 3).
UARAtype
For urban areas, the type code indicates the relationship of the urban area to the CMA/CA structure.
0
1
2
4
6
Rural area
Urban core
Urban fringe
Urban areas outside CMA/CAs
Secondary urban core
This field will be '9' for postal codes linked to dissemination areas only (Rep_Point = 3).
DAuid
The DAuid uniquely identifies a dissemination area. It is composed of the two-digit province/territory code,
the two-digit census division code and the four-digit dissemination area code.
Dissemination block
A dissemination block (DB) is an area bounded on all sides by roads and/or boundaries of standard
geographic areas. Dissemination blocks cover all the territory of Canada. This code should be combined
with the DAuid to uniquely identify the dissemination block within the country. This field will be '00' for
postal codes linked to dissemination areas only (Rep_Point = 3).
Rep_Pt_Type
This identifies whether the record uses a block-face, dissemination block or dissemination area
representative point as the coordinate.
Table 5.2 Representative points in the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
Code
1
2
3
Total
Type
Block-face
Dissemination block
Dissemination area
Number of records
1,245,146
138,606
219,382
1,603,134
LAT
This is the latitude, in decimal degrees, of the dissemination area, dissemination block, or block-face
representative point. The decimal point is explicit.
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LONG
This is the longitude, in decimal degrees, of the dissemination area, dissemination block, or block-face
representative point. The decimal point is explicit.
SLI
The single link indicator (SLI) provides a geographic record for mapping a postal code representative
point. It can be used to establish a one-to-one relationship between postal codes and dissemination
areas, dissemination blocks, or block-faces. The SLI has the value of '1' to flag one record of an active
postal code. Every set of retired records for a postal code, for a given retirement date, has one SLI equal
to ‘1’. The SLI value '0' indicates additional records.
PCtype
This indicates the type of addresses used to identify the points of call served by the postal code. This field
was introduced by CPC some time after the creation of the original PCCF. Where possible, a value has
been imputed by Statistics Canada for retired postal codes using historical address information and
delivery mode type.
Table 5.3 Postal code types in the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
PCtype
1
2
3
4
5
0
Description
Street address with letter carrier service
Street address with route service
Post office box
Route service
General delivery
Unknown
Comm_Name
The community name, as defined by CPC, denotes any city, town or village in Canada that is recognised
as a valid mailing address.
DMT
This is the delivery mode type as defined by CPC. Note that Statistics Canada assigns a DMT of 'W' to
rural postal codes, which are left blank by CPC. See the following table for DMT descriptions.
Table 5.4 Delivery mode types in the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
DMT
Description
A
B
E
G
H
J
K
M
T
W
X
Z
Total
Delivery to block-face address
Delivery to an apartment building
Delivery to a business building
Delivery to a large volume receiver
Delivery via a rural route
General delivery
Delivery to a post office box (not a CMB)
Delivery to a large volume receiver (post office box)
Delivery via a suburban service
Rural postal codes (the second digit of the postal code is ‘0’)
Delivery via a mobile route
Postal code is retired (no further delivery to this code)
Statistics Canada
21
Number of
postal codes
753,954
19,401
9,780
8,620
938
637
7,419
5,422
74
5,199
1
1,515
812,882
Number of
records
1,309,707
23,496
13,374
12,549
31,399
1,682
18,766
14,499
820
173,553
32
3,257
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H_DMT
The historic delivery mode retains the previous delivery mode type value, if known. If the previous DMT is
not known, it contains the current DMT.
Birth_Date
This is the date when the postal code became effective. All postal codes created before April 1983 were
given a birth date of '19830401'.
Ret_Date
This is the date when a postal code was retired. All postal codes retired before April 1983 have
'19830401' as the retirement date. Users should note that some postal codes have been retired and
reintroduced at a later date. Active postal codes have a retirement date of '19000001'.
PO
This indicates whether the record represents coding to a post office where the mail can be accessed. The
value '1' indicates this record was coded to a post office or other postal installation and the value '2'
indicates 'unknown'. The value '0' indicates this record was coded to the area serviced by the postal code.
PCtype 3 and 5 postal codes represent mail service that can be accessed at the post office or other
postal installation. Where possible, these records are coded to the appropriate post office or other postal
installation.
