Today’s maps visualizes population density in Halifax Regional Municipality as recorded in the 2006 Census of Canada.  This map demonstrates the clear urban-rural split in Halifax since the majority of census tracts outside of Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford/Sackville have a population density of less than 500 people per square kilometre:

Until you zoom into Halifax’s urban core, all of HRM appears to be washed out in a dull blue-white haze.  By zooming down toward Halifax Harbour, however, we begin to see definite density patterns that run along major transportation corridors.  In Dartmouth, high population numbers track along Main Street until it meets the Forest Hills Parkway, where the numbers begin to dwindle as suburban HRM turns into rural countryside.  The same can be said of Highway 102 through Bedford and of Highway 101 at “the Sackvilles”: the population is situated very close to the highways, creeping out from the centre.  Even west of the peninsula, the only census tract with a population density greater than 500 people per kilometre is in Timberlea, along Highway 103.

As with other mapped projections of census tract data for Halifax, the usual caveats apply.  Keep in mind that we’re examining population figures for a part of Canada where tract configurations vary wildly.  Some tracts are only 5 square kilometres while others are over 1000 square kilometres; populations range from the hundreds to the thousands.  With this in mind, it is best to compare tract density figures only to their surrounding tracts, or to other tracts of a similar size.

Base Statistics:

• Population of Nova Scotia, 2006: 913,462
• Total Area of Nova Scotia, 2006: 52917.4571 square KM
  • Population Density: 17.3

• Population of Halifax, 2006: 372,858
• Total Area of Halifax, 2006: 5,495.6192 square KM
  • Population Density: 67.8

Somewhat tangential to recent discussions on internet filtering is the news circulating that the current Australian government has proposed a nation-wide Internet filtering system. All ISPs will be forced to work with the system, and there will be no absolute opt-out. As the Infoworld article notes, consumers and clients can choose whether they want to filter all illegal material, or just filer out content which might be inappropriate for children; they will not be able to turn the filtering system off.

This system would be created and maintained by the Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which I presume to be an arms-length government agency, perhaps similar to the CRTC here in Canada.

Interestingly, when I think of nation-wide filtering systems, my mind immediately drifts to the government control of Internet content and access in China, a “totalitarian”, “communist” state. But here we have a proposal for the same from a “western”, “democratic” state, a state that has often fought on the side of “freedom” in the past couple years, too.

Other reports of this news can be found at Intergovworld.com, Broadbandreports.com, and itwire.com. A simple Google News search for “Australia Internet Filtering” will provide several hits to consider.

(n.b. I don’t doubt that China has some modified form of Communist government. I’m only making note of the gravitas of the words we use to describe both ourselves and the other at the national level.)