Socio-Economic Insight

One of the barriers smaller areas face when planning local economic development initiatives is the scarcity of published information and statistics about their community. Despite the wealth of economic data available on the Web, much of it is only available at the national, provincial or large census metropolitan area level.

Understanding how your community is being affected by broad trends and having a sound appreciation for what makes it unique are fundamental to setting any strategies. Knowing how small towns are faring in comparison with rural townships or big cities could be crucial for determining the scope of your activities. For example, if every community across your region was facing a labour skill shortage, you might pursue very different kinds of solutions than if your town was the only one dealing with such a challenge.

The resources in this part of the site offer information that will help you locate community level data: