How to use

  • Select Canada or any of the province/territory.
  • Click the Download button.
  • Locate the file on your computer and drag that file over the Quick Import section on the mapshaper pane below. If you dropped the file in the first section, click the Import button.
  • Click on Basemap. Select any of the two choices. Close the small window.
  • Select the icon of the right side.
  • You can now mouse-over on any polygons to view its information, the name of the area is under CDSNAME in the left window.

How to get the KML data

  • The original file is located on Statistics Cannada - 2021 Census – Boundary files [Link].
  • Boundary files options
    • Language: English
    • Type: Cartographic Boundary Files (CBF)
    • Administrative boundaries: Census subdivisions
    • Format: Geopraphy Markup Language (.gml)
  • After pressing Continue, you should be able to download the file lcd_000b21g_e.zip. Download it.
  • Extract the .zip file, you will get a .gml file.

  • We convert the .gml file to a .kml file using MyGeodata Converter [Link]. It is not a free service.
  • Backup the .kml file in Prosomo's Google Drive.
  • The file will contain all the provinces and territories.
  • The file is massive, so we will reduce the amounts of coordinates so it will be faster.

  • We will use mapshaper [Link]
    • Install node.js [Link] on your computer.
    • Install mapshaper by folowing the instruction on GitHub.
    • Use this command line to reduce the file to 6%.
      mapshaper-xl lcd_000b21g_e.kml -simplify dp 6% -o precision=0.00001 lcd_000b21g_e_reduced.kml.
  • You can now seperate the file into provinces and territories.
    • Every <Placemark> has a PRUID <SimpleData name="PRUID">10</SimpleData>, here is the list of the PRUID codes:
      • 10 - NL
      • 11 - PE
      • 12 - NS
      • 13 - NB
      • 24 - QC
      • 35 - ON
      • 46 - MB
      • 47 - SK
      • 48 - AB
      • 59 - BC
      • 60 - YT
      • 61 - NT
      • 62 - NU