Data available

Population Data BC (PopData) holds 20 data sets from two federal and 7 provincial sources. These data are linkable to each other, and to external data sets, where approved by the data provider.

Data are received and incorporated into the data holdings throughout the year.

We generally receive data between four to ten months after the end of the calendar or fiscal year. It can then take us up to six months to validate, link and document the data before they are ready for research use.

Internal data holdings

• Health care and health services data

  • Medical Services Plan Payment Information (MSP)
  • Pharmacare
  • Discharge Abstract Database (Hospital Separations)
  • Home and Community Care (Continuing Care)
  • Mental Health
  • BC Cancer Agency
  • Perinatal Data Registry

• Population and vital statistics

  • Consolidation file (MSP Registration and Premium Billing)
  • Vital Statistics Births
  • Vital Statistics Stillbirths
  • Vital Statistics Marriages
  • Vital Statistics Deaths

• Demographic and life course

  • BC Generations Project data
  • Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Permanent Residents
  • Income band data

• Occupational data

  • WorkSafeBC Claims
  • WorkSafe Firm Level files

• Childhood data

  • Early Development Instrument data
  • Middle Years Development Instrument data

• Geo-spatial data

  • Integrated Cadastral Information (ICIS) data

External data available

• Health care and health services data

  • Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) - access to this data through MoH is on hold until further notice – please contact the Data Access Unit for further details.
  • PharmaNet
  • National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS)

• Spatial data