The Village of Aylesbury is out $7,500 or 50 per cent of their revenue this year after Statistics Canada miscounted their population size in the last census.

In the 2011 Canada wide census, which is conducted every five years, Aylesbury was reported as having a population of 10 residents and five private dwellings in use.

The actual number is 42 residents and 23 private dwellings, recently corrected by Stats Can and posted to their website. Unfortunately for Aylesbury, their provincial and federal grant money will still be based on 10 residents and five dwellings for this year, resulting in the $7,500 loss.

Jeff Murray, administrator for the Village of Aylesbury, said they are getting no help for the wrong numbers from the provincial or federal government, which was not the village’s fault in any way, and will just have to suck up the revenue loss.

“They are not going to be doing anything for it,” said Murray. “I’m not sure why, but that’s the way it is I guess.”

Murray got the population numbers corrected by submitting an ISC map showing the boundaries of Aylesbury and all the utility bills of the residents that had a civic address on it to Stats Can, so when the gas tax fund is distributed next June the village will get its actual amount.

“The (village) is not going to get their money (lost this year) in lieu,” he said. “Next year, they’re not going to increase it by the amount they should be, so (Aylesbury) lost that funding.”

Murray said the village did not increase its millrate to compensate for the mistake and will be dipping into savings this year to bandage the loss.

Laurent Roy, Statistics Canada manager of formal reviews of population counts, said this is “common” for a Stats Can census. He said in 2006, when the last census was conducted, 100 municipalities out of about 5,000 in Canada were found to have wrong numbers and had to be corrected.

“It looks like it will be the same amount this year,” said Roy. “There are 5,000 municipalities, so it is still a small amount of 100 corrections.”

He said it is the provincial government that deals with the grant money for municipalities, so Stats Can has no say in whether Aylesbury will be compensated for its loss.

Roy said the province will use the corrected numbers on the Stats Can website next year so any difficulties that were encountered this year should not be repeated.