BETWEEN MAY 11 AND JULY 31, 2016,

COUNTY UNDERTOOK A MUNICIPAL CENSUS TO

DETERMINE THE COUNTY’S POPULATION AND

DEMOGRAPHICS. THE COUNTY’S CENSUS DATE WAS

MAY 11, 2016.

PAGE 2 The Census was conducted between May 11 and July 31, 2016. The time frame for conducting a municipal census is established by the Province of through the Department of Municipal Affairs. Municipal Affairs also establishes the other rules that municipalities must follow when completing a census.

The purpose of the Census was to obtain to an accurate count of the County’s population. This ensures that the County receives its equitable share of grants and funding from the provincial and federal governments. An accurate and current population count also allows the County to better plan and implement the services it provides to the public.

A municipality must choose a census date. This is the day to which all the census survey questions refer; this provides a snapshot of the County’s population on this day. A census date of May 11 was chosen. The County’s total recorded population was 9,531. Of this total, 8,544 were permanent residents, while 987 belonged to the shadow population (people residing in the County for the purpose of work but who have a permanent residence elsewhere).

CENSUS SUMMARY AT-A-GLANCE

• A municipal census is provincially regulated. 23 31 • Lac La Biche County counted 8,544 permanent residents. • Lac La Biche Counted 987 shadow residents (residents who reside temporarily in the County for the purpose of work).

PAGE 3 Lac La Biche County also conducted a municipal census in May of 2013. The permanent resident population was recorded at 9,094 and the shadow population was recorded at 3,126. The 2016 numbers show a nominal decrease in the permanent population with a change of -5.6% and a significant decrease in the shadow population of over 200%. The significant change in the shadow population is due to the composition of the shadow population in 2013. In May of 2013, a large pipeline project saw a temporary injection of workers into the County which caused the shadow population to expand well beyond its normal size. Thus, the 3,126 was not a stable number, but was largely composed of a project dependent population that was capable of quickly growing and shrinking.

Beginning May 11, 2016, residents of properties containing only one dwelling were sent letters. This letter contained a PIN TIMELINES number unique to the address identified on the letter. On the letter was also a website address where residents could enter AT-A-GLANCE the provided PIN number and complete the survey.

From May 11 to June 1, 2016, residents who received letters Census Day: had the opportunity to complete the census online. Alternatively, residents were also able to call a dedicated census telephone May 11, 2016 number and complete the census over the phone or come to the County Centre and complete the census at the front desk. Online Completion Period:

Between June 1 and July 31, 2016, residents who did not May 11 to June 1, 2016 complete the census online were visited by an enumerator, who would complete the census in-person. During this time, residents Door-to-door Enumeration: could still complete the census through the previously mentioned enumeration methods. June 1 to July 31, 2016

Lac La Biche County submitted the results of the Census to the province on September 1, 2016. It is a provincial requirement that census results are submitted by this date.

PAGE 4 Planning the Census began several months prior to the start date and required the efforts from multiple departments, including Legislative Services, the IT Department, Planning and Finance. PARTICIPATE ONLINE TODAY!

Prior to and while the census was underway, the County conducted an advertising campaign to inform the public about the census. Many forms of advertising where used, including:

• Radio Advertisements; to complete the census survey online. • Signage in prominent locations and in rural subdivisions;

Visit laclabichecounty.com/census to • Electronic signage displays in the Bold Center and on the participate. The survey will take only out-door electronic sign at Beaver Hill Road and 91 Ave. moments to complete and provide vital population information. Door-to-door • Pamphlets; enumeration starts June 1, 2016. • An article in the local County monthly newsletter, Your County In Touch; • Notifications in monthly utility bills; and Example of pamplet used. • Posters.

METHODOLOGY

A municipality may conduct a census according to one of the AT-A-GLANCE following three methodologies: online, paper-based, or hybrid. The County chose to use the online method. This meant that the data • The census required the efforts could be recorded directly into the software and stored digitally. Enumerators carried an iPad, enabling them to do this while of multiple departments. conducting the census interviews door-to-door. • The County employed an online census methodology. The County was divided up into 9 enumeration zones (shown on the • The census fostered participation next page), with each enumerator initially responsible for their zone. The zones were created by using previous years’ census data to using multiple advertising establish boundaries based on natural population clusters. mediums.

