- Only a limited number of CSO employees have access to personal and confidential information. Those employees are responsible for the collection, handling or processing of completed questionnaires.
For the 2022 census, questionnaires will be administered using tablets. Once an interview is completed the information is protected through a number of security measures.
Census data are processed and stored on a highly restricted internal network and cannot be accessed by anyone who has not taken the oath of secrecy.
• Data releases are screened so that anonymity is assured.
• Names, addresses and telephone numbers are not part of the census database used for dissemination but is used as a means of validating the data collected.
The Statistics Act specifically requires that information about individuals be protected and kept strictly confidential. Identifiable information cannot be released to anyone outside of the CSO without the written consent of the person who would be identified.
The CSO requires this information for a number of reasons:
• Names, addresses and telephone numbers are needed to ensure that every person in each household is counted only once.
• If a questionnaire has not been answered completely, a telephone number allows the census
Enumerator to contact the household to obtain the missing information for the appropriate person.
• An email address provides an alternate method of communication with the household should follow-up be required.
• If more than one questionnaire is used for a household, the address is important so that all replies from that household can be processed together.
We take every precaution to minimize risk and protect your information.
Sophisticated security techniques, such as firewalls are used to protect your information. For security reasons, we cannot provide more details about these techniques.
Census data are processed and stored on a highly restricted internal network and cannot be accessed by anyone who has not taken the oath of secrecy.
Data submitted to our web servers are encrypted before being stored, and remain encrypted until they are transferred to the high security internal network.
Only a very limited number of the CSO employees, whose job requires them to work with the
questionnaires, may see individual ones that have been completed.
Respondents should not use an alias when completing their census questionnaire. In cases where questionnaires are incomplete, real names are needed so that the NSO can clearly identify whose information is missing during follow-up.
Enumerators might ask your neighbours for information such as when you will be returning and how many people live in the house, if your house is vacant. Personal questions such as your age, marital status, income, education, etc. will not be asked.
All Enumerators who call respondents will clearly identify themselves on the telephone and explain the purpose of their call. You can always verify an Enumerator’s identity by contacting the CSO 1-758-468- 1577.
Enumerators at the door will always present their official identification card and/or identification letters.
Publications and electronic data releases are screened so that anonymity is assured.
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