There were over more than 6.3 million people living in rural Canada in 2011.
Every time Statistics Canada releases a new census of the population, there is an inevitable debate about the continuing urbanization of Canada. It is true that there are fewer people living in rural areas now as a percentage of the overall population, but a closer look shows that the rural population in close proximity to urban areas is, in reality, growing at a fairly strong pace.
One of the problems, of course, is what is considered 'urban' or 'rural'. Statistics Canada defines the rural population as persons living outside centres with a population of 1,000 and outside of areas with 400 persons per square kilometre. In other words, a community's urban-ness is based on population density, not absolute size.
While statisticians debate definitions, the urban/rural divide is fuelling new discussions about taxes and services in many Canadian cities.
In the 2011 Census, Statistics Canada replaced the term 'urban area' with 'population centre'. Population centres are classified into one of three population size groups. Small population centres have a population of between 1,000 and 29,999 while medium population centres have a population of between 30,000 and 99,999. Large urban population centres consist of a population of 100,000 and over. Remember, this is just the 'urban' population, which is not the same as a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or Census Agglomeration (CA) area, which have both urban and rural population components.
There were over more than 6.3 million people living in rural Canada in 2011. The number of people living in rural areas has remained relatively consistent since 1991. However, because of the increase in urban population, the percentage of Canadians living in rural Canada has been slowly declining and now stands at 18.9 per cent.
But the population living in rural areas in close proximity to urban centres is rising. Within CMA and CA areas, the rural population is growing quite strongly – particularly in certain parts of the country.
Atlantic Canada is a good case in point. The population in the Halifax CMA is 21.5 per cent rural. There are 84,000 people living in rural areas inside the Halifax CMA up from 76,000 a decade ago.
The Moncton CMA, one the top five fastest growing in Canada, has a rural population of 28,000 – or more than 20 per cent of the area. The Charlottetown CA includes a rural population of more than 30 per cent and the Fredericton CA, which grew by more than 9 per cent from 2006 to 2011, features more than one third of its population living in rural areas.
While the concentration of the rural population within CMAs/CAs is not as pronounced in the rest of Canada, on an absolute basis it is still substantial. The Ottawa-Gatineau CMA has 143,000 people living in rural areas. The Edmonton CMA features nearly 100,000 in its rural population.
Even outside the CMA/CA areas, the population considered by Statistics Canada to be 'strongly influenced' by an urban centre grew by a strong 4.3 per cent from 2006 to 2011 while the population in areas with moderate, weak or no CMA/CA influence grew by only 0.7 per cent.
There are considerable policy implications of this convergence of the rural and urban populations, particularly in Atlantic Canada. Where the issue is most acute, city mayors grumble that rural dwellers are using city services and infrastructure while not paying their fair share of property taxes. Urban planners complain that a rising suburban and rural population puts unnecessary strain on transportation and other infrastructure – increasing the overall costs for everyone.
An increasing number of Canadians want to have their cake and eat it too. They want a rural lifestyle while benefitting from access to urban opportunities and infrastructure.
David Campbell is an economic development consultant and columnist based in Moncton, New Brunswick. He also authors a daily blog on economic issues in Atlantic Canada which can be found at www.davidwcampbell.com.