The Rocky View County (RVC) census is entering the final stretch, and Deputy Municipal Clerk Charlotte Satink said enumerators are working hard to count every resident. “RVC is huge,” she said. “We’ve got some urban settings such as the Langdon area where they can walk the doors a little bit easier. But then we’ve got the broad spectrum of the rural area, so it takes them longer to get from one home to another. But they’re going hard and we’re encouraging them and we check in with them weekly.” The census was originally scheduled to finish June 1, but has been extended to June 11 at 9:00 p.m. to ensure maximum participation. Satink said this year’s census – the first since 2013 – is going well. As of May 31, nearly 28,000 county residents had completed the census. “The overall completion rate is 69 per cent, with the online completion being 48,” she said. “We’re really excited about those high numbers, but we’re also excited to get them higher.” According to Satink, RVC’s goal was to have 50 per cent of the population complete the census online. She encourages anyone that has yet to complete the census to do so online by visiting, censusalberta.ca/rockyviewcounty, as she said that is the most efficient and cost-effective way to be counted. County residents were mailed online access codes April 27. Satink said the County is doing all it can to assist residents in completing the census. As an example, she said the County will help residents who have misplaced their online access codes by allowing the resident to complete the census over the phone. “We’ll confirm some information from you over the phone – your municipal address – and we can then ask the questions over the phone and enter them right then and there,” she said. “(It takes) literally 30 seconds.” Early birds that filled out the census had an opportunity to win gift cards to CrossIron Mills mall. Satink said that draw is now closed, but offered another incentive. “Census information is vital for the County to secure Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grants,” Satink said. “That’s all based on population, so we really need to get an accurate count.” MIS funds go towards funding programs and capital projects for communities around RVC. By filling out the census, Satink said, residents have a chance to help secure money for the needs of the community. Ultimately, Satink said filling out the census is a very quick process. The five questions – the number and age of residents at an address, their employment status, where they work and whether they’ve received $10,000 or more in gross income from the sale of agriculture products in the previous year – takes approximately two minutes to answer. “We’re still aiming at the 100 per cent,” Satink said. “We’re not giving up, we’re encouraging all residents to go on and complete their census.”
