2019 version begins with online option
Residents will receive log-in numbers so short survey can be completed online
The 2019 city census will have a gender inclusive question for the first time.
On Monday, the city will mail out unique PIN codes to every household that will allow residents to log on to a computer, smartphone or other device and fill out the three-question census online.
“Please skip the door knock. Do it online. It’s going to save you from someone knocking on your door at supper time,” said the city’s director of elections and census Iain MacLean at a news conference Friday.
On April 22, census workers wearing orange vests and armed with tablets will fan out across the city and begin collecting information from households that didn’t do the online census. An updated population count for the city will be available in the fall.
The most recent count in 2016 was 899,447. Since then, MacLean said the city has added 35,000 new residential addresses, plus new land added through the recent annexation of land south of the city.
Officials said the online census takes about three minutes to complete, and is composed of just three questions: number of people in the household, ages of those people, and gender.
New this year, the city has created a gender-inclusive option for residents.
Previously, people could select male, female or other.
The city’s equity specialist Barb McLean said there are several options that can be selected, including one for people who don’t identify with the presented choices:
Woman/girl
■
Man/boy
■
Transgender female
■
Transgender male
■
Non-binary
■
Two-spirited
■
Another gender not listed above
■
Prefer not to answer
■
MacLean said the addition of gender expansive options was because the city heard that a segment of the population felt excluded by the existing binary and “other” options.
“We are trying to be as inclusive as possible,” said MacLean, who added that the city has historically collected data on gender, unlike the federal government which asks about sex when it conducts its census every five years.
According to the Statistics Canada website, sex options available are male, female and intersex. Alberta is the only province in Canada where cities collect their census data, and so city officials believe Edmonton may be the first to allow the variety of gender selection.
Historically, the city has done a census every second year, but the 2018 survey was deferred to this year. MacLean said the plan is to do another one in 2020, but administration is also working on a long-term strategy for the census beyond that.
Some of the grants that the city gets from the provincial and federal governments are based on population size. MacLean said that though the financial implications of having an accurate count are important, the data also helps inform city planning and the programs it decides to offer. This is such a great idea! Kat Sandler’s dual story of a politician poised for national victory scrambling to avoid a scandal and backstage political fundraising. Amazingly running in tandem with The Party, in these fast-paced, frenzied comedies, members of the cast race back and forth between the Maclab Theatre and The Club to appear in two different shows running simultaneously. Love it. Runs through April 21. Details: 7:30 p.m. at Maclab Theatre, starting at $30 plus service charges at citadeltheatre.com
The aTomiC Cafe (1982):
Just in time for all the fearbased campaigning in Alberta alongside casual dismissal of our greatest concerns, a disturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety. This 1982 documentary cult classic returns to theatres in a sparkling 4K digital restoration created by IndieCollect starting Aug. 1 at Film Forum in New York. Directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty and Pierce Rafferty.
Details: 4:30 p.m. at Metro Cinema (8712 109 St.), $13 at metrocinema.org
snaPline 2019 launCh:
Along with the issue launch, a panel discussion of the state of art coverage in Edmonton, the event paints this picture: “In 2018, Edmonton’s free weekly publication Vue Weekly ran its last issue. This loss, particularly in the context of the contractions and major shifts of other local publications, left even fewer opportunities for awareness of and to profile Edmonton artists, exhibitions, and programs — let alone cultivate a rich discourse about the visual arts in our city.” A call to action, the panellists are Matthew Stepanic, editor of Glass Buffalo; Stephan Boissonneault, editor of Daze Magazine; SNAP’s executive director April Dean; and Toronto curator Jayne Wilkinson, Canadian Art’s managing editor. Can’t wait! Details: 4 p.m. at Allard Hall, MacEwan University (11110 104 Ave.), no charge, register on Eventbrite