AIRDRIE, ALBERTA – The City of Airdrie is pleased to announce that two City departments, Information Technology and Legislative Services, have recently been recognized for outstanding achievement.

On September 25, 2014, the City’s Information Technology and Legislative Services departments received the 2014 Minister’s Awards for Municipal Excellence for Outstanding Achievement for the Online Census. The Outstanding Achievement Award is the pinnacle of achievements when it comes to municipal excellence.

“With so many excellent projects and initiatives completed or underway in urban and rural municipalities across the province it is a privilege for the City of Airdrie to receive the Municipal Excellence award for Outstanding Achievement for the Online Census. This award is the culmination of ten years of teamwork, collaboration and innovation by City staff who knew there must be a better way of conducting a census,” says Corey Halford, Team Leader, Data Services.

In 2005, the City began to replace the paper-based census with web-based technologies and methodologies developed by city staff. The City began offering online census services to other municipalities in Alberta in 2007 and in 2014, 20 Alberta municipalities contracted the City to use hosted services of the Online Census.

Online Census facts:

• Airdrie’s 2014 census saved at least 21,500 sheets (214 lbs) of paper
• For all census customers in 2014 we would have saved 115,000 sheets (1,150 lbs) of paper
• Since 2008, the online census has saved 395,000 sheets (3,950 lbs) of paper
• Since 2008, the online census has counted a total population of 950,138 across all municipalities that have used the system

Contact Corey Halford, Team Leader, Data Services at 403.948.8800 ext. 8706 for more information.