QI
The Quality Indicator (QI) provides an indicator of the quality of the link established between the postal
code and the geographic area. While every attempt is made to provide the best quality of link, this is not
always possible. QI is only available for records coded using the automated geocoding system.
The first character of the QI indicates the quality of geocoding to the CSD, the second character indicates
the quality of geocoding to the street and the last character indicates the quality of geocoding to the
address range. A QI of 'AAA' indicates the highest quality and a QI of 'CCC' indicates the lowest quality.
Please see Appendix D for a more detailed explanation of QI.
The QI is established at the record level and is currently available only for the postal codes that were
geocoded using the automated geocoding system. The possible values of QI and the number of records
by source are indicated below:
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Table 5.5 Number of records by geocoding source and Quality Indicator
Source
Quality
Indicator
Source 1
Source 2 Source 3 Source 4
AAA
0
0
0
1,083,375
AAB
0
0
0
18,843
AAC
0
0
0
0
AAN
0
0
0
103,296
ABA
0
0
0
8,356
ABB
0
0
0
278
ABC
0
0
0
0
ABN
0
0
0
1,431
ACA
0
0
0
0
ACB
0
0
0
0
ACC
0
0
0
0
ACN
0
0
0
24,053
ANN
0
0
0
0
BAA
0
0
0
144,102
BAB
0
0
0
7,754
BAC
0
0
0
0
BAN
0
0
20,053
0
BBA
0
0
0
1,611
BBB
0
0
0
207
BBC
0
0
0
0
BBN
0
0
0
824
BCA
0
0
0
0
BCB
0
0
0
0
BCC
0
0
0
0
BCN
0
0
0
8,435
BNN
0
0
0
0
CAA
0
0
0
5,364
CAB
0
0
0
197
CAC
0
0
0
0
CAN
0
0
0
3,067
CBA
0
0
0
92
CBB
0
0
0
0
CBC
0
0
0
0
CBN
0
0
0
476
CCA
0
0
0
0
CCB
0
0
0
0
CCC
0
0
0
0
CCN
0
0
0
8,088
BNN
0
0
0
0
NNN
0
77,130
79,174
6,928
1,439,902
77,130
79,174
6,928
Total
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Source
The source indicates the primary source of the geocoding. The values of the source are given in the
following table.
Table 5.6 Explanations of geocoding sources codes used in the Postal Code Conversion File
(PCCF)
Source Explanation
1 Automated geocoding directly to 2006 geographic areas
2 Geocoded using 2006 census response
3 Converted from geocoding done to 2001 geographic areas
4 Manually geocoded
Name files record layouts
To reduce the size of the PCCF, names for census divisions, Statistical Area Classification, federal
electoral districts – 2003 Representation Order, are shown in the following individual name files.
Table 5.7 Census division (CD_DR.dat) name file record layout
Position Size Type Field name
Description
1
5
4
C
CDuid
Census division unique identifier
100
C
CDname
Census division name
Table 5.8 Statistical Area Classification (SAC_CSS.dat) name file record layout
Position Size Type Field name Description
1
4
3
100
C
C
SAC
SACname
Statistical Area Classification unique identifier
Statistical Area Classification name
Table 5.9 Federal electoral district — 2003 Representation Order (FED03_CEF03.dat) name file
record layout
Position
Size
Type
Field name
Description
1
5
C
FED03uid
100
C
FED03name
Federal electoral district – 2003 Representation Order
unique identifier
Federal electoral district – 2003 Representation Order
name
6
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Appendix A Glossary
Adjusted counts
'Adjusted counts' refer to previous census population and dwelling counts that were adjusted
(i.e., recompiled) to reflect current census boundaries, when a boundary change occurs between
the two censuses.
Block-face
A block-face is one side of a street between two consecutive features intersecting that street.
The features can be other streets or boundaries of standard geographic areas.
Block-faces are used for generating block-face representative points, which in turn are used for
geocoding and census data extraction when the street and address information are available.
Cartographic boundary files
Cartographic boundary files (CBFs) contain the boundaries of standard geographic areas
together with the shoreline around Canada. Selected inland lakes and rivers are available as
a supplementary layer.
Census agricultural region
Census agricultural regions (CARs) are composed of groups of adjacent census divisions.
