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Statistics Canada Research Data Centre

York University Statistics Canada Research Data Centre (RDC)

A partnership with Statistics Canada, supported through the York University Division of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and is a centre housed in the Institute for Social Research.

The York University Statistics Canada Research Data Centre (York RDC) provides social science, health, economics, business, and policy researchers access to analyze Statistics Canada’s master data sets. In the RDC’s secure environment researchers can access surveys in full detail, without the removal of geographic and other information required to protect respondent confidentiality in the public use data files.

The York RDC is a Branch of the Toronto Region RDC and is funded by the office of York University’s Vice President of Research and Innovation (VPRI), SSHRC, CIHR, and managed by York University’s Institute for Social Research.

The vRDC (virtual Research Data Centre) platform is in effect for the York RDC.

Data sets

The York RDC hosts the core RDC Program Data Sets. Please consult the RDC Program’s Application process and guidelines page for more information about submitting a proposal. York University researchers can check York University Libraries Data and Statistics web site to ensure that data needs cannot be met using Statistics Canada’s publicly available microdata provided through the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI).

How to apply

Research at the RDC requires acceptance of a proposal submitted to both SSHRC and Statistics Canada. For details, consult application process and guidelines.

General Inquiries:
York University RDC
York Lanes 282
Email: statcan.york_rdc-york_cdr.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

Website: https://www.yorku.ca/research/isr/centres/statistics-canada-research-data-centre/

York University RDC Personnel

Professor Ben Sand
Academic Director
bmsand@yorku.ca

Hugh McCague
Statistical Consultant
hmccague@yorku.ca

Statistics Canada Analysts

Jing Liang
RDC Analyst 
statcan.york_rdc-york_cdr.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

Sara Bimo
RDC Assistant Analyst
statcan.york_rdc-york_cdr.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

Notices

December 18, 2025:

Hello Researchers,

The York RDC will be closed starting Tuesday, December 23rd and will re-open on Monday January 5th. Please also note the message from CRDCN IT (from December 5, 2025 below).

Happy Holidays!

York RDC staff

December 16, 2025:

RDC Information Slides for Teaching and Outreach

December 5, 2025:

Dear Researchers, 

Please be advised that we will not be responding to service requests about the vRDC from December 18, 2025, to January 5, 2026. This means that no technical support will be provided for the vRDC system during this time period. 

You may continue to use the vRDC during this period. However, please note that if you encounter issues, or if the system experiences an outage, we will not be able to address these until service resumes in January. You may still submit an SR ticket if you encounter any issues.  

We appreciate your understanding and wish you all a restful holiday period. 

If you have any questions for the technical team, please reach out well in advance of the above date. 

Thank you, 
The CRDCN IT Team 

September 12, 2025:

Important Reminder: vRDC Remote-Access Requirements and ArcGIS Update

July 17, 2025:

From the vRDC Team:
 
We’re pleased to let you know that vRDC services have now been fully restored, and you may resume your work on the platform. Thank you again for your continued patience and understanding during this extended maintenance period.
 
Complex systems like the vRDC require ongoing maintenance and updates, and we aim to disrupt you as little as possible. On a positive note, you can also play a role in making data restoration processes faster and reducing downtime, by keeping your filenames short, reducing the number of nested folders you create and generally deleting any files you no longer need. Long character strings in filenames, deeply nested folders and overall data volume all affect data transfer times, and with c. 2,500 researchers across the CRDCN network, this adds up! We will aim to release guidelines about this in the coming months, but suffice to say that small practices like regular file-clean up will have a significantly positive impact.
 
We appreciate your partnership and understanding, and as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or feedback.
 

Hours

Monday 9:00am to 5:00pm (except closed Dec. 23, 2025 through Jan. 4, 2026)
Tuesday 9:00am to 5:00pm (except closed Dec. 23, 2025 through Jan. 4, 2026)
Wednesday 9:00am to 5:00pm (except closed Dec. 23, 2025 through Jan. 4, 2026)
Thursday 9:00am to 5:00pm (except closed Dec. 23, 2025 through Jan. 4, 2026)
Friday Closed
Saturday and Sunday Closed

Location

Getting to the York RDC
The secure data area of the York RDC is located in Room 282, on the 2nd floor of York Lanes building, located on the campus of York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3. York University Keele campus map

Directions to the Keele campus.

Parking
York University Parking Services provides complete information on the availability of visitor parking and the acquisition of parking permits

Accessibility
The second floor of York Lanes is accessible by elevator.

The York RDC houses one accessible workstation with a height adjustable work surface. An accessible restroom is located close to the facility.

Upcoming Events and Newsletters

25th Anniversary of the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN): 2000-2025

Data Dispatch Newsletter, October 2025

Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) Newsletters

New Datasets and Updates to Earlier Datasets

October 10, 2024:
A number of new datasets/updates to existing datasets have recently become available for researchers with approved projects. A brief description is given below for your perusal. Researchers interested in gaining access can get in touch with us for more information. 

The following new datasets, linkages and updates are now available and can be accessed by researchers with approved projects:

Education and Labour

  1. National Graduates Survey (NGS) 2023 (class of 2020)
  2. Ontario Grade 9-12 (ON 9-12) education and administrative files from the Ontario Ministry of Education via Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP)
  3. PSIS 2020/2021 and RAIS 2021 to Census 2021
  4. Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) 2021 data linkages to T1FF, Census 2021, Census 2016, LAD 2021

Business/Economic

  1. Annual Survey of Manufacturing and Logging Industries (ASML) 2022
  2. Business Research Microdata (BRM) 2000 – 2021
  3. Consumer Price Index (CPI_AllYears)

Social/Demographic

  1. General Social Survey (GSS) Cycle 37 - Time Use Survey 2022
  2. Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) - 2022 
  3. Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) 2022
  4. Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) data linked to the Census of Population (CEN) 2016, 2021
  5. Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) 2020

Health

  1. Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY) 2023
  2. National Cannabis Survey (NCS) 2023
  3. Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2022
  4. Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (MHACS)
  5. Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component (Cycle 2014 to 2020) (CCHS) linked to Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD), Hospital Mental Health Database (HMHDB), Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), T1 Family File (T1FF)

Other

  1. Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) 2022
  2. Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP) 2022
  3. Integrated Criminal Court Survey (ICCS) All Years