The town has added a new incentive for people to count themselves in online for the annual census that kicks off on Monday, Apr. 1.

Residents who answer the census questions online will automatically be entered into a draw for a chance to win 500 Cochrane Dollars. The winning household will be randomly selected.

Starting Monday, door hangers with unique identification information are being delivered to Cochrane homes. That PIN and a computer are all residents need to participate. 

For those without access to a computer, some are available at the Cochrane Public Library and FCSS for census use. Enumerators will be go door-to-door beginning Apr. 12 for those who haven’t responded online.

Once online, it takes only moments to complete the census. It seeks to determine how many resident in the household, how many are under 18 years of age and howmany are under 6 years of age.

An accurate census number is essential for the Town of Cochrane to receive the maximum amount of provincial and federal funding from per capita grants. For example, funding for road improvements, bridges, water/wastewater system upgrades and town facilities all heavily rely upon government grants. So, too, do the many services offered by such taxpayer-supported services, like Family and Community Support Services and our municipal library.

If our census is lower than our actual population, we lose out and local property owners make up the difference.

Cochrane Dollars are accepted in over 100 Cochrane businesses. It's a local paper currency that has the same monetary value as Canadian dollars when spent at these locations.

Cochrane’s official population in 2018 was 27,960, representing a 5.9 per cent increase from 2017.

Census results will be submitted to Alberta Municipal Affairs once all the data is in; population numbers become official once the report is accepted by the province.

Residents can count themselves in until Apr. 30.