City set to conduct 2008 census - The City of Red Deer

March 18, 2008

(Red Deer, Alberta) – City census workers will be knocking on your door starting Friday, April 4 when the 2008 Municipal Census gets underway.

A census is an official door-to-door count of the number of people living in Red Deer. “Census information is used to determine population and to calculate grants. It helps us better understand community needs and plan for future growth and development,” said Jackie Kurylo, Projects Coordinator.

In 2007, 2,734 new residents made Red Deer their home, an increase of 3.3 per cent from 2006. The increase brought Red Deer's total population to 85,705 at the time of the 2007 census.

"The 2007 census results indicate Red Deer is growing at a healthy rate, and we anticipate another three to four per cent increase in 2008," said Kurylo.

Census workers will collect information on the number of people living in a household, and the genders and year of birth of each person in the household. Residents will also be asked about emergency preparedness. The City wants to know if citizens have the information they need on how to plan for a major disaster, and whether citizens could survive alone for three days without any outside help.

“We want to gage citizens’ understanding about the importance of preparing for an emergency,” said Jack McDonald, Fire Chief.

Census enumerators will go door-to-door and visit every household in Red Deer. They will carry picture ID cards. Citizens with any questions about the identity of a census worker should phone the City census office at 403-342-8317.

Census results will be released and posted at www.reddeer.ca/census at the end of June.

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For more information contact:

Jackie Kurylo
Projects Coordinator
The City of Red Deer
403-342-8132