Implications of global peak population for Canada’s future: Northern, rural, and remote communities

Abstract

The broad demographic changes that are affecting the Canadian population, including population aging and changes to immigration, will not have the same impact or implications in all places across the country. For communities in the North and rural and remote communities in the South, the patterns of demographic change might be quite different from those faced by cities. There is also considerable diversity among these non-urban areas. Non-urban hinterlands that are within commuting distance of cities (high Metropolitan Influence) have been growing, with some being reclassified as parts of urban agglomerations. Population change in rural areas that are outside of urban influence is more closely related to employment dynamics in particular sectors, especially agriculture and resource extraction. Populations of many of those communities have been declining and aging due to out-migration of young adults and a lack of immigration. In the North, where populations are younger, resource development has meant rapid change to Northern communities and cultures. Current challenges for Northern, rural and remote communities include potential labour force skills shortages and adapting infrastructure to a changing population, in the context of difficult geography. Future issues related to population change have implications for social cohesion. In the North, there is a risk of widening socioeconomic inequality, particularly between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. In the South, disparities in lifestyles and labour force experiences between rural and urban populations might also grow. Recommendations for knowledge development include more research on the effective recruitment and retention of professionals, including immigrants, in these areas, as well as better sources of data on Northern populations.