FSJ Councillor says 2026 Census important for city planning

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Residents across the country are now able to participate in the 2026 Census, operated by Statistics Canada.

According to the Government of Canada, the census helps collect social, demographic and economic information from Canadian households to ‘paint a statistical portrait’ of the country’s diverse population and where residents live.

It also said it relies on census data to plan services and develop programs, and to make informed decisions on important issues, including employment, schools, public transportation, and hospitals. 

City of Fort St. John councillor Trevor Bolin explained the importance of the census for the city. 

“I mean the city specifically, that data is used,” he said. “Not only do we benchmark that as part of our growth patterns, but that’s also how we plan. That’s how we go after grants from both provincial and federal [governments].”

Bolin said the census helps the city plan for the future.

“When we’re planning out our capital plans, our five-year, 10-year, and even 50-year growth, that is the information we’re using,” he said. “For us, we will reference back to previous ones [censuses] [and] cross-reference it with the existing one. 

When asked about the importance of the census for provincial government funding, Bolin said it benefits the city to have access to information such as average and family incomes and the number of family members in the household. 

“There’s a vast difference between what kind of funding we would receive, whether we’re [a] 24,000 population or [a] 26,000 population,” he said. “When we’re looking at encouraging large companies to open and come to Fort St. John, that’s the information that we provide to them.”

Residents can complete the census on the Statistics Canada website by entering the secure 16-digit access code from the census questionnaire they received.  

The Government of Canada said census information may be used for statistical and research purposes. 

All members of a Canadian household are required by law to complete the census under the Statistics Act.

Residents must complete the Census by Tuesday, May 12th, 2026. 

Residents who refuse to complete the census will receive a reminder sent to their household.

If the Census is still not completed after the reminder, a final notice will be sent to the household informing them a Statistics Canada representative will contact them to complete the Census. 

If someone refuses to complete the questionnaire, the case may be referred to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC). Failure to complete the census could result in fines of up to $500, according to Statistics Canada.

Members of the public who require help with the questionnaire can visit the census website.