Project Background

In 2004–2005, the Research Team developed its first large‑scale statistical project entitled Regional Profiles Series. Using data from the 2001 Census of Canada, the initiative displayed a number of indicators on a single page. Although this project provided access to quality information about OLMCs at a local level (census subdivisions), it required a certain amount of expertise in interpreting statistical data. Without visual elements like graphs or maps, the scope of this product was severely limited. In addition, it was distributed on a CD-ROM and mailed to researchers and community stakeholders.

However, the use of concepts such as the minority-majority index, relative geographic index, time index and gender index made it possible to firmly establish the foundations of the approach used in the Communities in Context initiative. In other words, the use of a differentiated statistical approach to study OLMCs offered the Research Team many paths of analysis to better articulate the issues facing OLMCs across Canada.

Following the release of the Regional Profiles Series, we conducted a post-mortem to identify how we could adapt our analyses to make them accessible to different audiences. One of the recommendations was to add visual elements to our profiles. To address this need, we grouped the information under four broad themes (demographic, demolinguistic, socio‑economic, and socio‑cultural) and added graphs, text and maps to the statistical tables.

The information used in developing these Regional Thematic Profiles is from the 2006 Census of Canada and the National Household Survey (2011). To make this information available to the widest possible audience, the documents were released to the public on  publications.gc.ca .

In 2018, the Research Team launched the  Official Languages Research Dissemination Platform . As its name suggests, this platform was developed to be used as a tool for disseminating the OLB Research Team’s products and analyses. Geography plays an integral role in this public online tool, giving users access to an interactive map of Canada allowing them to select one of the country’s 76 economic regions in order to view a series of documents containing statistical data on OLMCs.

All documents listed on this dissemination platform are hosted on  publications.gc.ca .

The Regional Thematic Profiles project addressed a concern expressed by users about the capacity to interpret large tables of data. However, in increasing the number of visual and textual tools to facilitate the interpretation of data, we also increased the number of documents and pages for consultation. Basically, for each of Canada’s 76 economic regions, the Research Team produced four thematic documents of more than 45 pages each, in both official languages. The work involved in developing, producing, reviewing and disseminating more than 600 analytical documents is tremendous.

To increase efficiency and effectiveness, we decided to put the data on OLMCs in one location. Using the tools available through our access to ESRI Canada’s ArcGIS Online platform, we began developing a web interface that would compile and share a series of indicators drawn from 2016 Census of Canada data and other sources. To guide us in developing this interactive tool, we based our approach on a series of fundamental principles, for instance, the clarity of concepts used and simplicity of the design. 

In 2021, we finished developing the Official Language Minority Communities Dashboard. It incorporates some of the elements of our previous projects and, using a simple, attractive interface, effectively presents numerous indicators developed using 2016 Census of Canada data for all 76 economic regions in Canada. An update of data from the 2021 Canadian Census was completed in December 2024.

This interactive tool allows users to select the region they are interested in using the drop‑down menu in the upper right corner of the screen. Once they have selected the region, the dashboard information updates automatically. General indicators, displayed with visual elements, assist in navigating and interpreting the data.

The development of this interactive online dashboard addresses some of the concerns expressed with the release of other research projects. It is also better suited to reach a larger number of users.