Demographic changes in rural Ontario differ significantly from urban Ontario, the third set of 2014 Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets report.
Norman Ragetlie, director of policy and stakeholder engagement at the Rural Ontario Institute says, “14 of Ontario’s 27 non-metro census divisions experienced population decline in 2011-12, compared to only one of 22 census divisions in metro and partially non-metro census divisions.”
Ragetlie continues, “Almost half the non-metropolitan census divisions in the province experienced more deaths than births, unlike metro and partially non-metro census divisions, where over three-quarters experienced more births than deaths. This just illustrates that a larger proportion of the population in rural Ontario is older and past the child-bearing years.”
This set of fact sheets shows that immigration continues to be a big factor in urban areas but remains insignificant in rural regions.
Ragetlie explains, “Probably the most important thing to pay attention to is that internal migration (usually from the neighbouring census division, but also within the province or country) can be the most significant factor in population change for rural regions. We’re looking forward to sharing the next set of fact sheets because they dive deeper into what age groups are moving in rural areas and where they’re coming from.”
The fact sheets are based on Statistics Canada data and are part of a six-part series, profiling key figures on population, immigration/migration patterns, youth employment and economic trends.
All of the fact sheets are available for download at: http://ruralontarioinstitute.ca/focus-on-rural-ontario.aspx.
Many organizations do not have the capacity to access and analyze Statistics Canada data, so the Rural Ontario Institute commissioned this series to help build understanding of key trends affecting this huge region of the province.
The Rural Ontario Institute is a non-profit organization committed to developing leaders, initiating dialogue, supporting collaboration and promoting action on issues and opportunities facing rural Ontario.
