Michelle DaCruz
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 18/02) - The latest census figures out of Ottawa are being hotly contested by the territorial government.

Tuesday's 2001 Statistics Canada census results show the NWT has lost more than 2,000 residents or 5.8 per cent of its population since 1996.

"The census numbers are dead wrong," Finance Minister Joe Handley said.

The census figures are integral to calculating federal transfer payments to the territories and provinces.

For every man, woman, and child the territory is entitled to $14,083 a year.

If the numbers are corrent and the NWT has lost 2,312 people, then the total loss of revenue is approximately $163 million over five years.

John Monroe, GNWT's director of fiscal policy with the Department of Finance, said although it is premature to begin calculating transfer payments until the final population counts come in, the amount of lost transfer revenue could hover in the hundreds of millions.

"If the final number does come in at a loss of about 2,000 people, then it would be correct to estimate about a $163 million loss," said Monroe.

Handley points to the increase in economic activity and consumer spending, and the decrease in available housing as proof the numbers are too low.

"In Inuvik for instance, you could shoot a gun down the street and not kill anyone at the time of the last census. Now the streets are full," Handley told News/North.

The minister would like to see the GNWT involved in a Stats Can review of all community population figures in the territory.

Jerry Page, director of the Prairie region and NWT for Statistics Canada, said the quality assurance program is already underway. It is a independent audit, one the agency conducts after every census.

"We check administrative records, birth and deaths, previous residences, to determine whether people were missed," said Page.

Census numbers are usually short by two to three per cent on average across Canada,. he added.

David Stewart of NWT's Bureau of Statistics said it was unusual that the 1996 census missed about 2,100 people, or five per cent, of NWT's population.

Page disagreed. He said due to the transient nature of NWT's population, five per cent is not a large number.

To account for the difficulties of counting in the North, StatsCan took specific measures to avoid missing residents, according to Page.

First, they began counts in 13 High Arctic communities, like Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk, months before the rest of Canada. Bigger NWT centres like Yellowknife and Hay River were counted during the regular time slot around May 14.

"We know people go out on the land. So we met with local officials and they told us which communities to do early on," said Page.

The High Arctic communities also had census representatives going door to door, instead of dropping off census forms and waiting for them to be mailed back.

Page said StatsCan tried to recruit the bulk of representatives locally, because they know the area better and have an easier time locating hidden dwellings.

One possible explanation for the low numbers, Page pointed out is mining, oil and gas workers are not actual residents of NWT. They are counted at their permanent residences throughout Canada, even though they are a drain on local services.

"Census taking is not a precise art because people are always moving. Whether in the South or the North, people are travelling, working or studying in other locations other than which they permanently live," Page added. "Some are missed for these reasons, and others just don't want to be counted."

Both Page and Stewart agree that they have never heard of an entire province or territory being recounted, and it is not likely it will occur this time around.

Page promises that if the GNWT makes an official request to re-examine the numbers StatsCan will.

"We can make mistakes, but we want to make sure we did a good job," said Page.

The census cost Canada's taxpayers about $400 million and employed a staff of 45,000.