2011 Census

[Glacier]

Statscan released population data today from the 2011 census. Highlights:

- Canada grew by 6% making it the fastest growing country in the developed world.
- Kelowna was the 4th fastest growing city in Canada (only Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon grew faster). Don't tell Onestep about this one!
- Canada continues to shrink in rural and remote places while continuing to concentrate more and more along the U.S. border and in the urban centres.
- For the first time in Canadian history, there are more people living west of Ontario than to the east.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -main.html

[Queen K]

Is it growing via birthrate or by immigration? I take it that stat takes in account the death rate too.

[Glacier]

2/3 by immigration and 1/3 by births. Yes, of course deaths are taken into account when determining the growth rate. Here is how all the regional districts in BC matched up (notice that northern and remote districts continue to shrink.

[Queen K]

I wonder how much the 10% increase is in terms of the retired or soon to be retired crowd. Why is IH delaying a healthcare center in Westbank again? To increase ER crisis's to max level again?

And apparently we've got a condo overbuild, why is that again with the 10% pop. increase?

[Glacier]

Selected places around the Okanagan:

[Queen K]

So people are moving out of the ski resorts. And Naramata too. Everywhere else is growing.

[Glacier]

Apparently, but if you look at elsewhere in BC you notice a trend away from the remote and rural toward the cities. The two largest non-native communities in the Chilcotin (Anahim Lake and Alexis Creek) are both down over 40%. Dease Lake is way down, Kitimat is down, even the "booming" town of Fort Nelson is down 1.5%.

Not all cities are growing and not all rural areas are shrinking, but there sure appears to be a strong trend in this direction.

[Queen K]

Hmm, sounds like if someone wants a rural lifestyle, they could sell here and buy there and have money leftover for living the rural dream.

[LoneWolf_53]

I wonder if those moves from rural to larger cities might be the result of escalating fuel prices?

Some places like Silverstar have taken a major hit from the look of those numbers.

[metallica]

We have friends who chose the Rural lifestyle and have returned. They require being closer to a hospital and quicker Ambulance responce time.

[Queen K]

I wouldn't mind trying it for a while, but would have to have a way to earn a bit of cash while out there. I know where an organic garlic farm is outside of Greenwood, that kind of thing would interest me if it paid off.

[Bagotricks]

I wonder if those moves from rural to larger cities might be the result of escalating fuel prices?

Government cutbacks. Ever try to get Legal Aid or seniors care in Fruitvale BC?

[Urbane]

Government cutbacks. Ever try to get Legal Aid or seniors care in Fruitvale BC?

It's amazing how many times the term "government cutbacks" pops up. Another favourite is "government money-grab" in relation to taxation. Funny.

[Glacier]

Bagotricks has a point, but why on earth does someone need legal representation in Fruitvale? Perhaps this is why people are moving to the cities - they cannot fathom living three hours away from the nearest lawyer office.

My mom has lived in a rural community for over 40 years. She chose to leave the big city (and all its amenities) back in the 60s for the remote life far from legal aid and medical services. If she needs legal services she makes the 3 hour trek to the city (which used to take 3 times that 50 years ago).

I'm not totally sure why we continue to urbanize (not to be confused with Urbane-ize*), but I'm not the only one who's mystified. Experts predicted that rural communities would grow with the onset of the internet age because people could live far from their clients if they so choose, but this trend has not occurred at all. I haven't looked into it, but I'm almost wondering if the reverse is true, in that people with remote and northern clients choose to live in large southern cities.

Certainly, the government has moved this way by moving oil and gas offices in the Peace to Kelowna, closing down their BC Assessment offices in places like Vernon and moving them to Kelowna, closing down smaller forestry offices and moving them to larger centres, etc. It's likely that the private sector has taken cues from the government, especially when they don't have to mill lumber in the same area in which the wood is harvested anymore.

Additionally, I suspect that an aging population prefers the city more than a younger one. Really, there many be nothing wrong with urbanization, but there are studies that link increased urbanization to increased income inequality, which is an undesired outcome (although not without debate).




*Urbane-ized: adj. to be shot down by Urbane.
eg. BoB: Grrr, you're so drunk!
Urbane: You’re right Bessie, and you’re ugly. But tomorrow morning, I’ll be sober.
ToM: Whoa BoB, you've been Urbane-ized.



ETA: Interesting info: http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensem ... K=PR&GC=59

[sooperphreek]

interesting how much the indian reserve in kamloops grew. being that it is one of the richer bands in the interior i bet its a nice place to live near the ski hill and stuff.