In Saskatchewan, census agricultural regions are made up of groups of adjacent census
consolidated subdivisions, but these groups do not necessarily respect census division
boundaries.
Census consolidated subdivision
A census consolidated subdivision (CCS) is a group of adjacent census subdivisions. Generally,
the smaller, more urban census subdivisions (towns, villages, etc.) are combined with the
surrounding, larger, more rural census subdivision, in order to create a geographic level between
the census subdivision and the census division.
Census division
Census division (CD) is the general term for provincially legislated areas (such as county,
municipalité régionale de comté and regional district) or their equivalents. Census divisions are
intermediate geographic areas between the province/territory level and the municipality
(census subdivision).
Census metropolitan area and census agglomeration
A census metropolitan area (CMA) or a census agglomeration (CA) is formed by one or more
adjacent municipalities centred on a large urban area (known as the urban core). A CMA must
have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the urban core.
A CA must have an urban core population of at least 10,000. To be included in the CMA or CA,
other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the central urban area,
as measured by commuting flows derived from census place of work data.
If the population of the urban core of a CA declines below 10,000, the CA is retired. However,
once an area becomes a CMA, it is retained as a CMA even if its total population declines below
100,000 or the population of its urban core falls below 50,000. The urban areas in the CMA or CA
that are not contiguous to the urban core are called the urban fringe. Rural areas in the CMA or
CA are called the rural fringe.
When a CA has an urban core of at least 50,000, it is subdivided into census tracts. Census
tracts are maintained for the CA even if the population of the urban core subsequently falls below
50,000. All CMAs are subdivided into census tracts.
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Census metropolitan area and census agglomeration influenced zone
The census metropolitan area and census agglomeration influenced zone (MIZ) is a concept that
geographically differentiates the area of Canada outside census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and
census agglomerations (CAs). Census subdivisions outside CMAs and CAs are assigned to one
of four categories according to the degree of influence (strong, moderate, weak or no influence)
that the CMAs and/or CAs have on them.
Census subdivisions (CSDs) are assigned to a MIZ category based on the percentage of their
resident employed labour force that has a place of work in the urban core(s) of CMAs or CAs.
CSDs with the same degree of influence tend to be clustered. They form zones around CMAs
and CAs that progress through the categories from 'strong' to 'no' influence as distance from the
CMAs and CAs increases.
Census subdivision
Census subdivision (CSD) is the general term for municipalities (as determined by
provincial/territorial legislation) or areas treated as municipal equivalents for statistical purposes
(e.g., Indian reserves, Indian settlements and unorganized territories).
Census tract
Census tracts (CTs) are small, relatively stable geographic areas that usually have a population
of 2,500 to 8,000. They are located in census metropolitan areas and in census agglomerations
with an urban core population of 50,000 or more in the previous census.
A committee of local specialists (for example, planners, health and social workers, and educators)
initially delineates census tracts in conjunction with Statistics Canada. Once a census
metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA) has been subdivided into census tracts,
the census tracts are maintained even if the urban core population subsequently declines below
50,000.
Coordinate system
A coordinate system is a reference system based on mathematical rules for specifying positions
(locations) on the surface of the earth. The coordinate values can be spherical (latitude and
longitude) or planar (such as Universal Transverse Mercator).
Cartographic boundary files, digital boundary files, representative points and road network files
are disseminated in latitude/longitude coordinates.
Datum
A datum is a geodetic reference system that specifies the size and shape of the earth, and the
base point from which the latitude and longitude of all other points on the earth’s surface are
referenced.
Designated place
A designated place (DPL) is normally a small community or settlement that does not meet the
criteria established by Statistics Canada to be a census subdivision (an area with municipal
status) or an urban area.
Designated places are created by provinces and territories, in cooperation with Statistics Canada,
to provide data for submunicipal areas.
Digital boundary files
Digital boundary files (DBFs) portray the boundaries used for 2006 Census collection and,
therefore, often extend as straight lines into bodies of water.
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Dissemination area
A dissemination area (DA) is a small, relatively stable geographic unit composed of one or more
adjacent dissemination blocks. It is the smallest standard geographic area for which all census
data are disseminated. DAs cover all the territory of Canada.
