The online annual census begins April 1, and Calgarians are being told to watch their mailboxes for their access codes.
Residents are encouraged to complete the census online, and complete their voter registration for the 2017 municipal election while they’re there.
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Access codes are being mailed out Friday to all households in the city, according to Paul Denys, manager of elections and census for the City of Calgary.
The municipal census is different from the federal one in that it’s a count of homes in the city, Denys said, and features questions about school boards and school enrollment.
Denys said the census information is important for more than just the October 16 election — Denys said it also helps city planners and engineers make decisions about the future of the city, like infrastructure and stats on which parts of the city are growing and which parts are seeing a decline.
Residents have until April 21 to complete the census online, which Denys said should only take a couple minutes, including the voter registration.
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If Calgarians haven’t done so by the deadline, census takers will be going door-to-door to help the outstanding ones get completed.
Even if you complete your census online, you still may get a knock on your door, as Denys said census takers still may do “quality control checks” to ensure you are who you say you are on your census.
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Denys said census takers will be easily identifiable, with an ID badge and a tablet computer for taking information. He said if anyone is unsure if the person at their door is an official census taker, they should contact the census office.
“The civic census in Calgary has a 97-per-cent completion rate, which is extremely high,” Denys said.
“We have very civic-minded people in Calgary who feel that this data is important to share with us.”
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Calgary is the only city of its size in the province to hold a yearly municipal census, and it’s been happening since 1958.
Completing the municipal census is not legally required, but a civic duty the city encourages everyone to exercise.
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