PAGE 5 Lac La Biche County

1 3

Hamlet of Plamondon 8 Lac La Biche Lake

7 2 9 of Lac La Biche 6 4

5

PAGE 6 Between July 1 and August 31, 2017, the County conducted a review of the data collected on 10% of the dwellings that reported residents during the door-to-door enumeration to ensure information was collected accurately. This was completed through phone interviews with residents who provided phone numbers during the census survey.

A municipality may ask different questions, depending on the purpose of the census. At the very least, municipalities must ask and record the number of permanent residents.

The purpose of the Census was to determine the County’s population. Therefore, only the following key questions were asked, which provided information on the number of residents, as well as some basic demographic information:

1. The number of residents in the dwelling; 2. The age of the residents; 3. The gender of the residents; 4. Whether the resident was a permanent resident or belonged to the shadow population; and 5. Dwelling type.

PAGE 7 QUESTION 1

Residents indicated the number of people living at the dwelling. It also provided options for situations where there were no residents. The options were: • 1 - 25 • Unoccupied/Vacant • Under Construction • Bareland • Summer Home/Secondary Residence • Derelict/Abandoned • Structure with no Living Accommodations

QUESTION 2

Residents indicated the gender of the person.

QUESTION 3

Residents indicated the age of the person.

QUESTION 4

Residents indicated whether the person was a permanent resident or a temporary resident (belonging to the shadow population).

QUESTION 5

Residents indicated the type of dwelling. The options were: • Single Detached Dwelling/Single Family Dwelling • Basement or Secondary Suite • Semi-Detached/Duplex • Row (Town) House • Apartment/Condo • Mobile Home • Other Movable Dwelling • Collective Dwelling • Prefer not to answer

PAGE 8 The section provides further clarity over the statistical findings form the census.

2331

PAGE 9 HOW DID RESIDENTS COMPLETE THE CENSUS? The census was completed for a total of 4,525 addresses in the County. 98.5% of these addresses were accounted for in the census. The census was completed in several ways:

9.3% 21.8%* 68.9% ADMINISTRATOR ONLINE DOOR-TO-DOOR COMPLETION PARTICIPATION ENUMERATION

This is the percent This is the percent This is percent of addresses of addresses of addresses completed by completed through completed through administration self-enumeration house-to-house through speaking online by residents. visits made by with residents who *Not all properties enumerators. This called in to complete received letters, such as number includes the survey, or who apartments or properties responses provided chose to complete with multiple residential by a neighbour in structures. If the figure the survey in the is calculated based the event that a County Centre front on the actual number residence could not desk. of residences able to be reached. complete the census online (those who were mailed out letters), this completion rate becomes 32.5%.

PAGE 10 = 1,000 people 9,531 TOTAL RESIDENTS

Permanent residents Shadow residents 8,544 987

PERMANENT RESIDENTS are all persons who usually live in a dwelling, even if they away temporarily. This includes students away for school who do not have an established residence elsewhere, as well as persons who are in an institution (such as a hospital or correctional facility) but have been away for less than 6 months.

A SHADOW POPULATION RESIDENT is one who is employed by a commercial or industrial establishment in the municipality for a minimum of 30 days within a municipal census year. These persons live in County for a period of time, but do not consider the residence in the municipality to be their primary one. The majority of shadow population residents resided in project accommodations found in remote areas established by oil and gas companies to house their employees.

PAGE 11 In addition to indicating the number of people living in a dwelling, residents could also indicate that a dwelling did not have any permanent or shadow residents as of May 11, 2016. Three different status options were provided which indicated why the dwelling did not have any residents. These options were summer home/ secondary residents, unoccupied/vacant, and under construction

SUMMER HOME/ SECONDARY RESIDENCES: 752 A dwelling was designated a summer home or secondary residence if the respondent indicated that the dwelling was indented for occupation seasonally or periodically, but had no permanent residents on May 11th, 2016.

