Statistics Canada to detail first findings from last year’s pandemic census

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is scheduled this morning to release the first set of findings from last year’s census taken against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s release will detail the population count on census day last year, outlining how quickly the population grew over the preceding five years and where that growth took place.

There will also be details on the population of the country’s downtown cores and rural regions, as well as dwelling counts.

The census provides the most detailed portrait of the Canadian population that is used by governments to plan for new schools, roads and hospitals, and also for calculating federal transfers to provinces to cover health-care costs.

Statistics Canada plans to add more flourishes to the paint-by-numbers exercise as the year rolls on to reveal more information about how the country has aged, changes among Indigenous populations, and working during the pandemic.

The pandemic is expected to have an effect on census results, although experts suggest the country may have to wait a few years to learn whether COVID-19 caused a permanent or temporary shift in the portrait of the population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2022.

The Canadian Press