Traditional census- do we still need them?

[JLM]

In this day and age of modern technology do we still need the census information to be gathered in the traditional manner of having thousands of "bean counters" going door to door ferreting out information that is otherwise available through government agencies such as the post office, revenue Canada, E.I., Canada Pension, Hydro authorities, mortgage companies, Healthcare etc. etc. A simple yes or no will suffice.

 

[TenPenny]

Yes.

 

[Chiliagon]

of course we do.

you can't rely on people to be able to remember to fill in some online form by a certain date.. People for the most part are incredibly unreliable! it's human nature.

you have to have people go door to door in order to get it done properly.

 

[VanIsle]

My city states that the census information is invaluable to them. They say they base nearly all city planning on the results of the census. It is felt that Nanaimo will grow by 50,000 people over the next ten years. The city is really upset that the way of taking census information (this is the second thread) will interfere with the way they handle that. For those of you who live in or have lived in the area, that population explosion includes the swallowing of places like Lantzville which we can all see is going to happen sooner rather than later. They don't have any water and for several years now, the town goes brown every summer because there is no watering at all allowed. They are looking at turning to Nanaimo for water and that is likely the first step toward amalgamation. I personally don't see us swallowing any other nearby towns but who knows what will happen ten years down the road.
I think it's been a very long time since anyone did a door to door census.

 

[JLM]

My city states that the census information is invaluable to them. They say they base nearly all city planning on the results of the census. It is felt that Nanaimo will grow by 50,000 people over the next ten years. The city is really upset that the way of taking census information (this is the second thread) will interfere with the way they handle that. For those of you who live in or have lived in the area, that population explosion includes the swallowing of places like Lantzville which we can all see is going to happen sooner rather than later. They don't have any water and for several years now, the town goes brown every summer because there is no watering at all allowed. They are looking at turning to Nanaimo for water and that is likely the first step toward amalgamation. I personally don't see us swallowing any other nearby towns but who knows what will happen ten years down the road.
I think it's been a very long time since anyone did a door to door census.

There is indeed no doubt that census information is valuable- the question here is how it is gathered. :smile::smile::smile:

 

[relic]

most certainly,like I said,anybody that doesn't agree is stunned! {or one of steves lackys}same thing.

 

[AnnaG]

I thought there already was a thread on censuses.

 

[VanIsle]

There is indeed no doubt that census information is valuable- the question here is how it is gathered. :smile::smile::smile:

You get a form in the mail. Some get the short form, some get the long form which is pages long. It wants to know lots more information than the short form. Mr. Harper is taking the long form away. It is against the law (or at least it was) to ignore the census. You have to respond and by a certain date. I know that years and years ago, my husband's brother-in-law got the long form. His salary was in the 6 figure range and the census asked for him to disclose his earnings. He was completely irate. We couldn't see the big deal. Revenue Canada knows anyway. I don't believe that any one anywhere would be given that personal information but rather a percentage of how many people work where and how many people earn a certain number of $ and probably the same with the rest of the info. like age, sex, and colour. We have always been lucky enough to receive the short form.

 

[JLM]

I thought there already was a thread on censuses.

There is, about the long form, but I just don't see the necessity for them period. Just more government red tape and squanderization of public money- there is not one thing about you or me that they don't already know unless you've been living in a cave and haven't made it to town yet. As a matter of fact they know sh*t about us that we don't even know about ourselves. :lol::lol::lol:

You get a form in the mail. Some get the short form, some get the long form which is pages long. It wants to know lots more information than the short form. Mr. Harper is taking the long form away. It is against the law (or at least it was) to ignore the census. You have to respond and by a certain date. I know that years and years ago, my husband's brother-in-law got the long form. His salary was in the 6 figure range and the census asked for him to disclose his earnings. He was completely irate. We couldn't see the big deal. Revenue Canada knows anyway. I don't believe that any one anywhere would be given that personal information but rather a percentage of how many people work where and how many people earn a certain number of $ and probably the same with the rest of the info. like age, sex, and colour. We have always been lucky enough to receive the short form.

Exactly- that's why it's so idiotic. :smile::smile:

 

[AnnaG]

So that necessitated the need for yet one more thread about them?

 

[JLM]

So that necessitated the need for yet one more thread about them?

Yep, to ensure people don't wander "off topic". :smile:

 

[Tonington]

There is indeed no doubt that census information is valuable- the question here is how it is gathered. :smile::smile::smile:

I thought your question was "do we need them?"

...

 

[JLM]

So that necessitated the need for yet one more thread about them?

Actually Anna. I just made a quick comparison of the two threads, there is a big difference in the opening posts. One is short, precise and doesn't assume an opinion, the other is long and rambling (which puts a lot of readers off) and does assume an opinion. I like to hear what people think without being prodded.

 

[Tonington]

Apparently the art of penning one's thoughts in words, ie essays is out of favour these days.

I assume all news will be delivered in Tweets from now one, devoid of all context and supporting information...

This is a forum JLM. Opinion is what drives the content here...I prefer informed opinion.

 

[JLM]

I thought your question was "do we need them?"

...

Absolutely- in the current form and by the current process. :smile:

 

[Tonington]

Then yes. We have no replacement for them. And yes, it is the minimally biased method for gathering population data.

 

[JLM]

Apparently the art of penning one's thoughts in words, ie essays is out of favour these days.

I assume all news will be delivered in Tweets from now one, devoid of all context and supporting information...

This is a forum JLM. Opinion is what drives the content here...I prefer informed opinion.

I do too, but each person probably has a different opinion about what constitutes "informed"...................some have total faith in a Ouija board. :smile::smile:

 

[Tonington]

My point exactly. I can show you the statistical sources which discuss the merits of sample design and the impact of self-reporting biases. Anyone who says otherwise is putting faith in the Ouija board.

On cost, I'll see Statistics Canada's Census, and raise you one Gun registry, and then re-raise you one HRDC boondoggle. You want the Government to collect and collate this data, how would it be any different from these two excesses?

We have a system that works. There has been 50 privacy complaints in 20 years, and ZERO cases of personally identifiable data finding it's way out of Stats Canada's capable and respected hands.