1. Downloading Census Boundary Files
Using Scholars GeoPortal
Map and Data Library,
5th floor Robarts Library,
University of Toronto

2. Search for Census Geography Files
• Search for Census Tracts (CT) • Cartographic Boundary files (CBFs)
• Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) • Digital Boundary files (DBFs)

3. View File Details (Metadata)

4. Explore & Visualize the data
• Add the CT, 2006 CBF • Zoom to Montreal, QC
layer to the map, click • Click to identify CTs of interest

5. Option 1: Query Data Table
After you enter
your query
string, press
Execute

6. Export file (with query results)
Be sure to
scroll through
the attribute
table to
check your
query results!

7. Get Export file (.shp, .xls, .csv)
Your exported
file will appear
in the
download tab

8. Option 2: Downloading a file by a
predefined area
CTs are found
1.
in urban areas
(often called
Census
Metropolitan
2. Areas ) across
Canada
3.
Choose to 4.
download by Click on the map
CMAs, this will give to select the area
us the entire
Montreal Area

9. Choose output file & download
Depending on the
size of the file, this
may take a couple
seconds or minutes

10. Check file in ArcGIS (open ArcMap)
• Extract the .zip file on
your computer
Add data
After you add your
data, the boundaries
will appear on the
map, double check
the data look correct
Right click to
open attribute
table

11. View the Attribute Table
This file also
contains
adjacent Census
Agglomerations
(CAs) where the
boundaries
touch one
another, in this
case we can
delete the
adjacent data
and only include
‘462’ CMAUID
codes, SAVE
your data file.
For more information about naming conventions for
CTs, CMAs, & CAs visit Statistics Canada’s website
http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-
pd/prof/92-597/includes/CTname-nomSR.cfm?Lang=E