Dissemination block
A dissemination block (DB) is an area bounded on all sides by roads and/or boundaries of
standard geographic areas. The dissemination block is the smallest geographic area for which
population and dwelling counts are disseminated. Dissemination blocks cover all the territory of
Canada.
Economic region
An economic region (ER) is a grouping of complete census divisions (CDs) (with one exception in
Ontario) created as a standard geographic unit for analysis of regional economic activity.
Ecumene
Ecumene is a term used by geographers to mean inhabited land. It generally refers to land where
people have made their permanent home, and to all work areas that are considered occupied and
used for agricultural or any other economic purpose. Thus, there can be various types of
ecumenes, each having their own unique characteristics (population ecumene, agricultural
ecumene, industrial ecumene, etc.).
Federal electoral district
A federal electoral district (FED) is an area represented by a member of the House of Commons.
The federal electoral district boundaries used for the 2006 Census are based on the
2003 Representation Order.
Forward sortation area
The forward sortation area (FSA) is identified by the first three characters of the postal code.
FSAs are associated with a postal facility from which mail delivery originates. The average
number of households served by an FSA is approximately 8,000, but the number can range from
zero to more than 60,000 households. This wide range of households can occur because some
FSAs may serve only businesses (zero households) and some FSAs serve very large geographic
areas.
Geocoding
Geocoding is the process of assigning geographic identifiers (codes) to map features and data
records. The resulting geocodes permit data to be linked geographically.
Households, postal codes and place of work data are linked to block-face representative points
when the street and address information is available; otherwise, they are linked to dissemination
block (DB) representative points. In some cases, postal codes and place of work data are linked
to dissemination area (DA) representative points when they cannot be linked to DBs. As well,
place of work data are linked to census subdivision representative points when the data cannot
be linked to DAs.
Geographic code
A geographic code is a numerical identifier assigned to a geographic area. The code is used to
identify and access standard geographic areas for the purposes of data storage, retrieval and
display.
Geographic reference date
The geographic reference date is a date determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of
finalizing the geographic framework for which census data will be collected, tabulated and
reported. For the 2006 Census, the geographic reference date is January 1, 2006.
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Land area
Land area is the area in square kilometres of the land-based portions of standard geographic
areas.
Land area data are unofficial, and are provided for the sole purpose of calculating population
density.
Locality
'Locality' (LOC) refers to the historical place names of former census subdivisions
(municipalities), former designated places and former urban areas, as well as to the names of
other entities, such as neighbourhoods, post offices, communities and unincorporated places.
Map projection
A map projection is the process of transforming and representing positions from the earth's
three-dimensional curved surface to a two-dimensional (flat) surface. The process is
accomplished by a direct geometric projection or by a mathematically derived transformation.
The Lambert conformal conic map projection is widely used for general maps of Canada at
small scales and is the most common map projection used at Statistics Canada.
National Geographic Database
The National Geographic Database (NGD) is a shared database between Statistics Canada and
Elections Canada. The database contains roads, road names and address ranges. It also
includes separate reference layers containing physical and cultural features, such as hydrography
and hydrographic names, railroads and power transmission lines.
The NGD was created in 1997 as a joint Statistics Canada/Elections Canada initiative to develop
and maintain a national road network file serving the needs of both organizations. The active
building of the NGD – that is, integrating the files from Statistics Canada, Elections Canada and
Natural Resources Canada – occurred from 1998 to 2000. Thereafter, Statistics Canada and
Elections Canada reconciled their digital boundary holdings to the new database's road network
geometry so that operational products could be derived.
Since 2001, the focus of the NGD has been on intensive data quality improvements, especially
regarding the quality and currency of its road network coverage. There has been considerable
expansion of road names and civic addresses ranges, as well as the addition of hydrographic
names. Priorities were determined by Statistics Canada and Elections Canada, enabling the NGD
to meet the joint operational needs of both agencies in support of census and electoral activities.
Place name
'Place name' refers to the set of names that includes current census subdivisions (municipalities),
current designated places and current urban areas, as well as the names of localities.
Population density
Population density is the number of persons per square kilometre.
Postal code
The postal code is a six-character code defined and maintained by Canada Post Corporation for
the purpose of sorting and delivering mail.
Province or territory
Province and territory refer to the major political units of Canada. From a statistical point of view,
province and territory are basic areas for which data are tabulated. Canada is divided into
10 provinces and three territories.
