THUNDER BAY – Canada’s population is shifting westward. For the first time ever there are now more Canadians living west of Ontario than their are living east of Ontario. Statistics Canada reports, “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”.
In 2011, the population share of the Prairie provinces and British Columbia was 30.7%, for the first time surpassing that of the Atlantic provinces and Quebec combined (30.6%).
Ontario’s population increased 5.7% between 2006 and 2011, compared with a 6.6% increase during the previous five-year period. The main contributors to this slightly slower growth were lower immigration levels and increases in the number of migrants leaving for other parts of the country.
The population of Thunder Bay fell slightly with 108,359 people recorded in 2011, compared to 109,160 in 2006. In the District of Thunder Bay the population also fell from 149,063 in 2006 to 146,057 in 2011.
That represents a 0.7 per cent drop in the City of Thunder Bay and a 2 per cent drop in the District.