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Census Geography Files

The DLI program provides access to spatial files in addition to numeric data files to authorised users under the DLI licence. The census spatial files are provided by Statistics Canada in both ArcInfo and MapInfo formats. The files currently available for downloading are in ArcInfo format, but MapInfo files may be requested directly through the UNB Libraries DLI Contact.

Spatial files may be available as digital boundary files (dbf), which reflect administrative boundaries or cartographic boundary files (cbf), previously referred to as digital cartographic files (dcf), which provide a more accurate geographical representation. Knowledge of a GIS package, such as MapInfo, ArcView, or ArcInfo, is usually a prerequisite for using these files.

Census Geography Files

Statistics Canada now makes Canada-wide census geography files freely available; however, for the convenience of UNB Libraries users we make province-wide available upon request. To download the national boundary or hydrographic layers, please go to the Statistics Canada "Boundary Files" page. Road Network Files for the country are also available.

The provincial files below have all been created from the national cartographic boundary files provided by Statistics Canada. 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.

2016 Census Geography Files

New Brunswick

Please contact us to submit a request for any of the files listed below or any other census data request.

Note, the following files were created from the national file (PRUID=13). Please use with caution.

  • Provincial boundary
  • Census divisions (CD) *note: 1310 and York County do not match exactly
  • Aggregate dissesmination areas (ADA) **new geography**
  • Census subdivisions (CSD)
  • Census Metropolitain Areas and Census Agglomerations (CMA/CA)
  • Census tracts
  • Dissemination areas (DA)
  • Populations centres (PC)
  • Lakes (polygons) **Note, the Saint John River is part of the polygon file**
  • Rivers
  • Coastal Waters

2011 Census Geography Files

New Brunswick

Please contact us to submit a request for any of the files listed below or any other census data request.

Note, the following files were created from the national file (PRUID=13). Please use with caution.

  • Census Subdivisions (CSD)
  • Dissemination Areas (DA)
  • Lakes (polygons) **Note, the Saint John River is part of the polygon file**
  • Rivers
  • Coastal Waters

2006 Census Geography Files

The following subsets of 2006 spatial data are available. To request access, please submit a request to the DLI contact.

Please note that most of the standard census geography files as well as water and road layers may now be downloaded directly from Statistics Canada's Census Geography site.

The following files are available for use within the constraints of the DLI licence to UNB Libraries authorized users.

New Brunswick

  • Census Subdivisions (CSD)
  • Dissemination Areas (DA)
  • Dissemination Blocks (DB)
  • Roads
  • Lakes (polygons) **Note, the Saint John River is part of the polygon file**
  • Rivers (lines)

For convenience, the NB profile data from the 2006 Census of Population for census subdivisions and census dissemination areas, are available in a zipped .ivt file. These .ivt files require the Beyond 20/20 browser to view and manipulate the files.

2001 Census Geography Files

2001 Census Spatial Files

Please contact us to submit a request for any of the files listed below or any other census data request.

Note: There were significant changes in census geography between 1996 and 2001.

  • All Canada 2001 Census spatial files
  • Provincial 2001 Census spatial files, including Dissemination Areas
  • CMA 2001 Census spatial files