Statistics Canada thanks all Canadians who have completed their 2021 Census to date. Millions of households have responded to the questionnaires safely online, on paper or over the phone. Where needed, some visits were carried out to drop off invitation letters, and enumerators adhered to strict health and safety protocols.
In late May, Statistics Canada enumerators will begin follow-ups with dwellings from which completed questionnaires have not yet been received. Every attempt will be made by Statistics Canada employees to reach households by phone before enumerators conduct in-person visits to remind residents to complete the census and offer assistance.
Enumerators visiting dwellings will follow a new no-contact protocol. Under this protocol, no interviews will be conducted inside the respondent’s dwelling and no census employee from Statistics Canada is permitted to visit or enter institutional collective dwellings, especially the dwellings housing residents who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, such as seniors’ residences. In accordance with guidelines from public health authorities, interviews will be outdoors and physically distanced and census employees will be required to wear masks, and hand sanitizer will also be provided to employees so they may frequently disinfect their hands.
It’s not too late for households to make their census contact-free by completing it online, on paper or over the phone. Households can still contact the Census Help Line at 1-855-340-2021 to request a secure access code or at 1-877-885-2021 to receive a paper questionnaire. Answers to many questions are also available on the census website at www.census.gc.ca.
Information from the census ensures that communities have the information they need to plan services that support employment, schools, public transit and hospitals. Millions of Canadians have counted themselves in already—have you?