Media Releases

May proclaimed Census Month in the Town of Amherst

The month of May has been proclaimed 2021 Census Month in the Town of Amherst.

“The Canadian census is critical to decision makers and Canadians from coast to coast,” Mayor David Kogon said on Friday, April 30, 2021, as he signed the proclamation on behalf of the Amherst town council.

 The mayor noted the census data is vital for planning schools, hospitals, daycare centres, family services and skills training for employment.

“The data also supports numerous municipal programs related to infrastructure and public transportation and is used to measure Canada’s sustainable development and environmental goals,” Kogon said.

“I encourage all Amherst residents to complete their census questionnaire online at www.census.gc.ca because accurate and complete census data support programs and services that benefit our community.”

Carried out by Statistics Canada, the census will begin on Monday, May 3, 2021, and run for the entire month of May. According to the Statistic Canada census website, people will receive a letter in May that will contain a secure access code that will be used as the password to access the online questionnaire.

The same site notes the first census taken in what would eventually become Canada was taken in 1666 by Jean Talon, the Intendant of New France. He went door to door recording the names, genders, ages and occupation of the population.

The first Canadian national census occurred in 1871, four years after Confederation. It only included the four original provinces – Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – even though Manitoba and British Columbia were also part of Confederation by this date.

The first steps towards the modern census, which is carried out every five years, was taken in 1971 when the agency responsible for the census was renamed to Statistics Canada from the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. The year also marked the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian National Census.

The site also notes the 2021 census will be the first to take place during a pandemic. As a result, a number of changes have been made including physically distanced enumeration and enabling everyone to complete the census questionnaire online.

More information on the census can be found at: https://census.gc.ca/index-eng.htm.