Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 28/02) - Statistics Canada say a review of its census count for the NWT will be complete by the end of the summer.

The 2001 census results released last March showed the NWT dropped by more than 2,000 residents from its 1996 results, causing grave concerns within the territorial government over the implications those numbers may have on formulas for funding from the federal government. The census numbers are used to calculate transfer payments to provinces and territories.

"I would say within the next several weeks we will have that wrapped up, and we will be communicating the findings back to the territorial government," said Jerry Page, director of the Prairie Region and the NWT for Statistics Canada.

Although published numbers, including those found on Statistics Canada's web page will not change, if there are any revisions they will be included into internal government documents, said Page.

Statistics Canada are working with the GNWT's own bureau of statistics to determine whether there was an under count, but will not be conducting door-to-door surveys again.

Instead, David Stewart, with the GNWT Bureau of Statistics, said the review is being carried out in three stages: A household count, re-checking homes listed as vacant, and reviewing information provided by apartment and home rental managers.

"One of our concerns with the census is if had someone been up at a mine site, you may consider a single guy living alone, for two weeks when the census was taking place, they could've called that vacant when someone was actually living there," said Stewart.

The biggest concern for statistician with the 2001 census occurred in Inuvik, where population was recording as having dropped approximately 400 people from 3,296 in 1996, and in Yellowknife, which fell from 16,541 to 17,275.

Page said once the review is complete federal transfer payments can be re-calculated. Kelly Bluck, a senior fiscal and economic advisor with the GNWT, said at $17,000 per person, the territory could lose $34 million in funding if the 2001 census stands.

Stewart said the new census numbers will not be available on time to change funding calculations for the 2003 fiscal year.

"The final sort of estimate (Statistics Canada) use for that actually comes out in the spring of next year, so for this next budget cycle it's likely that they won't have included the census counts yet," said Stewart.