During Monday evening's city council meeting, it was announced that for the first time since 2019, the city will be conducting a census.

The long gap between censuses was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, starting on April 1 through May 18, residents of the city will be asked to provide:

  • The usual number of residents in the household.
  • The age and gender of each of the residents in the household.
  •  Whether the resident rents or owns the dwelling.
  • Households will also be asked whether or not they have a suite in their home to ensure each household is counted.

Every household in Airdrie will receive a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete the census online between April 1 and April 8.

 "A second door hanger will be delivered from April 14 to April 19 to the homes that have not completed their census online. During this time, residents will be encouraged to reply to the census questions online," a council agenda report that was presented to the council stated.

The city is encouraging residents to go the online route, noting that there are several advantages of completing the census online, including the fact that information is received instantaneously and there is no census taker visit required.

"The City also sees savings in the overall cost to administer the census, as a portion of a census taker’s remuneration is calculated on collecting responses in person for each dwelling that does not respond online."

From April 20 to May 18, a census taker will be visiting residences. 

"A census taker will follow up personally at residences for which responses have not been received to collect the information being asked in the census. The census takers will be collecting all information electronically through the use of an iPad and no paper forms will be used."

During the 2019 census, nearly three-quarters of residents responded online and the administration is predicting that this number will be even higher in 2023.

The population of Airdrie as of April 1, 2019, was 70,564 and reflected an increase of 3.63 per cent over 2018. It is estimated that Airdrie's current population is approximately 80,000 residents.

Other notable figures from the last city census saw that 30 per cent of the city's population was between the age of 0-19. 

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