Description of Geographies Used to Produce Census Profiles
- Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)
- City Council Wards
- City of Winnipeg
- Community Areas
- Downtown
- Inner City
- Neighbourhoods
- Neighbourhood Clusters
- Non-Inner City
Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)
The Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is an economic region defined by Statistics Canada. After each national census, Statistics Canada analyzes socioeconomic information to determine which neighbouring municipalities should be included as part of the CMA. The primary criteria for inclusion in the CMA is having over half of the municipality's labour force working in the core city (Winnipeg). The Winnipeg CMA currently includes the City of Winnipeg and the municipalities of West St. Paul, East St. Paul, Headingley, Richot, Tache, Springfield, Rosser, St. Francois Xavier, St. Clements, and the Brokenhead First Nation.
City Council Wards
City Council Wards are the electoral ridings used to elect City Councillors, and are defined by the Winnipeg Wards Boundaries Commission in accordance with the City of Winnipeg Charter. The Ward boundaries are determined based on population distribution and established communities within Winnipeg. With a few exceptions, Wards are drawn to respect neighbourhood boundaries. There are fifteen City Council Wards in Winnipeg, each with a population of approximately 47,000 people.
City of Winnipeg
The City of Winnipeg and thirteen neighbouring municipalities were amalgamated in 1972 under the Government of Manitoba's City of Winnipeg Act , which established the City's boundaries. Headingley seceded from the City of Winnipeg in 1992. The City of Winnipeg Act was amended and replaced by the City of Winnipeg Charter in 2003.
Community Areas
Community Areas were defined through collaboration between the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), the City's Community Services department, and various community groups. The Community Areas follow the boundaries of identified neighbourhoods, and are defined based on population and natural community boundaries (such as transportation routes, rivers, changes in land use, etc.). The Community Areas are used by the WRHA to assess population data and facilitate health planning and service delivery. There are twelve Community Areas, with populations of approximately 59,000 people each.
Note: The Downtown Community Area is larger than the official Downtown defined by the Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law .
Downtown
The Downtown area is officially defined by the City of Winnipeg Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law . The Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law established zoning categories which set legal criteria for downtown development. The Downtown is largely commercial but it does include residential areas. The Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law was recently amended to expand the defined Downtown area northward along Main Street by about three blocks. With the exception of the recent addition, the Downtown follows defined neighbourhood boundaries. The area used for Census purposes does not include the North Main Street addition, the prior definition of Downtown that followed neighbourhood boundaries is used instead.
Note: There is a Downtown Community Area which is larger than the officially defined Downtown.
Inner City
The Inner City is not officially defined by the City of Winnipeg. The Inner City area was first defined in the 1980s by the Core Area Initiative, a tri-partite government agreement to combat decline in the inner city. A modified Inner City area was used by the members of the Community Data Network, in order to get Census information that allowed comparison between the older and newer neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. The official Downtown area is included in the Inner City.
Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods were defined following the amalgamation of the City of Winnipeg in the early 1970s, and were intended to serve as the basic building blocks of the city for planning purposes. The entire city is made up of neighbourhoods, designated residential, industrial or rural. The neighbourhoods were defined based on their characteristic features and natural boundaries, so that once identified the neighbourhood boundaries would not be subject to arbitrary change. Some neighbourhood areas were added or modified in response to new developments in parts of the city, but for the most part neighbourhood boundaries have remained the same.
There are 237 neighbourhoods in the City of Winnipeg at present, 194 of these neighbourhoods have Census statistics associated with them. The other 43 neighbourhoods are either industrial or undeveloped areas having populations under 100 persons and as such the figures are suppressed by Statistics Canada.
Neighbourhood Clusters
Neighbourhood Clusters were defined by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the City's Community Services department, in partnership with associated community groups. The Clusters follow neighbourhood boundaries and are defined based on population and natural community boundaries. The Neighbourhood Clusters are grouped together to make up the larger Community Areas. More detailed analysis and comparison of health and social information is possible at the Neighbourhood Cluster level. There are 23 Neighbourhood Clusters in the City of Winnipeg, each with a population of approximately 30,000 people.
Non-Inner City
The Non-Inner City is not officially defined by the City of Winnipeg. Members of the Community Data Network defined Inner City and Non-Inner City to allow comparisons of older and newer areas of Winnipeg. The Non-Inner City includes all of the neighbourhoods that are not part of the Inner City.