Census
The first Canadian national census
The Constitution Act (1867) required that a national census be undertaken every 10 years. The first of these was held in 1871. While it was a “national” census, it included only the four original provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick), even though both Manitoba and British Columbia were also part of Confederation by this date. 1931 is the last census available for access online. Under the Statistics Act, census records are protected for 92 years to ensure privacy, meaning the 1941 census will not become publicly accessible until 2033.
The people hired to go door to door in a community were usually residents of the Parish or City and referred to as enumerators. Obviously being able to read and write, too often the enumerator recorded the name as it sounded, not as it was actually spelled. They were sworn to confidentiality.
The list on the left includes residents of Forest City, Pemberton Ridge, Green Mountain, Fosterville, North Lake, Eel River/Maxwell.
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