Census nightmare: The calls keep coming from Statistics Canada

A Saint John man is getting tired of being hounded by people from Statistics Canada telling him to complete the 2016 census when he's already done so.

Dave Mantinsays he filled out the online form after receiving his census notification, yet he keeps getting reminder calls to complete the mandatory census.

"About a week later, they come to the door and said, 'Did you fill out your census?' I said, 'Yes, here's the form. Look, it's all signed up.'"

A few days later, there was a phone call from the agency asking whether Mantin had filled out the census. He indicated he did and gave the confirmation number he'd been given.

Then the census representative started asking him the questions that were on the census.

"Ianswered the whole thing," said Mantin.

"Well, the very next day it's Stats Canada on the phone again with their 1-800 number."

On that occasion, Statistics Canada wanted to speak to Mantin's wife and asked her the same census questions Mantin had answered the previous day.

"Three days later they called back, so we stopped answering their phone."

Then the family started receiving calls from the 902 area code and from a private number that turned out being Statistics Canada representatives.

"We've been contacted over 30 times already and I don't know when it's going to stop," said Mantin.

We've been contacted over 30 times already and I don't know when it's going to stop.- Dave Mantin

"We feel harassed. You can't call somebody that many times. Even if they owed you money, you couldn't get away with calling somebody that many times."

Statistics Canada director general Marc Hamelsaid Mantin's case "sounds a bit odd."

"If the person shows them they confirmation code that they have, that should be the end of the census," said Hamel.

"The particular circumstances of this case, I don't understand."