Have you ever noticed how little the census makes sense?
Statscan released more of the population results from the 2006 sensus this month. I know several people who have worked enumerators in rural areas of BC. They have to travel four hours down a 4x4 gravel road to count one aging hippy.
Enumerators are told by StatsCan to report anyone that won't fill out the form because it is a federal offense to avoid the Census.
When the enumerators find someone way back in the mountians, and the person says he has been living back there for 40 years and he doesn't want to be counted, they are supposed to report this offense. The enumerators I have talked to say they don't bother reporting the one or two people that say they don't want "Big Brother" intruding on them.
Contrast that with my personal experience living in Vancouver. When I heard on the news last summer that all census forms must be submitted the next day. I didn't even know the census was happening because I didn't get an enumerator come to my door. In the big cities they just mail out the forms. My curiosity got the better of me, and I phoned statscan to tell them I wasn't counted. After giving them my address, they tell me I was counted.
So, I told them that WE live in the basement, and the statcan lady on the phone gives me a user name and password so I can fill out the form online. I inquired again just to make sure it would be the right form by letting her know there was more than one of us living in the basement suite.
After being reassured that this form will cover everyone in the house, I get on the computer and enter in the info. All it asks for is my name and Social Insurance Number, then thanks me for my time - game over. There was nowhere to enter in the number of people living in the basement. I got the sense they didn't really care if I was counted or if the info was correct. They didn't seem to care they missed 4 other people living with me. hmmm.
No wonder BC had the lowest Census return rate in the country!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
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