The City of Chestermere is preparing to tally up residents with the 2016 municipal census May 2 to June 17.
Chestermere has seen a population growth rate of 29.5 per cent since 2010, according to the City. Megan Matthies, communication strategist for the City, said it is not only important to have the most up-to-date data and statistics to plan for City services like roads and recreation, but also to maximize grant opportunities from the provincial government.
“Because the city grows so quickly, it’s important we have as up-to-date information as we can to get the maximum amount of funding available,” she said.
A census letter containing a unique pin used for the online census will be delivered to residents in the first two weeks of May, according to Matthies.
Going into its fourth year offering the census online, Matthies said the simple online method has gained favour among the community, with a participation rate at 52 per cent of the 95 per cent overall completion rate.
“(Online) is fantastic and really easy to do,” Matthies said. “We work really hard to cover as much of the population as we can.”
According to the City’s website, Chestermere has experienced growth almost every year since 1985 when it had a humble population of 424 residents to the 18,496 recorded in the 2015 municipal census.
“We have grown every year for a very, very long time,” she said. “We are anticipating some growth.”
Matthies said the municipal census in 2016 aligns with a federal census but said she hopes everyone will take the time to answer the City’s five short questions.
She added the problem with waiting for the results of the federal census is that results don’t come out until next year. By then, it would be too late to qualify for Provincial grant funding in 2016.
“It would obviously be preferable if we could combine them, but we do have to do it separately,” Matthies said.
Census takers will be going door-to-door May 16 to June 13 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. to try to reach those households that have not completed the census online.
“It is really important to complete it and it is really quick,” she said. “It only takes a minute or two and we do hope residents will complete it as soon as possible.”
