Frequently asked questions—Collectives enumeration

Statistics Canada is preparing for the upcoming 2026 Census and is requesting your assistance in completing the 2024 Census Test questionnaire for the residents of your facility or establishment. All patients or residents, live-in employees (and the family members of live-in employees), and owners and managers who live in your facility or establishment must be enumerated.

Statistics Canada plans to collect the required information with minimal inconvenience to you and the residents of your facility or establishment.

Your assistance will ensure that residents living at your facility or establishment are counted in the 2024 Census Test.

A census test employee is asking you to complete a questionnaire because your facility or establishment has been selected to participate in the 2024 Census Test and because Statistics Canada was unable to collect the data.

If you have questions, please visit the census website where you can also chat online with us, or starting on May 6, 2024, contact the Census Help Line at 1-833-835-2024. Respondents with access to TTY (for persons who have a hearing or speech impairment) should call 1-833-830-3109. Video relay services (VRS) can also be used.

Census Test Day is May 14, 2024. Statistics Canada encourages administrators to participate as soon as possible.

An official letter from Statistics Canada will have Statistics Canada's address on the top left corner of the envelope, and the letter will have a Statistics Canada signature at the bottom. Letters or emails with secure access codes are sent to administrators of most collective dwellings for online response. Administrators are required to answer a series of questions about the facility or establishment and complete the census test for residents.

If you have any questions, please contact us by email at infostats@statcan.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-877-949-9492. Operators are available from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday to Friday (except holidays).

The census test counts people at the place where they usually live.

Include persons

• whose main residence is at the facility or establishment, even if they are temporarily away
• who do not have a residence elsewhere
• who have been living at an institution (e.g., residences for older adults, a hospital, a prison or a rehabilitation centre) for six months or more (i.e., who were admitted on or before November 14, 2023)
• who are live-in staff (e.g., employees, managers and owners).

The main residence is where a person usually lives, even if they are temporarily away, or where they live if they have no other residence elsewhere.

A collective dwelling is a dwelling of a commercial, institutional, or communal nature in which a person or a group of people reside or could reside. The collective dwelling must provide care or services or have common facilities shared by the occupants, such as a kitchen, dining room or bathroom.

Examples of collective dwellings include long-term care homes, residences for older adults, lodging or rooming houses, correctional facilities, group homes, hotels, motels, tourist establishments, hospitals, staff residences, military bases, and work camps.

Invitation letters or emails with secure access codes are sent to administrators of collective dwellings for online response, with the exception of lodging and rooming houses and Hutterite colonies. Administrators are required to answer a series of questions about the facility or establishment and complete the census test questionnaire for the usual residents.

Based on the information provided for the facility or establishment, residents' information will be collected using one of the following methods:

• electronic questionnaire
• template provided by Statistics Canada
• the facility or establishment's administrative records
• telephone interviews.

Starting May 14, 2024, census test employees will be following up with in-person visits to collective dwellings that did not respond online. During this period, they will also make initial contact with lodging and rooming houses and Hutterite colonies to begin enumerating usual residents.

Yes, you still need to complete the census test questionnaire.

The administrator will be asked to answer a short series of questions about the facility or establishment and to provide the census test information for each resident.

The census information for each resident will include their:

• first name and last name
• date of birth, gender and sex at birth
• relationship between persons living in the same unit and/or status at facility
• legal marital status
• persons living with a partner
• languages.

No, most residents will not receive a census test questionnaire because administrators will be providing the census test information on behalf of the residents through the electronic questionnaire or over the phone with a census test employee.

Census test employees will make initial contact to interview residents in lodging and rooming houses and drop off census test questionnaires for Hutterite colonies to begin enumerating usual residents.

For persons whose usual place of residence is an establishment with temporary accommodation services (e.g., hostels, hotels, campgrounds, YMCA/YWCA) or other establishments—including school residences, military bases and work camps—their administrator will be asked to provide census test information on their behalf through the electronic questionnaire or over the phone. If the information cannot be provided, census test cards will be dropped off for persons to self-identify as a usual resident of the establishment and complete a questionnaire.

