What you need to know about Calgary’s new online census

WATCH ABOVE: Paul Denys joins Global Calgary with details on the City of Calgary’s new online census form April 1, 2015.

CALGARY – For the first time, Calgarians will be able to complete the census online starting April 1, 2015.

Leader of Election and Census Paul Denys said planning for the new tool started in June 2014, and has undergone extensive testing.

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Residents will receive a postcard in the mail, which will include an access code under the bottom flap. That access code should be entered at Calgary.ca/census which will provide questions to complete.

The online portion is open from Wednesday, April 1 until April 24, after which results will be tallied so that census officials know which households they still need to visit. As of May 1, the census takers will go door knocking for the remaining residents.

The city relies on the information gathered for a variety of planning processes, including transit and water services as well as things like how many children’s books to stock in libraries.

“Without this information, we would basically be making certain decisions blind,” said Denys.

“The fact that Calgary has collected the census yearly since 1950 gives us some amazing information that we can rely on.”

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