Census results help determine town budgeting

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

The recently conducted municipal census stated Strathmore’s population has declined approximately two per cent from a federal census conducted in 2016.
The census, conducted during the months of April, May and June by online questions and door-to-door enumeration, acknowledged that Strathmore’s total population is at 13,528 – a growth of 1.51 per cent from the 2015 municipal census, but a decrease from federal census numbers presented in 2016.
Indicated response rate for the census was 98 per cent. A lack of participation by 129 households, or two per cent, who chose not to participate in the non-mandatory census is speculated to be the cause for the total current population number to be lower than that in 2016.
“This is very important to get out to our public,” said Lorraine Bauer, Town of Strathmore’s deputy mayor, at the Sept. 5 council meeting. “We would like to have more involvement from our community because it does impact how we designate our money, which is their tax dollars.”
The total dwelling count for 2018, including vacant, bare land and under-construction properties, is 5,989 dwellings, a growth of 0.98 per cent from 2015. Population and dwelling statistics included population distribution by community, population growth between 2001 and 2018, tenancy status of dwelling units, vacancy rate by community, age bands by gender, age distribution by community and residency status.
Employment and education statistics presented to council included highest level of education –19.09 per cent of Strathmore’s surveyed population have a high school diploma and 14.24 per cent hold a college or other none university certificate or diploma, 3.77 per cent of the population are currently in high school and 2,905 people preferred not to answer.
Other statistics included total household income where it was made clear that 507 households made under $39,999 per year while 2,403 households preferred not to answer.
“I notice a really high number of ‘prefer not to answer’ in a lot of these different questions,” noted Bauer. “This demographic information is really important when we are budgeting and visiting a lot of our strategic priorities. Is it helpful if we re-word the beginning of the census to let people know this information is so critical to how we function as a municipality?”
According to Jennifer Sawatzky, Town of Strathmore’s manager of legislative services, said when the census was rolled, out the town tried to fully inform the public as to why they needed to collect the information they were collecting. She said in the future even more public education about how the town uses the information could be important, and the difference between receiving more census questions answered specifically.
“That said, it is not a mandatory census and it is completely voluntary … the federal census is a mandatory census where a municipal census is not,” said Sawatzky.