A municipal census will be conducted by the City of Grande Prairie from May 1st to June 30th.
According to the city, the primary purpose of the project is to come up with a set population count of residents in the city, which helps provide a baseline for calculating provincial grants based on per capita.
Speculation surrounding the current population of the city has been widespread in past years, and the city says as a growing municipality, the updated population count will help ensure appropriate funding from the province, aid in the local planning process for services, and attract new development projects.
The most recent population count took place in 2021, and Statistics Canada reported a population of around 64,000 residents while the Alberta Regional Dashboard estimates a population of around 67,000 people in 2022, making the city the ninth most populated in the province.
The city will be counting residents in one of three ways- door-to-door, over the phone via 3-1-1, or online.
PIN cards will be delivered to residents beginning on May 1st and each card will have a unique PIN residents can use to complete online. Residents who complete their census early will be entered to win one of two $500 grocery gift cards.
Census workers will come door-to-door between May 26th and June 30th to assist anyone who has not completed the census online.
Additionally, the city is currently hiring Census Enumerators for the 2024 census, and interested residents are encouraged to apply on the city’s website.
