Municipal census in Canada

Municipal censuses allow for collection of important demographic data to assist in the planning and provision of community services.

[6] Historically, municipal censuses are conducted via paper-based enumeration of households done door-to-door.

[6] More recently, municipalities have been permitted to conduct them electronically door-to-door using wireless handheld devices or online with census question responses being entered directly into a secure census database by a representative of the household.

[6] However, a municipality may enumerate those that are not "usual residents" as its "shadow population"[b] if approved by the Minister of AMA.

[9] The City of Lloydminster, which straddles Saskatchewan's provincial boundary with Alberta, conducted municipal censuses in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2013.

[11] A municipal census was conducted in 2019 for the Organized Hamlet of Elk Ridge to inform an application for resort village status.