Highlights from the initial release of data from the 2016 census, out Wednesday
OTTAWA — Highlights from Wednesday’s first release of data — focused on population and dwellings — from the 2016 census:
— The census counted 35,151,728 people on May 10, 2016, an increase of 1.7 million for a growth rate of five per cent — slightly lower than the 5.9 per cent reported in the 2006-2011 census period, but still the highest growth rate among all G7 countries.
— By comparison, Statistics Canada says the population count in 1871 — the first post-Confederation census — was just 3.5 million, and 20 million in 1966.
— At 11.6 per cent, Alberta continued to have the highest growth rate of all the provinces, up from 10.8 per cent in 2011.