Census co-ordinator ensures data gets collected
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Apr 06/01) - When Sylvain Provost came North from Montreal on Feb. 18, it was his job to marshall a corps of workers who fanned out through the city asking questions and gathering statistics.
Provost was the Iqaluit census co-ordinator, but when time was running out on the census, he wasn't afraid of pulling on his parka and boots and knocking on doors himself.
He found the last few households left to be questioned and went to work, getting responses to the questions that will form the basis of a mass of statistical information.
"People have been very kind to us," said the visiting federal contract worker. "Maybe five per cent of the people here have refused to be counted. Maybe some people don't care about the government or don't have time."
Provost, on the other hand, believes what he did was important.
"You need the questionnaire to make a portrait to represent the community," he said. "It is important for planning."
A census is done every five years in Canada. Questions asked are about health, marital status, occupation, gender, age, education and more.
All the information is kept confidential and turned over to Statistics Canada, the government agency that paints a statistical picture of the country.
The federal government uses the data to make a number of decisions, including amount of transfer payments the Government of Nunavut will eventually receive.
The census for the rest of the country is taken in May. Here it was earlier because many people are on the land in the spring.
Provost had a team of 10 to 15 people and a month to get the information.
"I'm a little bit tired to tell you the truth," he said the day before he was to return south. "It was an occasion to go up North but it was a very challenging job."