No. Statistics Canada uses administrative data from the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, or administrative data provided by the administrators to respond to the census test questions on behalf of inmates.

For persons living in lodging/rooming homes and Hutterites colonies, an in-person visit will be required to collect the census test information.

An administrative record is a document maintained by the facility or establishment and contains information about the residents who live there, including:

• first name and last name
• date of birth, gender and sex at birth
• relationship between persons living in the same unit and/or status at facility
• legal marital status
• persons living with a partner
• languages.

In the electronic questionnaire, download the Excel template created by Statistics Canada which includes instructions on how to complete the template and how to provide resident information. Once completed, the Excel template must be attached in Question 24 of the electronic questionnaire.

If you are unable to download the Excel template, please contact us by email at infostats@statcan.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-877-949-9492. Operators are available from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday to Friday (except holidays).

We understand your concern and hope to collect the required information with minimal inconvenience to you and your facility or establishment.

The participation of your facility or establishment is required under the authority of the Statistics Act​ (opens in a new window). Administrators are required to answer a series of questions about the facility or establishment and complete the census test questionnaire for the usual residents. Statistics Canada is authorized to collect this information and the administrator is required to provide the information to the agency.

By law, all residents living in facilities and establishments that were selected for the 2024 Census Test must be counted. Information collected will be kept strictly confidential. The assistance of your facility or establishment will ensure that residents are counted in the 2024 Census Test.

If you are unable to complete the census test questionnaire online, contact us by telephone at 1-833-977-8287. Operators are available seven days a week, including evenings (except holidays). Otherwise, a census test employee will follow up with you by phone or in-person.

For the administrator

An electronic questionnaire could not be completed, and Statistics Canada needs your help to enumerate everyone who usually lives at the establishment. You will need to

1. distribute the Form 7B cards to each room or unit
2. provide a 3A questionnaire (individual census test questionnaire) and a privacy envelope to each person who usually lives at the establishment
3. inform the resident to return the questionnaire that day, and arrange for the questionnaire(s) to be picked up by a census test employee
4. keep the completed questionnaires in a secure location (under lock and key, if possible) until the census test employee returns to pick up the questionnaire(s).

For the residents

All residents should read the instructions on the census test card and collect a questionnaire from the front desk, if required.

Statistics Canada places the highest priority on maintaining the confidentiality of personal information.

Under the Statistics Act​ (opens in a new window), Statistics Canada is authorized to collect this information and the administrator is required to provide the information to the agency. The information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act is kept strictly confidential.

The protection of personal information is governed by the Privacy Act​ (opens in a new window), which establishes the personal information handling practices of federal government departments and agencies to respect the privacy of all Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any personal information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

For more information on how Statistics Canada protects the confidentiality, security and privacy of respondents, please visit Statistics Canada's Trust Centre​ (opens in a new window).

Yes. The Privacy Act​ (opens in a new window) in Canada permits the disclosure of personal information on minors to Statistics Canada where required by law. In this case, the personal information is required under the Statistics Act​ (opens in a new window).

As with information from other respondents, information on minors is protected by the Privacy Act and by the Statistics Act. Under the Privacy Act, a parent/guardian may request access to a minor's personal information, on his or her behalf. Statistics Canada, prior to collecting information from minors, determines which types of information could potentially cause harm to a child; this information is never released under any circumstance.

For more information on how Statistics Canada protects the confidentiality, security and privacy of respondents, please visit Statistics Canada's Trust Centre​ (opens in a new window).

Statistics Canada places the highest priority on maintaining the confidentiality of personal information. Stringent measures and procedures are followed to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times.

All Statistics Canada employees must take an oath of secrecy, which remains in effect for life—even after employment has ended. The Statistics Act​ (opens in a new window) states that employees are subject to fines and/or jail terms of up to six months if they reveal personal information. Only Statistics Canada employees with a need to know will have access to personal and confidential information such as administrative records.

For more information on how Statistics Canada protects the confidentiality, security and privacy of respondents, please visit Statistics Canada's Trust Centre​ (opens in a new window).