Town of Faro, Yukon, wants transient workers to count toward municipal funding

The Town of Faro wants to conduct a census that accounts for its transient workers. Mayor Jack Bowers believes the headcount will help ensure the town receives territorial funding that reflects an accurate number of people who rely on municipal services.

"We've always believed that our numbers have been somewhat underreported," Bowers said.

"So the census is really needed to give some legitimacy to what that real number would be."

According to its first quarter population report, the Yukon Bureau of Statistics (YBS) listed Faro's population at 467. 

But Bowers estimates there are more than 500 people in town, saying the YBS numbers do not include numerous visiting construction crews. He also expects hundreds will arrive in the area for the Faro Mine Remediation Project.

All of these people would contribute waste to Faro's landfill, which is set to become a regional one.

"This census is significant to us in that it represents fair financial contribution for us to help cover the actual costs of running the landfill," Bowers said.

"There's all kinds of environmental liabilities for us becoming a regional landfill and looking after everybody else's solid waste."

Faro's mayor is just one rural stakeholder concerned with how population impacts a funding stream Yukon communities depend on: the comprehensive municipal grant. The grant helps municipalities pay for basic services such as water, waste water and waste collection.

Support for a municipal census

Samantha Crosby, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Services, said the Yukon Bureau of Statistics does not include transient workers when it gathers population data.

Population — of a given community and its surrounding area — is just one factor into how much money municipalities receive from the grant. Others include properties, infrastructure, long-term costs of infrastructure and a community's ability to raise revenue through fees and taxes. The grant is also tied to inflation and calculated each year.

So far, the Yukon Government has referred Faro to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, which has advice for how the town could conduct a municipal census.

"We've been supporting by providing advice and I think once a path forward is identified, then we would talk about how we could support them," Crosby said.

The Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) echoes Bowers' concerns about rural Yukon's population. At a recent board meeting, members decided that they also want to explore the idea of conducting a census.

Crosby said Statistics Canada does gather information on transient workers when it conducts its census every five years. The next one is scheduled for 2026 with results available the year after.

AYC president Ted Laking believes a census should be done at the municipal level, saying people might not be home on census day. He said discussions have started with the Yukon Government on the matter.

Looking toward the territorial budget next spring, Laking said there are changes to the way municipalities are funded that need to be made.

"Because what will happen eventually, if communities are not properly funded or made sustainable in the long term, is that services will start to degrade. They will become less desirable to live in," Laking said.

"And then eventually what we see is sort of a domino effect of people leaving rural Yukon."