Census return good news for city planning: Gale

THUNDER BAY – Census data plays an important role in helping municipalities plan on how best to deliver city services.

Statistics Canada began sending out 2016 Census forms to households across the country earlier this week for the regular five-year population count.

City manager Norm Gale said that information is valuable to multiple levels of government.

“Census data helps us plan things like parks, to plan things like where certain city services go and how certain city services are deployed,” Gale said on Wednesday.

“There’s a myriad of services that require good data for planning.”

Gale used the example of locating a park with playground equipment in an area with young families and children to get the great utilization as an example of where that data becomes useful.

It also identifies different needs based on demographic information such as socioeconomic status as well as education and income levels.

During his time as chief of Superior North EMS, Gale noticed how census data affects emergency services.

“While the population is not increasing per say, demand for EMS is increasing substantially. One of the drivers of that is an aging population,” he said. “As you age you require health care more. Using that data and looking at percentiles we can plan into the future for demand for EMS.”

This year will mark the reinstatement of the long-form census, which was cancelled prior to the 2011 census. About 25 per cent of households will receive the longer version, which they are required to complete.

People have the option of completing their form online this year.

Census Day is officially May 10.