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Reference map
A reference map shows the location of the geographic areas for which census data are tabulated
and disseminated. The maps display the boundaries, names and codes of standard geographic
areas, as well as major cultural and physical features, such as roads, railroads, coastlines, rivers
and lakes.
Representative point
A representative point is a point that represents a line or a polygon. The point is centrally located
along the line, and centrally located or population weighted in the polygon.
Representative points are generated for block-faces, dissemination blocks, dissemination areas,
census subdivisions, urban areas and designated places.
Households, postal codes and place of work data are linked to block-face representative points
when the street and address information is available; otherwise, they are linked to dissemination
block (DB) representative points. In some cases, postal codes and place of work data are linked
to dissemination area (DA) representative points when they cannot be linked to DBs. As well,
place of work data are linked to census subdivision representative points when the data cannot
be linked to DAs.
Road network file
The road network file (RNF) contains roads, road names, address ranges and road ranks for the
entire country. Most commonly, address ranges are dwelling-based and are mainly available in
the large urban centres of Canada.
Rural area
Rural areas include all territory lying outside urban areas. Taken together, urban and rural areas
cover all of Canada.
Rural population includes all population living in the rural fringes of census metropolitan areas
(CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs), as well as population living in rural areas outside
CMAs and CAs.
Spatial Data Infrastructure
The Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), formerly known as the National Geographic Base (NGB),
is an internal, maintenance database that is not disseminated outside of Statistics Canada.
It contains roads, road names and address ranges from the National Geographic Database
(NGD), as well as boundary arcs of standard geographic areas that do not follow roads, all in
one integrated line layer. The database also includes a related polygon layer consisting of basic
blocks (BB) (basic blocks are the smallest polygon units in the database, and are formed by the
intersection of all roads and the arcs of geographic areas that do not follow roads), boundary
layers of standard geographic areas, and derived attribute tables, as well as reference layers
containing physical and cultural features (such as hydrography, railroads and power transmission
lines) from the NGD.
The SDI supports a wide range of census operations, such as the maintenance and delineation of
the boundaries of standard geographic areas (including the automated delineation of
dissemination blocks, dissemination areas and urban areas), and geocoding. The SDI is also
the source for generating many geography products for the 2006 Census, such as cartographic
boundary files and road network files.
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Spatial data quality elements
Spatial data quality elements provide information on the fitness for use of a spatial database by
describing why, when and how the data are created, and how accurate the data are. The
elements include an overview describing the purpose and usage, as well as specific quality
elements reporting on the lineage, positional accuracy, attribute accuracy, logical consistency
and completeness. This information is provided to users for all spatial data products disseminated
for the census.
Standard Geographical Classification
The Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) is Statistics Canada’s official classification for
three types of geographic areas: provinces and territories, census divisions (CDs) and census
subdivisions (CSDs). The SGC provides unique numeric identification (codes) for these
hierarchically related geographic areas.
Statistical Area Classification
The Statistical Area Classification (SAC) groups census subdivisions according to whether they
are a component of a census metropolitan area, a census agglomeration, a census metropolitan
area and census agglomeration influenced zone (strong MIZ, moderate MIZ, weak MIZ or no
MIZ), or the territories (Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). The SAC is used
for data dissemination purposes.
Thematic map
A thematic map shows the spatial distribution of one or more specific data themes for standard
geographic areas. The map may be qualitative in nature (e.g., predominant farm types) or
quantitative (e.g., percentage population change).
Urban area
An urban area has a minimum population concentration of 1,000 persons and a population
density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre, based on the current census population
count. All territory outside urban areas is classified as rural. Taken together, urban and rural
areas cover all of Canada.
Urban population includes all population living in the urban cores, secondary urban cores and
urban fringes of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs), as well
as the population living in urban areas outside CMAs and CAs.
Urban core, urban fringe and rural fringe
'Urban core, urban fringe and rural fringe' distinguish between central and peripheral urban and
rural areas within a census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA).
'Urban core' is a large urban area around which a CMA or a CA is delineated. The urban core
must have a population (based on the previous census) of at least 50,000 persons in the case
of a CMA, or at least 10,000 persons in the case of a CA.
The urban core of a CA that has been merged with an adjacent CMA or larger CA is called the
'secondary urban core'.
