by John Boivin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice
Silverton might be one of the smallest incorporated villages in the province, but it’s a little bigger today after a population recount by Statistics Canada.
The federal enumerator says it made errors in the 2021 census counts for the community on the shore of Slocan Lake, and is increasing its official population from 149 to 181 residents.
The recount sees Silverton with 32 more souls and 21 more private dwellings than were counted in the May 2021 census.
Mayor Colin Ferguson, who said he “couldn’t wrap his head around” the official population tally when it was released, was satisfied with the revised numbers.
“The change in numbers does not come as a surprise as experience on the ground did not suggest a decrease to anyone on council,” he told the Valley Voice. “Our CAO Viv Thoss reached out to Stats Canada and asked for a recount, and this revealed some discrepancies in their methodology.”
The federal agency says its investigation involved a detailed analysis of all the documents and procedures used in census enumeration and processing.
“The census enumeration forms from the 2021 and 2016 Censuses were compared, street by street, for each part of the village in order to determine if dwellings were missed,” a letter from Stats Can’s Puja Challenger states.
“Maps were checked to verify current boundaries and confirm that all population and dwellings within those boundaries were correctly allocated. … The review identified boundary and misallocation errors between Silverton and the neighbouring census subdivision of Central Kootenay H.”
As a result of the recount, Area H’s official population will drop from 5,045 to 5,020.
Population figures are important for municipal governments, as grants from other levels of government are often apportioned by population.