Item - 2010.HL33.2
Tracking Status
- This item was considered by Board of Health on August 20, 2010 and was adopted without amendment.
HL33.2 - Federal Decision to Cancel the Long Form Census in 2011: Implications for Toronto Public Health
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted
Board Decision
The Board of Health requested the Federal Government to reverse its decision to discontinue the mandatory long form census.
Origin
Summary
The Federal Government has decided to replace the mandatory long form census with a voluntary “National Household Survey” in 2011. The criticism of this decision has been swift, strong and crosses all sectors.
Over the past 35 years the mandatory Census has included a short form, which collects basic data on age, gender, marital status, household characteristics and mother tongue, and a long form, which collects a broader range of socio-economic data. This data is critical for ongoing health surveillance and assessment which includes understanding the social determinants of health in Toronto. The knowledge derived from this process underpins Toronto Public Health’s (TPH) foundational principles of identifying priority populations and using evidence to plan services and develop policies.
In addition to these principles, the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) mandate Toronto Public Health to conduct health surveillance and assessment of the city’s population using, in part, the data collected in the long form. The Federal Government’s proposal to eliminate the census long form will compromise Toronto Public Health's ability to fulfill this mandate.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-33006.pdf
HL33.2 - Federal Decision to Cancel the Long Form Census in 2011: Implications for Toronto Public Health - Attachment 1
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-33007.pdf