Calgary city council to consider reintroducing civic census

Four years after funding for a civic census was eliminated, Calgary city council will discuss reintroducing it later this month.

Councillors voted unanimously at an executive committee on Wednesday to bring a report from administration to council about reinstating the municipal census. The plan would see the census sent out every two years, beginning in 2027.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the city has learned in the past few years that there are questions it can't properly answer without the data it receives from its own civic census. She noted the decision to cut the practice four years ago wasn't a good idea.

"To make important decisions for Calgarians, we have to invest in the tools that allow us to understand how our city is growing, where it's growing and what type of investments we need to make on behalf of Calgarians," Gondek said.

City council will vote later this month on reintroducing the census.

A municipal census hasn't been sent out to Calgarians since 2019. The practice was abandoned when its funding was removed as a cost-cutting measure in 2020. Since then, the city has relied on population data it receives from the federal census, which is sent out every five years.

Gondek said Calgary shouldn't be at the mercy of other orders of government, such as the federal government with its census, to fully understand how the city is growing and where investments are needed. The report on reintroducing the census recommends more regular updates on Calgary's population growth that would be gathered from a biennial municipal count.

City administration found a need for the census, especially because of the rapid growth the city is undergoing.

Statistics Canada estimates earlier this year showed that Calgary's metro population grew by nearly 96,000 people last year, a six per cent increase in just 12 months. The rise marks the largest year-over-year increase for Calgary in modern Statistics Canada records, dating back to 2001. The most recent federal census was 2021. Its next iteration in 2026 will arrive after years of rapid growth.

In the past, along with being a basic head count of Calgary's population, the census has gathered information on residents' age, gender, school division and whether they rent or own their home.

The data is used to inform planning for roads, transit, recreation and water services. The city's report noted that detailed demographic data can be used to support how social and recreational services are provided around the city, and where these efforts need to be directed.

City administration has presented council with three options to start and run the municipal census. Its preferred plan is a contractor-supported census that would cost approximately $10.7 million to start up and then run in 2027 and 2029. The other options on the table include an internally-developed census that uses existing licensed software, or a census that's designed and run entirely in-house, which would cost approximately $12.9 million for the same time period.

The contractor-supported option is preferred because it would save costs up front and require a smaller permanent team to run the census, while using outside expertise and software.

Coun. Terry Wong said the practice is well worth the cost, adding he's been asking about reintroducing the census since he joined council in 2021.

"It's like saying would you be able to drive down from here to Banff, not looking at your gas gauge, knowing whether or not you have the capacity to do it," said the Ward 7 representative. "That's the same thing we need to know is do we have the capacity to get us from point A to point B, serving the number of constituents we want, and at the same time providing safe and reliable infrastructure. It's a no-brainer that we need the data."

Wong said that given the unanimous vote on Wednesday at the executive committee meeting, he expects council to support the plan when it's debated there.