Online census opens to Calgarians in annual count

The city's online census launched Mondaymorning to help track Calgary's population andhousing.

• Calgary grows by 11,166 people due mainly to more babies, says 2017 census

The data is used to help plan city services, and allows the city to apply for some provincial grants like for transportation and libraries.

The city mailed out access codes toCalgarianslast week. You need a code to complete the census. If you don't have one, you can request one online or by phoning the city.

Door-to-door canvassing beginsApril20. If you want more information, head to calgary.ca/census.

The annual civic census is notrelated to the census conducted every five years by the federal government.

Last year's census

The city's population was found to be at1,246,337 in last year's census an increase over the past year of11,166 people, or about 0.9 per cent, mainly because of more babies born in Calgary.

The city used to gain people in much larger numbers, like the more than 36,000 people who moved to Calgary between in 2012 and 2013. But growth has stalled since the recession.

• CALGARY: THE ROAD AHEAD | An in-depth look at how the city is recovering

The population totals in the majority of the city's communities stayed stagnant last year, with growth in parts of downtown and in the outskirts.

Most of the population increases are on the edges of the city in newly built subdivisions, such as Cityscape, Nolan Hill, Skyview Ranch, Redstone and Evanston in the north, and Legacy and Mahogany in the south.

Calgary's fastest growing community last year was a newersuburb in the far southeast, called Auburn Bay.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS |What will motivate you to vote in Alberta's next election?
• MORE CALGARY NEWS |Calgary's new Plus 15 will be an arc of technicolor lights