M. McKinnon
While the country as a whole is growing at a rate unmatched anywhere in the industrialized world, the population of the Northwest continued to decline over the past five years.
District population was down across the board: by almost 7,000 in the Kenora district (-10.6%, to 57,607), by 3,000 in the Thunder Bay district (-2%, to 146,057) and by 1,200 in the Rainy River district (-5.5%, to 20,370).
The decline was especially sharp in Atikokan. The Census counted just 2,787 people here in 2011, down 506, or 15.4%, from 2006.
That was about the severest decline in the region. Ignace lost 229 residents, or 16%, and is now at 1,202. The population of the Rainy River District unorganized area was down 272, or 19%, to 1,159. Marathon lost 510 residents (13.2%) and now has 3,353.
Rainy River was down 7.4% (67) to 842. Dryden was down 7.1% (588) to 7,617. Emo was off 4.1% (53) to 1,252. Red Lake was down 3.5% (160) to 4,366. Sioux Lookout declined 2.8% (146) to 5,037. Fort Frances was down 1.9% (151) to 7,952, but Couchiching FN was up 15.2% (95), from 891 to 796
Kenora held its own, gaining 171 residents (1.1%) to 15,348, as did Thunder Bay (down 0.7% (700) to 108,359).
Nationally
The population of Canada increased 5.9% between the 2006 and 2011 censuses, compared with a 5.4% increase during the previous five-year period. The 2011 Census enumerated 33,476,688 people in Canada, compared with 31,612,897 in 2006.
The increase in the growth rate was attributable to slightly higher fertility and to an increase in the number of non-permanent residents and immigrants.
Canada’s population increased at a faster rate than the population of any other member of the G8 group of industrialized nations between 2006 and 2011. This was also the case between 2001 and 2006.
Net international migration (the difference between immigrants and emigrants) accounted for two-thirds of Canada’s population growth during the last 10 years, and natural increase (the difference between births and deaths) for about one-third. In contrast, recent population growth in the United States has been mainly the result of natural increase.
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