Prince Albert residents are being encouraged to complete the 2026 Census as city officials say an accurate population count could have a direct impact on funding, planning, and local services.
The City of Prince Albert issued a reminder this week as census packages began arriving in mailboxes across the community. Residents are expected to receive a letter from Statistics Canada with a secure 16-digit access code that can be used to complete the census online.
Craig Guidinger, the city’s acting city manager, said in a Wednesday interview that Prince Albert’s last census population was about 37,700, but the city believes the actual number is higher.
“We know that our actual population is quite a bit higher than that,” Guidinger said. “A lot of our provincial and federal funding is very much reliant on population and census data.”
Guidinger said that makes participation important because the census helps determine how much money municipalities receive through different federal and provincial programs. One of the major examples, he said, is the Canada Community-Building Fund, which supports infrastructure, recreation, and other municipal needs.
“Those census numbers are what actually determine the amounts that we get through federal and provincial funding,” Guidinger said.
He said the issue is not only about knowing how many live in Prince Albert, but making sure the city is not missing out on money that should be supporting residents.
“If we have a 37,000 reported population, but our actual population is 45,000 people, we’re losing out on valuable funds,” he said.
Guidinger said accurate census data can affect everything from community safety and well-being programs to revenue sharing. recreation planning, infrastructure work, and the city’s general budget process.
Anna Dindale, the city’s community safety and well-being manager, said census information also helps the city understand who lives in Prince Albert and what kind of services may be needed.
She said Prince Albert has a younger population than many communities, and that kind of demographic information is important when the city and its partners are planning programs.
“We rely on census information to help inform some of those programming and service delivery considerations as well,” Dinsdale said.
Dinsdale said census data has already been used in city planning. She pointed to the city’s housing needs assessment, which relied heavily on census information to better understand housing pressures and homelessness trends.
“We need to understand what our baseline looks like to be able to establish those rates,” she said.
She said the information can help the city understand what kinds of housing are needed, how quickly they are needed, and where gaps may exist across the housing continuum.
Guidinger said census data also helps the city look at trends over time, including changes in age, population growth, housing needs, and newcomer settlement.
He said the city does not have exact local figures on newcomer retention, but said the general sense is that Prince Albert’s population is growing, in part because of newcomers moving to the city. Dinsdale said organizations such as the YWCA are well positioned to support newcomers, including people who may need help completing the census.
Dinsdale said some residents may feel anxious about sharing information with government, but said the city’s website provides information about the census process, confidentiality, and how the information is used.
Guidinger said residents who want to help the city can do so by completing the census.
“Completion of the census is a really easy way for our residents to help,” he said.
Residents can find more information through the city’s website under the 2026 Census page. Residents without reliable internet access can call the toll-free Census Help Line at 1-833-314-3652.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
