Overview
- Statistics Canada, which set Tuesday as Census Day, says the date is a reference point for answers rather than a filing deadline and reports early response on pace with prior cycles.
- Households that have not replied will get reminder letters in mid-May, with phone or in-person follow-ups starting in early June and a final notice in mid-July outlining the legal duty to respond.
- The census is mandatory under the Statistics Act, with fines up to $500 for failing to complete it and up to $1,000 for refusing records, and jail was removed as a penalty in 2017.
- A visible minority is posting refusals and return-to-sender envelopes online, and MP Mark Gerretsen is urging participation to prevent undercounts that can cut funding for clinics, schools and transit.
- About three quarters of households received a short form and one quarter a detailed long form that adds questions on homelessness, health and sexual orientation, and commuting-time answers help planners design bus routes and roads.