A SPTC member of some years, who works at Statistics Canada, has requested that the club executive contact members to remind them, if they have not already done so, to fill out the 2011 Canada Census form. Well, dear reader, the executive has demurred on sending out e-mails about the census. But your humble SPTC Website Coordinator does not mind writing this post, to satisfy the concern of our Stats Can member, and thereby, perhaps, to perform a small public service.
As many of you know, the census comes around every five years. It provides information on the population of Canada which, hopefully, will guide decision-makers of all kinds to the formation of policy and provision of services based on a shred or two of intelligence.
There has been controversy about this year’s census, having to do with a change in one aspect of the information-gathering. But the filling out of the census form remains an obligation for all residents of the country. There are actually penalties that can be brought against those who do not fill out the census questionnaire.
The information-gathering was supposed to have taken place in early May. The government has by now sent out reminders to households that have received census forms, and have not yet responded. According to the Stats Canada web site:
Households that don’t complete the forms by June can expect a more personal intervention. OOoooo!!!! (spooky music, knees trembling). Anyway folks, if you haven’t done it yet, now is the time.
I excerpt below a couple of paragraphs of a letter, found on the web, sent from Statistics Canada to someone who had asked about the penalty thing:
No person has ever been sentenced to jail for failing to complete the census. In the majority of cases referred to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the individual completed a census questionnaire. A very small number of individuals were fined.
The Statistics Act requires that each household is required to complete the census form it receives; they are mandatory. Specified within the Statistics Act are fines of up to $500 and/or a jail term of up to three months.
Below I copy excerpts from the message our SPTC member wished to e-mail to everyone:
…the census can be completed online at www.census2011.gc.ca by using a secure access code. It’s easy and secure. Or, they can complete a paper questionnaire.
Information on how to complete the census, including the secure access code, can be found in the yellow census package received by each household or by calling the Census Help Line at 1-877-777-2011.
Now, back to tennis….. Barbecue tonight (Tues)!
And if you could all take a few seconds to do a little chant to help ward off any rain Tuesday evening, that would be just fine.