'Urban fringe' includes all small urban areas within a CMA or CA that are not contiguous with the
urban core of the CMA or CA.
'Rural fringe' is all territory within a CMA or CA not classified as an urban core or an urban fringe.
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Urban population size group
The term 'urban population size group' refers to the classification used in standard tabulations
where urban areas are distributed according to the following predetermined size groups, based
on the current census population.
1,000 to
2,499
2,500 to
4,999
5,000 to
9,999
10,000 to
24,999
25,000 to
49,999
50,000 to
99,999
100,000 to 499,999
500,000 and over
Tabulations are not limited to these predetermined population size groups; the census database
has the capability of tabulating data according to any user-defined population size group.
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Appendix B Hierarchy of standard geographic units for
dissemination, 2006 Census
Figure B.1 Hierarchy of standard geographic units for dissemination, 2006 Census
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population; Canada Post Corporation, May 2006.
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Appendix C Postal code structure
The postal code is an alphanumeric combination of six characters describing the destination of
each item of mail addressed in Canada. The characters are arranged in the form 'ANA NAN',
where 'A' represents an alphabetic character and 'N' represents a numeric character (e.g.,
K1A 0T6). The postal code uses 18 alphabetic characters and 10 numeric characters. Eight
alphabetic characters, D, F, I, O, Q, U, W and Z, are not in use at the present time.
The first character of a postal code is allocated in alphabetic sequence from east to west across
Canada and denotes a province, territory, or a major sector found entirely within the boundaries
of a province.
Table C.1 First character of the postal code and corresponding province, territory or
1
region
Province/Territory/Region
Postal code first character
Newfoundland and Labrador
A
Nova Scotia
B
Prince Edward Island
C
New Brunswick
E
Eastern Québec
G
Metropolitan Montréal
H
Western Québec
J
Eastern Ontario
K
Central Ontario
L
Metropolitan Toronto
M
Southwestern Ontario
N
Northern Ontario
P
Manitoba
R
Saskatchewan
S
Alberta
T
British Columbia
V
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
X
Yukon Territory
Y
1. The regions used in this table are defined by Canada Post Corporation.
In the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), there are 70 postal codes linked to a different
province from their first character allocation. The counts of postal codes given by
province/territory in Table 3.2 are generated by grouping all postal codes by the first letter of the
forward sortation area, and only counting those with a single link indicator (SLI) set to 1.
The first three characters of the postal code ('ANA') represent a set of well-defined and stable
areas known as forward sortation areas (FSAs). The FSA represents a specific area within a
major geographical region or province/territory. As of April 2007, there were 1,627 FSAs in use
across Canada. There were 1,444 FSAs with urban mail delivery service and only 183 with rural
mail delivery service. Rural postal codes are identifiable by the presence of a zero (0) in the
second position of the FSA code. Urban postal codes are composed of FSAs with numerals 1 to
9 in the second position of the code.
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The last three characters of the postal code ('NAN') identify routes known as local delivery units
(LDUs). In urban areas, a single postal code may correspond to the following types of LDU:
• a block-face (one side of a city street between consecutive intersections)
• a community mailbox (commonly called super mailboxes)
• an apartment building
• a business building
• a large firm/organisation that does considerable business with CPC
• a federal government department, agency or branch
• a mail delivery route (rural, suburban or mobile)
• general delivery at a specific post office
• one or more post office boxes.
A community mailbox postal code services both odd and even sides of the same street, or
different streets, within a 200 metre radius of the community mailbox.
In rural FSAs, the LDU generally refers to services which originate from a post office or postal
station. These include rural routes, general deliveries, post office boxes, and suburban services.
Often, in rural FSAs, the postal code identifies a specific rural community.
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Appendix D Quality indicator
The Quality Indicator (QI) is a record level indicator on the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
that indicates the confidence with which that particular record is coded to the geographic areas in
that record. It is only available for the records coded using the automated geocoding system.
The final Quality Indicator output after geocoding is complete is a concatenation such that:
QI = QI_1 | QI_2 | QI_3
The Quality Indicator (QI_1)
QI_1 indicates the quality of the general area where geocoding occurred. It is an indicator of our
certainty that the postal code is linked to the correct census subdivision.
