Statistics Canada will review its 2011 census numbers for Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou, which show that community's population dropping by 78 per cent since 2006.

Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou is located on the southwest corner of Newfoundland. Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou is located on the southwest corner of Newfoundland. (CBC)

In 2006, Statistics Canada reported the community had 547 residents. But in 2011, census data said the community had 118 residents.

Tammy Farrell, the town clerk of Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou, said to the best of her knowledge, the town's population hasn't changed.

"We had the election there in October (2011) and all the same people were on the voters list," mused Farrell. "So I'm not sure, I don't know how they got their numbers, I'm not sure how they came about getting those numbers."

Farrell added that if 429 people left town, Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou would have no municipal council and she would be out of a job.

Click on the dots to see census information about each community. Red for population growth. Blue for population decline.

Guy Oddo, the Regional Director, Eastern Region, for Statistics Canada, said he understands Farrell's concerns. "It's a big variation in that specific case," observed Oddo. "So I will ask an analyst to contact the local authorities and we'll start an exchange of information to verify everything we've done."

Oddo said questions about StatsCan numbers are rare, since the organization does a quality check of its work before releasing its data to the public.

He said StatsCan cannot change its original numbers on Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou in the 2011 census. But if new information is found in a review, StatsCan will add a footnote to the community's census data.