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Census expected to cost $660, says Statistics Canada |
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This year’s census and the controversial voluntary household survey accompanying it are expected to cost a total of $660-million from planning and preparation to end stages in 2015, Statistics Canada says.
By Tim Naumetz
PARLIAMENT HILL—This year’s census and the controversial voluntary household survey accompanying it are expected to cost a total of $660-million from planning and preparation to end stages in 2015, Statistics Canada says.
But the agency declined to provide The Hill Times with an exact comparison to the cost of the last census in 2006, following the uproar last year over the Harper government’s decision to cancel the mandatory long-form version of the census and replace it with the voluntary survey.
Despite the limited response, the figures Statistics Canada provided suggest the census this year will cost nearly $50-million more than in 2006, even when both years are expressed in 2010 dollars.
A breakdown of costs the agency provided The Hill Times, however, included a “contingency fund” of $30-million to ensure “adequate response levels” are met, primarily for the remaining mandatory census, out of concern citizens will be confused over which form the must fill out, facing penalties if they don’t, and the voluntary longer survey.
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Census FAQ |
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Short-form census stays |
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By Steven Chase - Globe and Mail
The Harper government is pouring cold water on a Conservative MP’s suggestion that this year’s short-form census might be the last one Canadians are ever required to complete.
The Tories faced a backlash from researchers, economists and business groups in 2010 when they converted the longer, 50-plus-question version of the census to a voluntary survey. The mandatory long form used to go to one-fifth of Canadian households.
All households must still fill out the short-form census, which contains 10 questions seeking basic information from birth dates to languages spoken.
St. Catharines, Ont., Conservative MP Rick Dykstra revived the census controversy on Thursday after he told his local paper that the Conservatives would make the short-form optional, too.
“We’ve already changed the long-form census so that it is not mandatory, and that is, frankly, the road we are going with the short-form census as well,” Mr. Dykstra told The Standard in St. Catharines. “I frankly don’t think this is the sort of thing a person should be penalized to do.”
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Internet abuzz with tweets about mandatory census |
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CTV.ca News Staff
Checked your mailbox this week?
The 2011 census package began arriving in mailboxes across the country this week. But it's the six little words on the front of the envelope that are irritating some Canadians.
"Complete the census -- it's the law" read the words.
Following the census flap last year, many Canadians appear to be under the mistaken impression that the census is no longer mandatory.
In fact, the Conservative government scrapped the mandatory long-form census, but the short form, which collects basic demographic information, is still mandatory.
It seems that many Canadians aren't pleased, taking to the Web to express irritation.
One reader in Manitoba wrote into CTV.ca to say, "Completing census forms should be voluntary, not threathening us that it's compulsory 'by law'. This is another gov't invasion of my privacy - the gov't already has all the information; doesn't have to snoop for more ... Disgusted!"
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StatsCan hopes to avoid census confusion as forms arrive |
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BY SHANNON PROUDFOOT, POSTMEDIA NEWS - May 5th, 2011
Census forms have dropped into mailboxes across Canada in advance of collection day on May 10. But after months of controversy, Statistics Canada is grappling with how to explain the process to citizens and convince them to participate.
Given the heated debate over the government's changes to the census, the agency anticipated some public confusion around the questionnaires, said census manager Marc Hamel.
Yet at this early stage, things are going smoothly.
"I think everyone understands that we're doing it the way we're doing it in 2011, so we have to do the best we can to make it a success," he said. "If there is going to be some confusion, we might only see it later on."
The mail-out of more than 12 million census packages began Tuesday, he said, while Statistics Canada hand-delivers forms where Canada Post doesn't provide direct delivery.
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