QI is assigned as follows:
A
B
C
N
good, verifiable geocoding, search area verified by more than one source
good, search area based on 2006 Census data
satisfactory approximation based on place name match to CSD alone
unknown
The Quality Indicator (QI_2)
QI_2 indicates the level of confidence of the match to the correct street. This is not available for
PCtype 3, 4 and 5 records, when PO = 0 or 2, since they do not represent service to a particular
civic address; when PO = 1 QI_2 represents the confidence of the match to a delivery installation
address.
QI is assigned as follows:
A
B
C
N
good, match on street name, type, and direction
good, but match only on street name and type
satisfactory match on street name only or street name and direction
unknown
The Quality Indicator (QI_3)
QI_3 indicates the level of confidence of the match to the correct address range. This is not
available for PCtype 3, 4 and 5 records, when PO = 0 or 2, since they do not represent service to
a particular civic address; when PO = 1 QI_3 represents the confidence of the match to a delivery
installation address.
QI is assigned as follows:
A
good, if the parity was matched on both addresses on the Spatial Data
Infrastructure
B
good, but the parity was matched on one address only on the Spatial Data
Infrastructure
C
satisfactory, if the parity was not matched but the ranges overlap
N
no match
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Appendix E Representative points
A representative point is a point that represents a line or a polygon. The point is centrally located
along the line, and centrally located or population weighted in the polygon.
Representative points are generated for block-faces, dissemination blocks (DBs), dissemination
areas (DAs), census subdivisions (CSDs), urban areas (UAs) and designated places (DPLs).
These points support the mapping of postal codes to geographic areas.
Representative points are located by the following methods using the Spatial Data Infrastructure
(SDI):
Block-face representative points
The block-face representative points are computed along addressable and non-addressable
streets, midway (or approximately midway) between two consecutive features intersecting a
street. The features can be other streets or boundaries of standard geographic areas.
The points are set back a perpendicular distance of 10, 5, 1 or 0.5 metres from the street centre
line to ensure that all points have unique coordinates, and are located in the correct block and on
the correct side of the street.
Geographic area representative points
The representative points for DBs, DAs, CSDs, UAs and DPLs are generated in conjunction with
their respective cartographic boundary file (CBF). The most detailed dissemination hydrography
in the CBF is used. The points are initially calculated and stored based on the Lambert conformal
conic projection; they are also transformed to latitude/longitude coordinates.
Topology checks are applied to ensure that the points fall within the appropriate geographic area.
Since some dissemination blocks and designated places are located in water only, their
representative points fall in water.
Postal codes are linked to block-face, dissemination block, or dissemination area representative
points.
Representative points can also be used for data retrieval, data analysis and mapping. All
representative points are calculated based on the x, y coordinates of the Lambert conformal conic
map projection, but are disseminated in latitude/longitude coordinates.
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Appendix F Census subdivision types by province and territory,
2006 Census
Table F.1 Census subdivision types by province and territory, 2006 Census
Census subdivision
type
Total
N.L.
P.E.I.
N.S.
N.B.
Que.
Ont
.
Man
.
Sas
k.
Alta.
B.C.
Y.T.
N.W.T.
Nvt
.
5,418
377
113
100
276
1,294
585
297
984
453
836
35
37
31
C
City / Cité
7
...
...
...
3
...
4
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
CC
Chartered
community
3
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
3
...
CÉ
Cité
1
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
CG
Community
government
4
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
4
...
CM
County
(municipality)
28
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
28
...
...
...
...
CN
Crown colony /
Colonie de la
couronne
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
...
...
COM
Community
33
...
33
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
CT
Canton (municipalité
de)
50
...
...
...
...
50
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
CU
Cantons unis
(municipalité de)
2
...
...
...
...
2
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
CY
City
146
3
2
...
5
...
46
9
14
16
48
1
1
1
DM
District municipality
50
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
50
...
...
...
HAM
Hamlet
35
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
2
9
24
ID
Improvement district
7
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
7
...
...
...
...
IGD
Indian government
district
2
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
2
...
...
...
IM
Island municipality
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
IRI
Indian reserve /
Réserve indienne
1,095
2
4
26
20
30
148
82
177
93
507
4
2
...
LGD
Local government
district
2
...
...
...
...
...
...
2
...
...
...
...
...
...
LOT
Township and
royalty
67
...
