The Community Social Data Strategy (CSDS) is a national consortium of local data user networks that provides a gateway through which municipalities and community-based organizations access social data from Statistics Canada and other sources. Under the leadership of the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), the CSDS obtains and disseminates a wide variety of social data at a preferred rate, allowing CSDS partners to share the costs and benefits of this vital information. The consortium also works to enhance the capacity of local social/community organizations to access and use these data effectively. Better understanding of community social and economic trends serves to improve local policy and program development. A critical authoritative voice on Canadian social and economic welfare, the Canadian Council on Social Development is a non-profit organization committed to developing and promoting progressive social policies, inspired by justice, equality and fairness, for the empowerment of individuals and communities. Established in 1920, the Council uses research to create and disseminate knowledge, foster productive policy dialogue and broker creative inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral partnerships. With strong community roots and extensive networks, that include its 600 members, government, academia, labour, community organizations, social planning councils, foundations, and private corporations, CCSD has striven to facilitate and expand community access to social and economic data across the country. In 2001, working in partnership with Statistics Canada and with financial support from the Government of Canada Social Development Partnerships Program, the Council spearheaded creation of the CSDS. Several key events led to its development. First, a number of municipalities and community-based organizations were eager to become involved in the CCSD’s 2000 Urban Poverty Report project, which would give them to access to cost-effective data and research and enable them to build their own capacity to use them productively. Subsequently, inspired by the success of the Urban Poverty Project (UPP), other municipalities, voluntary sector organizations and community-based groups came together to discuss the difficulties associated with accessing timely local-level data. In addition to the significant costs of purchasing the data, they also identified both a lack of knowledge about which data were available and a lack of community capacity to use these data in their research and analyses. Clearly there was a need for an initiative like the CSDS. The CSDS now includes 16 local consortia, representing over 50 Canadian municipalities and 100 plus community organizations. There is a local CSDS consortium in each of Canada’s seven largest cities, whose membership includes, in addition to the municipality, a number of other governmental and non-governmental community organizations, such as social planning networks, health and family service agencies, school boards, United Ways and police services. In monetary terms, the CSDS has facilitated local community access to over $1 million worth of data. Moreover, it has given communities new knowledge and tools and a greater capacity to respond to local needs. By functioning as a venue for learning and sharing knowledge, the CSDS provides much needed infrastructure for local (and national) collaboration and innovation. Statistics Canada has been a key partner of the Canadian Council on Social Development in the CSDS initiative since its inception. As the country’s central statistical agency, Statistics Canada carries out the federal government’s responsibility (Constitution Act 1867, s. 90) for conducting the Census and collecting ‘statistics’ on Canada’s population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Information from Statistics Canada influences everything from government policies, to the location of schools and corner stores, to investment patterns of the financial sector. A copy of the 2006 CSDS Package Reference Guide can be found here.