What to do when the census taker comes a-callin’

As Statistics Canada carries out the 2021 census, several condominium Boards and Property Managers have recently been approached by census officials seeking information about owners and residents. Many are understandably reluctant to provide this information due to Condominium Act considerations, privacy legislation, etc. However, census officials do have the power to request this information, and condominiums are obligated to provide it, under section 13 of the Statistics Act:

13 A person having the custody or charge of any documents or records that are maintained in any department or in any municipal office, corporation, business or organization, from which information sought in respect of the objects of this Act can be obtained or that would aid in the completion or correction of that information, shall grant access thereto for those purposes to a person authorized by the Chief Statistician to obtain that information or aid in the completion or correction of that information.

In our view, this includes basic contact information such as names, off-site addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. While census officials may pressure condominium representatives to provide this information on an immediate basis, we feel that a Board or Property Manager has the right to take a reasonable period of time to assemble the requested information, especially where it is a sizable request. The census official should be politely informed of the condominium’s anticipated timeline for response. If you have any questions about a request for information, you also have the right to seek the advice of your condominium’s legal counsel.