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Jonathon Naylor Editor Denare Beach will commission its own census amid doubts over the accuracy of the latest official population figures. Village council recently voted to have the census conducted this summer after Statistics Canada's tabulation showed the community lost 116 residents between 2006 and 2011. 'I would like to have an independent survey done,' said Coun. Wanda Ginnell, a supporter of the concept. 'It would just be interesting to compare the two (censuses).' The village census is to begin on July 31 and will probably be performed by a local resident. It will be for the village's internal purposes only, as per-capita government funding will still be based on the StatsCan calculation. Not only did the StatsCan census have Denare Beach shedding 15 per cent of its population, it also claimed the village lost 47 private dwellings for the five years ended in 2011. The census found the village had 385 private dwellings _ defined as homes, apartments or suites _ last year, down from 432, a 10.9 per cent plunge. Ginnell called the dwellings statistic 'ridiculous,' while the village office indicated the number of residential buildings actually increased over the allotted time frame. Apartments? But is it possible the decline can be attributed not to a loss of actual homes, but of apartments and suites? Ginnell didn't think so, saying the community primarily has single-family homes and few apartments. In terms of the alleged drop in the number of residents, Ginnell believes the population in fact held steady at about 785 people. She said she might believe a decline of 20 residents given that some people did leave, but she added that Denare Beach also welcomed new citizens. 'One-hundred and 16 is a bit much,' said Ginnell, adding that the StatsCan figure is particularly concerning because of the per-capita funding the village receives. Laurent Roy, manager of quality assurance for StatsCan, said the agency trusts the information it provides is of 'good quality' but added any census can potentially contain 'minor errors.' In a phone interview, he said StatsCan does investigate its findings in cases where either a municipal council or an MLA makes such a request. See 'Stats...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 But unlike village council's planned census, a StatsCan review does not involve sending workers back to the community in question. Instead, Roy said, the agency reviews existing information, such as maps and questionnaires, and potentially requests address lists and other data from the municipality. Meanwhile, the StatsCan census showed that while Flin Flon lost 244 residents between 2006 and 2011, the city actually gained private dwellings. According to the data, Flin Flon added 18 dwellings, a rise of 0.7 per cent. The census put the number of private dwellings in Flin Flon _ Manitoba and Saskatchewan portions combined _ at 2,739 last year, up from 2,721. And the percentage of those dwellings occupied by 'usual residents' _ those who normally live there _ remained relatively stable at 88.9 per cent in 2011 compared to 90.4 per cent in 2006. Creighton decline Just across the border, Creighton lost 14 private dwellings during the same time period, going from 625 to 611, according to the census. That was a decline of 2.2 per cent. Last year, 97.5 per cent of Creighton dwellings were occupied by usual residents, up from 93.8 per cent in 2006. Perhaps indicative of the seasonal nature of Denare Beach, 65.5 per cent of dwellings were occupied by usual residents in 2011, down from 68.1 per cent five years earlier. Elsewhere in the northern regions of Manitoba and Saskatchewan: Dwellings in Snow Lake rose 10.3 per cent, from 477 to 526. Dwellings in Pelican Narrows _ the reserve and village portions combined _ increased 18.5 per cent, from 439 to 520. Dwellings in Sandy Bay, Sask., went up 13.3 per cent from 264 to 299. Dwellings in Deschambault Lake rose 23.3 per cent, from 180 to 222. Dwellings in the RM of Kelsey, which includes Cranberry Portage, Wanless and settlements outside The Pas, dropped 1.3 per cent, from 994 to 981. Dwellings in Pukatawagan increased 9.1 per cent, from 353 to 385. Dwellings in The Pas fell 1.9 per cent, from 2,369 to 2,324. Dwellings in Thompson went up 5.1 per cent, from 5,129 to 5,391. Dwellings on Cumberland House Cree Nation rose 16.6 per cent from 193 to 225. Denare Beach is not alone in questioning the accuracy of Canada's official census. The National Post reported last month that the census had declared the tiny Saskatchewan village of Atwater, about two hours outside of Regina, completely abandoned. That came as quite a shock to longtime resident Brenda Rausch and the 33 others she estimates call the town home. Atwater even has a village council consisting of a mayor and two councillors.
