How to Apply
The Centre is open to all persons, researchers and affiliated partners with the CRDCN or who have appropriate clearance from Statistics Canada. Access to data is allowed upon approval of an application that has been peer reviewed through a process managed jointly by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council and Statistics Canada.
For individuals not affiliated with a partner university, access is available on a fee for services basis.
Publicly Available Data and Resources
Publicly Available Data
*Please refer to our New RDC at Western Monthly Newsletter for Newly added Datasets
Available Statistics Software at the RDC
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Data Liberation Initiative (DLI)
The DLI is a partnership between post-secondary institutions and Statistics Canada for improving access to Canadian data resources. As a participating institution of the DLI, Western provides access to a large collection of Public Use Microdata files (PUMFs) and a special collection of aggregate data tables.
Using this resource is beneficial in several ways. Researchers can download PUMF files for datasets they are interested in working with, which may be suitable for their analyses depending on the scope of their research. For those researchers who will go on to use the microdata master files available in the RDC, they can use the PUMF files to familiarize themselves with the data they will work with. Through DLI, researchers also have access to publicly available, non-confidential versions of codebooks corresponding to the RDC master files. This can assist researchers with preparing proposals and developing syntax in advance of an approved project.
DLI data may be accessed through Odesi. Please note that, when using this system, the researcher must have a university IP address from a participating institution in order to obtain access.
Real Time Remote Access (RTRA) System
The RTRA system is an on-line remote access facility allowing users to run SAS programs, in real-time, against microdata sets located in a central and secure location. A full range of descriptive statistics is available through the Real Time Remote Access tool. RTRA users can calculate frequencies, means, percentiles, proportions, ratios, and shares.
Researchers using the RTRA system do not gain direct access to the microdata and cannot view the content of the microdata file. Instead, users submit SAS programs to extract results in the form of frequency tables. As RTRA researchers cannot view the microdata, becoming a deemed employees of Statistics Canada is no longer necessary. This relationship is the basis that allows the RTRA to service its clients rapidly. For information on how to apply, please visit the Statistics Canada process and guidelines.
