ATHABASCA - Statistics Canada is looking for a few good men and women — about 32,000 — to help complete the 2021 Census, coming up this spring.
If you are 18 years old or older, either a Canadian citizen or eligible to work in Canada, and can work between 20 and 40 hours per week, you are encouraged to apply for one of two positions — enumerator or crew leader.
“We got a letter from (Statistics Canada) — everyone did in my world — asking us to pass a motion encouraging people to fill out the census,” mayor Colleen Powell said in a Jan. 20 interview. “A lot of people think, ‘Well, what do they need that all that information for?’ Well, if you’re in my age group, knowing how many seniors there are in this country might be important in terms of pension.”
Powell noted it is important for the federal government to know how many people and what ages they are as a lot of funding, from roads and bridges to building recreational facilities, and providing other services, is tied, in part, to the population of an area. The information collected also aids in planning for schools, daycares, housing, hospitals, emergency services, public transportation and employment skills training.
On the Government of Canada website, it states that the census “paints a portrait of Canada’s population and the places where we live.”
An enumerator is a non-supervisory position working mostly evenings and weekends and depending on location pays between $17.93 and $29.25 per hour and requires going door-to-door to get addresses and drop off letters encouraging people to complete the census, following up and then shipping the finished questionnaires.
“Crew leaders work full-time and schedules vary, with most of the work being in the evening and on weekends,” the website states. “They are paid $21.77 per hour, plus eligible expenses. In select northern and remote communities, crew leaders are paid $31.25 per hour.”
Crew leaders train, lead and supervise up to 18 enumerators, monitor progress and productivity of the team, and also call and visit people to complete the census, and receives and ships questionnaires and other documents.
StatsCan recognizes it is endeavouring to conduct the census in them middle of a public health emergency and is encouraging citizens to go online to complete it when possible. Five years ago, the agency says 68 per cent of respondents did just that and is hoping to reach 80 per cent this year.
Different jobs vary as far as start and end dates, but will run between March and July. More information on the census and on how to apply be found on the Government of Canada website at census.gc.ca
