A Quebecer moves to the Northwest Territories, a family in Newfoundland and Labrador welcomes a new arrival, another in British Columbia mourns a loss, an immigrant settles somewhere in Ontario.

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Within the span of just a few minutes, an online tool from Statistics Canada offers an evocative snapshot of the countryB次元官网网址檚 ever-shifting population through a series of statistically modelled demographic events.

The so-called B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� which went live shortly after Canada Day last year B次元官网网址� uses StatCan data to present a real-time visualization of the countryB次元官网网址檚 major demographic trends, including births, deaths, immigration and emigration.

Watching it is somewhat akin to playing a real-life, nationwide version of the city-building video game SimCity: coloured bars representing births, deaths and various migrations slowly fill up or deplete, leading to animations on a map showing each occurrence playing out across the country.

ItB次元官网网址檚 not quite true to life, of course B次元官网网址� the federal government doesnB次元官网网址檛 claim to be tracking every individual in the country in real-time B次元官网网址� but one of the pageB次元官网网址檚 main designers says itB次元官网网址檚 pretty close.

Patrick Charbonneau, a senior analyst with StatCanB次元官网网址檚 demography division, says the model is based on the agencyB次元官网网址檚 latest population estimates, which are updated every three months.

B次元官网网址淭he counts that are shown in the population clock are strictly for visualization purposes, to give Canadians a sense of how fast the population is changing. ItB次元官网网址檚 more of a learning tool than a decision-making tool,B次元官网网址� said Charbonneau.

B次元官网网址淏ut those numbers are still obtained through really robust methodology nevertheless.B次元官网网址�

Charbonneau said the agency launched the clock in an effort to increase B次元官网网址渟tatistical literacyB次元官网网址� in the general population B次元官网网址� particularly among young Canadians B次元官网网址� and to give people a sense of how the population is changing.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 something that everyone should be able to know B次元官网网址� how fast the population is changing B次元官网网址� What is the rhythm? What is the pace?B次元官网网址� said Charbonneau.

He said the clock has proven popular in its first year, becoming one of the most-visited pages on StatCanB次元官网网址檚 website. He said heB次元官网网址檚 also heard accounts from teachers who have shown it in their classrooms to introduce students to population studies.

Howard Ramos, a professor of sociology at Dalhousie University, said itB次元官网网址檚 important for Canadians to maintain a life-long interest in the demographic trends that continue to shape the country.

B次元官网网址淚 think that a lot of Canadians would even be surprised by the overall population B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檙e now at 37 and a half million people. I think a lot of peopleB次元官网网址檚 notion of how big we are or how populated we are is often frozen by what they got in high school social studies,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚t would offer a lot of insight on the importance of immigration in Canada. I think that certainly you see that in the bigger cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. But in the rest of the country, this tool really shows the impact and the importance of immigration to maintaining our population, not to mention growing it.B次元官网网址�

Ramos urged Canadians to check out the tool for themselves, and if they find it interesting, to B次元官网网址渄ig intoB次元官网网址� the vast amount of data available on Statistics CanadaB次元官网网址檚 website.

B次元官网网址淭his is a great way for us to get to know who we are,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚f you live only in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, you might not know what itB次元官网网址檚 like to live in the Yukon, or in Cape Breton, or in the Prairies. And these kinds of tools allow us to begin to see what those places look like, and begin to imagine them.B次元官网网址�

Adam Burns, The Canadian Press

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