Banff is conducting a municipal census this year.
The official census date is June 16, but the census will be conducted from April 1 to July 31, an extension of the June 30 collection deadline, so the municipality can take advantage of when the townsite experiences the biggest influx of temporary residents.
Officials say the count provides the basis for calculating per capital provincial grants for municipalities and can also provide the Town with information to aid in the development of future plans, policies and programs.
They say the province allows them to count the town’s so-called shadow population – temporary residents who are employed by an industrial or commercial establishment for a minimum of 30 days within the municipal census year.
“Past census results have indicated that the shadow population in Banff forms a key part of our resident workforce,” said Tara Johnston-Lee, the Town of Banff’s municipal clerk in a report to council.
In the 2007 municipal census, Banff’s shadow population was determined to be 1,284 people, while in 2011, 993 residents of the official population of 8,244 residents were temporary residents.
To improve resident participation in this year’s municipal census, administration is using the City of Airdrie’s census software program, which allows for online census responses in co-ordination with traditional door-to-door enumerations.
“Residents will have the option of completing the census online at their convenience using a secure census portal,” said Johnston-Lee. “Residents who choose not to complete the census only will be surveyed by enumerators using a paper form.”
