‘No reason to panic’: What to do if you still haven’t received your census mail

Geoff Bowlby, assistant chief statistician for Statistics Canada, says people have 'no reason to panic' if they still haven't received their census mail.

If you weren’t among those who received mail for the 2026 census, a Statistics Canada official says you still have time to fill out the questionnaire.

Some individuals have reported that they’re still waiting to get the information to complete the census, something Geoff Bowlby, assistant chief statistician for Statistics Canada, called “relatively rare.”

He said “there’s no reason to panic” and there isn’t a “hard deadline” for the mandatory census.

“If you didn’t receive one or you’re waiting for a paper questionnaire or you just got back from an extended absence and you’re finding this in your mailbox today, it’s OK to still respond to the census,” Bowlby said in a Zoom interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. “In fact, please do. We want you to.”

Since early May, StatCan has been collecting demographic, social and economic information for the Census of Population from every household.

Bowlby said the federal agency mailed information about the questionnaires, including access codes to complete them, to about 17 million households. He said the census mail should’ve arrived on May 4.

People across the country were asked to complete the census forms by May 12.

StatCan’s census data will be released in 2027.

“In fact, we’ll be collecting census data right through till July of this year,” Bowlby said.

He said individuals still have “plenty of opportunities” to complete the census.

StatCan will send reminders through texts and letters through this month, he said. By June, StatCan will start making phone calls and visiting homes.

By the end of July or August, those who still haven’t filled out their forms may face fines of up to $500, he added.

Why did some people not receive their census mail?

Bowlby offered a potential reason behind the mailing problems.

Statistics Canada uses a list from known addresses, Bowlby said, but some households may not be included because they have “relatively new” addresses.

“We try to minimize that, but it always happens every census,” he said, noting that he doesn’t believe it’s “an unusual amount” of people who didn’t receive the census mail.

What to do if you’re missing census mail

For people missing the census mail, Bowlby advises them to call the Census of Population Help Line at 1-833-852-2026 to obtain information on how to fill out the questionnaire and get an access code.

Individuals can also visit the website at census.gc.ca to complete their questionnaires, he added.