67
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
M
Municipality /
Municipalité
3
...
...
...
...
...
3
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
MD
Municipal district
49
...
...
12
...
...
...
...
...
37
...
...
...
...
MÉ
Municipalité
578
...
...
...
...
578
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
MU
Municipality
52
...
...
...
...
...
52
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
NH
Northern hamlet
9
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
9
...
...
...
...
...
NL
Nisga’a land
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
NO
Unorganized / Non
organisé
133
...
...
...
...
97
17
10
2
...
...
2
2
3
NV
Northern village
13
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
13
...
...
...
...
...
NVL
Nisga’a village
5
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
5
...
...
...
P
Parish / Paroisse
(municipalité de)
152
...
...
...
152
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
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Table F.1 Census subdivision types by province and territory, 2006 Census (continued)
Census subdivision type
Total
N.L.
P.E.I.
N.S.
N.B.
Que.
Ont
.
Man
.
Sas
k.
Alta.
B.C.
Y.T.
N.W.T.
Nvt
.
215
...
...
...
...
215
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
162
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
162
...
...
...
PE
Paroisse
(municipalité de)
RCR
Rural community /
Communauté rurale
RDA
Regional district
electoral area
RG
Region
1
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
RGM
Regional
municipality
4
...
...
3
...
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
...
RM
Rural municipality
414
...
...
...
...
...
...
118
296
...
...
...
...
...
RV
Resort village
40
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
40
...
...
...
...
...
SA
Special area
3
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
3
...
...
...
...
SC
Subdivision of
county municipality
/ Subdivision
municipalité de
comté
28
...
...
28
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Settlement /
Établissement
13
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
13
...
...
Indian settlement /
Établissement
indien
28
...
...
...
...
6
5
4
1
4
3
5
...
...
SET
Settlement
14
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
11
3
SM
Specialized
municipality
2
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
2
...
...
...
...
Subdivision of
unorganized /
Subdivision non
organisée
92
92
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
SV
Summer village
51
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
51
...
...
...
...
T
Town
751
279
7
31
15
...
88
52
147
110
15
3
4
TC
Terres réservées
aux Cris
8
...
...
...
...
8
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
12
...
...
...
...
12
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
SÉ
S-É
SNO
TI
Terre inuite
TK
Terres réservées
aux Naskapis
1
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
TL
Teslin land
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
TP
Township
210
...
...
...
...
...
210
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
TV
Town / Ville
12
...
...
...
11
...
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
V
Ville
220
...
...
...
...
220
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
VC
Village cri
8
...
...
...
...
8
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
VK
Village naskapi
1
...
...
...
...
1
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
VL
Village
583
...
...
...
69
51
11
20
284
101
42
4
1
...
VN
Village nordique
14
...
...
...
...
14
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
… not applicable
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.
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Appendix G Data file naming convention
The naming convention for Postal Code Conversion Files (PCCF) is bilingual and reflects the
reference date of the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) data used in the release.
Data files in this release are:
National file
pccfNat_APR07_fccpNat.zip
Provincial / territorial files
pccf10_APR07_fccp10.zip
pccf11_APR07_fccp11.zip
pccf12_APR07_fccp12.zip
pccf13_APR07_fccp13.zip
pccf24_APR07_fccp24.zip
pccf35_APR07_fccp35.zip
pccf46_APR07_fccp46.zip
pccf47_APR07_fccp47.zip
pccf48_APR07_fccp48.zip
pccf59_APR07_fccp59.zip
pccf60_APR07_fccp60.zip
pccf61_APR07_fccp61.zip
pccf62_APR07_fccp62.zip
Table G.1 File name structure of Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
Description
Name component
pccf
file name -english
provincial code (10, 11, 12,
2-digit province code (see Section 5, Technical
13, 24, 35, 46, 47, 48, 59,
specifications, PR)
60, 61, 62)
reference date of CPC postal code data
APR07
(month, year)
fccp
file name - french
Statistics Canada
39
Catalogue no. 92-153-GIE
April 2007 Postal codes
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
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Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
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Statistics Canada
40
Catalogue no. 92-153-GIE
April 2007 Postal codes
Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF), Reference Guide
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© Statistics Canada, 2007
Statistics Canada
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Catalogue no. 92-153-GIE
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