Are you going to fill out your Census?

Occasionally

Active member
May 22, 2011
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When I did mine, it spat my address out at me and asked if it was correct after I had entered my phone number. I figure that's because each serial numbered census form is "married" to an associated civic address in their database before we even start to fill them out. But it might be from public telephone records they automatically searched soon as I input my phone number. Dunno. But I do know that the website did NOT offer a guess as to my name.

Maybe you are half-remembering what it already "knew"? Unless you spoke to an enumerator and they noted your name and address in the database (which happens in rural areas where they deliver the census forms by hand rather than rely on Canada Post), I'm pretty sure that the website did NOT offer up your name until you had input it.
Mine did have my name and address pre-filled in after I entered the code.

It did not link up my name and address after entering a phone number because for the phone number I input.... 555-555-5555.

It can't be from public telephone records either because I don't have a public phone. I only have a cell phone. I haven't had a land line in over 10 years, in which I have moved twice since then. The only way they'd match up some kind of name/number is if this census was done 2002. I haven't showed up in any kind of yellow/white pages directory in over 10 years.
 

TeeJay

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2011
8,052
731
113
west gta
The census is worthless as many people are transient, or living with family members or etc etc
Besides the fact people fuck with them by outright lies, if someone doesn't want government to know something they certainly won't say so

But based on the argument that the census somehow helps plan for schools & shit I entered 10 kids for myself
Figure that way if I ever do need school space I got a leg up on competition now as next school should be built here and not Scarberia
 

Occasionally

Active member
May 22, 2011
2,928
7
38
The census is worthless as many people are transient, or living with family members or etc etc
Besides the fact people fuck with them by outright lies, if someone doesn't want government to know something they certainly won't say so

But based on the argument that the census somehow helps plan for schools & shit I entered 10 kids for myself
Figure that way if I ever do need school space I got a leg up on competition now as next school should be built here and not Scarberia
Good point. The census is issued every 5 years. The relevance of it assumes most people live in the same place for 5 years. Considering it takes time for the government to tabulate it all and dish out budgets and services based the area's stats, it might end up being more than 5 years. So for someone to get the worth out of any census analysis, they would probably have to live in the same house for 10 years as they wait for the adjusted services to kick in.
 

basketcase

Well-known member
Dec 29, 2005
61,552
6,743
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You do realize that Harper abolished it amid a huge public outcry
But if you were living in a cave you might have missed the news
Harper did not abolish the census. His government prosecuted people who refused.

But sure, let's not worry about details when you are just looking for an excuse to criticize the Liberals. BTW. Liberals won. Complain all you want but it won't change that.
 

basketcase

Well-known member
Dec 29, 2005
61,552
6,743
113
...
My beef is that the government already has 80%+ of the data in the census already...
You are aware that we actually have three different levels of governments right?

It would cost far more to set up criteria and an organization to data mine from all the provinces and thousands of municipalities (with strong security) than it does to send out a questionnaire twice a decade.
 

basketcase

Well-known member
Dec 29, 2005
61,552
6,743
113
The census is worthless as many people are transient, or living with family members or etc etc...
I guess that you haven't actually done the census. The very clearly describe who should be included. If you are living with family members then everyone living in the house gets listed.

Actual homeless people won't get included but unless you have a better way for the government to get the information...
 

Occasionally

Active member
May 22, 2011
2,928
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Really? Why would you waste your and their time by doing this?
Why not? I don't want any phone calls. If StatsCan is supposedly this totally separate dept that doesn't share data (although they somehow pre-baked my name and address in the online template, so they got it from somewhere), having one less dept having my number gets me off any lists.

And besides, for a census, why would they need my phone number?
 

Occasionally

Active member
May 22, 2011
2,928
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You are aware that we actually have three different levels of governments right?

It would cost far more to set up criteria and an organization to data mine from all the provinces and thousands of municipalities (with strong security) than it does to send out a questionnaire twice a decade.
That's not my problem. If they can't share data, then they should change tune and work together. As I said before, Stats Can isn't so segregated from other depts because they already linked my name and property, despite me never filling out a census while living at this address, nor do I show up in any public telephone directory. My cell phone is an unlisted company phone number. So it shows they already are using existing databases from somewhere... whether it's from getting name/property info from utility companies, income tax filings, or maybe from my driver's license records... who knows.

As others have said, asking people to fill out a template can also lead to bogus answers. They are assuming everyone is going to fill it correctly and honestly. And people don't all live in the same place for 5+ years, so any budget adjustments they do can be for totally different sets of people by the time they implement adjustments or build schools 10 years later.

One question was absurd.... "How much is your property worth?" How are people supposed to know? And what do they put? Do I put my purchase price 6 years ago? Or do I skim MLS and try to ballpark that it's maybe worth $200k more since 2009?

