The 1931 Census of Canada has been free on Ancestry.ca since the beginning of June, but that will end on Thursday, August 17, at 11:59 p.m Eastern time.
To view these census records during the remainder of the free-access period, you must register for free on Ancestry.ca with your name and email address. They will then send you a username and password to access the records. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using an Ancestry.ca paid membership.
Library and Archives Canada
The 1931 census will continue to be free on Library and Archive Canada’s website. Right now, it is only browsable, but that will change. Once the indexing has been completed, the census will be searchable in the Census Search section.
I won’t be surprised if the completed index appears on LAC’s website soon after Ancestry’s free-access period ends.
On July 27, LAC said:
“LAC is working collaboratively with Ancestry and FamilySearch International to create an advanced searchable database for Canadians and those with Canadian heritage who wish to look for their ancestors.
“FamilySearch is actively verifying the computer-generated index. As soon as this step is completed, LAC will begin the process of sharing the fully searchable index online for free via Census Search.
“You can bookmark LAC’s ‘Preparing the 1931 Census’ web page to stay up to date on the project’s status.”
