Bureau of Statistics begins survey
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Feb 05/01) - Starting this week, the government of Nunavut will be knocking on your door.
Don't be alarmed. They just want to ask a few simple questions.
The answers will help the bureaucrats be more effective, said Jack Hicks, the director of evaluation for Nunavummit Kiglisiniartiit, the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics.
"The only way to get this kind of data is face to face, said Hicks.
"There is just no substitute for going door to door."
The 2001 Nunavut Labour Force Survey will help the government make plans and develop policies more appropriate for Nunavummiut.
For example, data on housing will enable the government to present an accurate and up-to-date picture of needs when it asks Ottawa for money.
Nunavummiut can expect the usual questions about work and unemployment, but Hicks said the survey is designed to cover experiences more typical of Nunavut.
"The national definition of unemployment means you actively looked for work in the last four weeks. We know in a lot of communities people say they haven't looked because they know of any jobs coming open or they know there aren't any," said Hicks. "That's a more realistic definition of unemployment."
A team of about 40 surveyors will visit every household in Nunavut. They want to talk to everyone over the age of 15. Answers are kept confidential.
Hicks anticipates the biggest problem may be survey burn-out. "There are several surveys being conducted this year; people are going to be seeing a lot of it," he said.
To take a clear statistical picture of Nunavut, Hicks said the survey will be repeated every two years for the next decade. Each survey will cost an estimated $100,000.
