Tiny Sask. community complains of 'ghost town' designation by StatsCan

The hamlet of Davin, Saskatchewan is shown in this undated photo.

Residents in the Saskatchewan hamlet of Davin are upset after learning that Statistics Canada had incorrectly classified their tiny community as a “ghost town” with a population of zero.

Estimates of the hamlet's population vary, but CTV Winnipeg reports that approximately 70 people live in the community located about 40 kilometres southeast of Regina.

"Someone must have pushed the wrong button on the computer…wiped us clean," resident Elfie Duesterbeck told CTV News.

The federal government has since been notified of the mistake, and the hamlet’s population number will be corrected, said Ralph Goodale, the Liberal MP for the riding of Wascana, which includes Davin.

Critics point to the loss of the mandatory long-form census as the reason for the population blunder, which would have cost the tiny community thousands of dollars in infrastructure funding from certain governments.

"Besides being insulting, this census mistake carries serious consequences for both the Hamlet of Davin and the Rural Municipality of Lajord," Goodale said in a statement posted on his website.

Goodale said funding for small communities such as Davin is determined on population numbers provided by Statistics Canada.

Earlier this year, Statistics Canada cautioned that results from the 2011 voluntary National Household Survey, which replaced the mandatory long-form census, were less reliable for communities with fewer than 25,000 residents.

The census had a response of 68 per cent – well below the 94 per cent response rate for the traditional census.

Information on data such as household income determine social spending in areas such as education and health care, said Winnipeg NDP MP Pat Martin, who's the party's opposition critic for public works and government services.

"In many ways, it's the most vulnerable who are being left off the census roles now," Martin said.

Jino Distasio, director of the Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Winnipeg, said he's calling on the federal government to restore the mandatory long-form census.

"We can't tell the real story of how Canadian communities are struggling," he said.

Statistics Canada said in a statement it has been asked to review 253 requests for information pertaining to the 2011 census. The government agency did not say if the reviews stem from poor survey results.

With a report from CTV's Jill Macyshon