UNOCCUPIED/ VACANT: 344 A dwelling was designated vacant when a respondent indicated that the dwelling, although indented for permanent occupation, had no permanent residents on May 11th, 2016.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: 26 A dwelling that was under construction, as indicated by the enumerator or resident.

TOTAL NON-COUNT DWELLINGS 1,122

PAGE 12 WHAT ARE THE POPULATIONS OF THE COUNTY’S FIVE HAMLETS? Lac La Biche has 5 hamlets that are recognized by Alberta Municipal Affairs. The population of these hamlets are used to calculate the amount of funding a municipality receives for some grant programs. Lac La Biche 2,682 31

Beaver Lake (Young’s Beach and Holowachuk Estates) Venice 527 22

Plamondon 348

The County is divided into seven wards. Each ward is represented by a Councillor, with the exception of Ward 7, which is represented by two Councillors. The table below shows the population of each ward according to the permanent population, shadow population, and combined population.

WARD PERMANENT SHADOW COMBINED 1 766 49 815 2 1191 23 1214 3 1370 22 1392 4 882 57 939 5 939 4 943 6 796 757 1553 7 2600 75 2675 TOTAL 8544 987 9531

PAGE 13 AGE RANGE MALE FEMALE COMBINED MALE (%) FEMALE (%) COMBINED (%) 0 - 4 229 263 492 2.92% 3.36% 6.28% 5 - 9 303 270 573 3.87% 3.45% 7.32% 10 - 14 281 299 580 3.59% 3.82% 7.41% 15 - 19 282 268 550 3.60% 3.42% 7.02% 20 - 24 239 239 478 3.05% 3.05% 6.10% 25 - 29 230 231 461 2.94% 2.95% 5.89% 30 - 34 262 267 529 3.35% 3.41% 6.75% 35 - 39 252 259 511 3.22% 3.31% 6.52% 40 - 44 228 230 458 2.91% 2.94% 5.85% 45 - 49 267 252 519 3.41% 3.22% 6.63% 50 - 54 310 307 617 3.96% 3.92% 7.88% 55 - 59 268 242 510 3.42% 3.09% 6.51% 60 - 64 260 228 488 3.32% 2.91% 6.23% 65 - 69 206 169 375 2.63% 2.16% 4.79% 70 - 74 113 139 252 1.44% 1.77% 3.22% 75 and over 202 237 439 2.58% 3.03% 5.61% All ranges 3932 3900 7832 50.20% 49.80% 100.00%

Figures do not include shadow population. Figures only include residents who responded to both questions 2 and 3.

PAGE 14 OCCUPANTS | % | DWELLING TYPE 454 | 4.76% | APARTMENT/ CONDO 124 | 1.30% | ROW(TOWN)HOUSE

6,278 | 65.87% | SINGLE DETACHED 87 | 0.91% | BASEMENT OR SECONDARY SUITE 99 | 1.04% | SEMI - DETACHED/ DUPLEX UNIT

Hospital

924 | 9.69% | COLLECTIVE DWELLING 1,098 | 11.52% | MOBILE HOMES 26 | 0.27% | OTHER MOVEABLE DWELLING

Includes both permanent and shadow population residents

TOTAL OCCUPANTS 9,531

PAGE 15 DWELLINGS | % | DWELLING TYPE 252 | 7.91% | APARTMENT/ CONDO 48| 1.51% | ROW(TOWN)HOUSE

2,184| 68.57% | SINGLE DETACHED 38 | 1.19% | BASEMENT OR SECONDARY SUITE 37 | 1.16% | SEMI - DETACHED/ DUPLEX UNIT

Hospital

14 | 0.44% | COLLECTIVE DWELLING 424 | 13.31% | MOBILE HOMES 13 | 0.41% | OTHER MOVEABLE DWELLING

TOTAL DWELLINGS 3,185

PAGE 16 THANK YOU TO RESIDENTS AND ENUMERATORS: WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU. YOUR COOPERATION HAS PROVIDED US WITH VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY AND ITS NEEDS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CENSUS, PLEASE CONTACT: LEGISLATIVE SERVICES 2ND FLOOR MCARTHUR PLACE 10307-100 ST LAC LA BICHE, ALBERTA T0A 2C0

P: 780-623-1747 EMAIL: [email protected]