Is the West the way of the future?

Sonya Khanna

Business Editor

Results of the 2011 census depict a change in the landscape of the Canadian economy, with the greatest growth shown in the Prairies and British Columbia.

The apparent swap of economic strength and population is paving way for the rise of Western Canada, with growth in the West attributed to an increased influx of immigrants between 2006 and 2011.

While the West showed signs of prosperity, Ontario showed the lowest population growth since the 1981 to 1986 period, at 5.7 per cent, due in part to stagnant migratory patterns in the past five years.

The temptation of the booming oil, gas and other resource industries is luring both Canadians and immigrants out West, with the population share of Canada’s Western provinces now exceeding that of the Eastern provinces.

In 2011, the population share of the Prairie provinces and British Columbia combined reached 30.7 per cent; this figure surpasses that of the Atlantic provinces and Quebec combined, at 30.6 per cent.

Despite the growth of the Western provinces previously being attributed primarily to growth in British Columbia, the increased share of the Western provinces since 2006 is based predominantly on the growth of the Prairie provinces - particularly that of Alberta.

Attributable to the slight growth in the fertility rate as well as to an increase in the number of immigrants, the population growth rate of Canada increased faster that of any other member of the Group of 8 industrialized nations between 2006 and 2011.

Despite these promising figures, the 2011 census conveyed a harsh reality, indicating that the rapid growth rate is somewhat of a temporary phenomenon; without a sustained level of immigration cheap viagra online‎ or a surge in fertility, population growth in Canada will come to a halt, at nearly zero per cent.

Although the fastest growth rate among provinces was in Alberta, the highest growth rate nation-wide was observed in Yukon, with a population increase of 11.7 per cent, between 2006 and 2011.

An influx of non-permanent residents, lower outmigration and a small fraction of immigrants accounted for changes in the demographic orientation of Yukon.

Further indication that the future of Canada lies in the West was denoted by the higher than national average of all census metropolitan areas located in Western Canada, between 2006 and 2011, with the exception of Winnipeg and Victoria.

Among other CMAs with substantial growth exceeding the national average two Atlantic cities, Moncton and St. John’s, showed population increases. Population growth in Central Ontario was less than optimal, with sluggish growth patterns depicted in all CMAs in Ontario, with the exception of Toronto, Ottawa Gatineau, Kingston and Brantford.

The manufacturing sector in Ontario took a hard hit due to structural changes in the Canadian economy as well as the global recession of 2008; the manufacturing sector in Ontario has lost more than 300,000 jobs over the past decade.

The auto industry is further evidence of the devastating impacts of the global recession. Over the past five years, Ontario has welcomed nearly 100,000 fewer immigrants than it did in the first half of the decade. However, despite slow growth in Ontario, Milton was among four municipalities in a CMA with a population growth surpassing 50 per cent.

Newfoundland and Labrador exhibited upward demographic trends, with lower outmigration patterns.

Until recently, Central Canada was seen as an economic powerhouse.

It is uncertain whether Western Canada will serve to sustain the Canadian economy, with its plentiful resources and employment prospects; however, changes in population trends shed light on the changing landscape of Canada.