On the other hand, if they used actual information from all their data records, they would get real data as a start, in which they can ask people for subjective info that isn't documented anywhere.
 

nobody123

serial onanist
Feb 1, 2012
3,567
5
38
nowhere
Mine did have my name and address pre-filled in after I entered the code.
Well then, you must be special. I don't think there is another person in Canada that had the website magically enter their name and address immediately after they entered the code. Cool!

It did not link up my name and address after entering a phone number because for the phone number I input.... 555-555-5555.
Well aren't you clever. Now if they need to follow up on anything, they have to pay an enumerator to visit you in person since the number won't work. Thanks for wasting tax payer money.

That's not my problem. If they can't share data, then they should change tune and work together. As I said before, Stats Can isn't so segregated from other depts because they already linked my name and property, despite me never filling out a census while living at this address, nor do I show up in any public telephone directory.
I've been trying to be diplomatic on this one, but you don't make it easy. Maybe you were drunk filling out the form and forgot that you had entered your name on the first fucking page and marvelled in awe as they kept referring to you by name? If not, I'm just going to have to out-and-out call bullshit on your claim.
 

Occasionally

Active member
May 22, 2011
2,928
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38
Well then, you must be special. I don't think there is another person in Canada that had the website magically enter their name and address immediately after they entered the code. Cool!

Well aren't you clever. Now if they need to follow up on anything, they have to pay an enumerator to visit you in person since the number won't work. Thanks for wasting tax payer money.

I've been trying to be diplomatic on this one, but you don't make it easy. Maybe you were drunk filling out the form and forgot that you had entered your name on the first fucking page and marvelled in awe as they kept referring to you by name? If not, I'm just going to have to out-and-out call bullshit on your claim.
Not bullshit.

And besides, why would an enumerator want to visit me? Isn't this census suppose to be about tabulating data with strict privacy? Why would I want a government worker knocking on my door or calling me?

I inputted the data most honest I can (with exception of accidentally filling out the # of rooms question wrong.... I forgot a room). So they got their census data. Now if they want total accuracy, as I said they should go do their data reconciliation and stop bothering people, as people' are answering questions as they see fit..... honestly, accidental mistakes, or purposely fudging the data for fun.

And besides, the whole name/address link is silly anyway. If the purpose of the census is to get detailed info about the homeowner's demographics, education, income so they can spit out country stats and adjust city budgets to conform to a neighbourhood, etc..... why even bother asking for a name?

What difference would it make if I fill in the data the same way, but one census I say I'm Mike Johnson, another census I say I'm Fred Flintstone, and another I'm Air Jordan? Are they tracking first and last names too?
 

nobody123

serial onanist
Feb 1, 2012
3,567
5
38
nowhere
Not bullshit.

And besides, why would an enumerator want to visit me?
You only partially completed the Census and they want you to complete it.
or
Your neighbour did a typo and entered the same address as you did. They need to sort this out, but you were both so clever with the phone numbers they have to send someone down.
or
They sent you a short form when they were supposed to send a long one (or the other way around).
or
They want to know what kind of hyper-time-travelling quantum computer you have that makes you the only person in the entire country to have the Census website magically pre-fill your name.
 

Occasionally

Active member
May 22, 2011
2,928
7
38
You only partially completed the Census and they want you to complete it.
or
Your neighbour did a typo and entered the same address as you did. They need to sort this out, but you were both so clever with the phone numbers they have to send someone down.
or
They sent you a short form when they were supposed to send a long one (or the other way around).
or
They want to know what kind of hyper-time-travelling quantum computer you have that makes you the only person in the entire country to have the Census website magically pre-fill your name.
The address is pre-filled in. Not only is the envelope with the code in the mail addressed to my address, the second you type in the 16 digit code, it auto-fills the address fields.
 

nobody123

serial onanist
Feb 1, 2012
3,567
5
38
nowhere
The address is pre-filled in. Not only is the envelope with the code in the mail addressed to my address, the second you type in the 16 digit code, it auto-fills the address fields.
Yeah, but it is an editable field. Maybe your neighbour got the long form and thought it would be funny to try to dump it in your lap by entering your address and nothing else. What a bastard! I never liked the guy, he has a shifty look about him.
 

benstt

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2004
1,561
430
83
Mine did have my name and address pre-filled in after I entered the code.

It did not link up my name and address after entering a phone number because for the phone number I input.... 555-555-5555.
Some browsers autofill in data fields if the html field name was used before. Perhaps you experienced that.
 

FAST

Banned
Mar 12, 2004
10,069
1
0
I told them not to make any info about me available after 92 years, and if they did, I would sue their ass.

FAST
 
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