Immigration reverses Saint John's population decline, city data shows
Connell Smith | CBC News | Posted: April 9, 2019 10:10 AM | Last Updated: April 9, 2019
Saint John was the only census metropolitan area in Canada with a decline in population in the 2016 census
The city of Saint John has reversed its trending decline in population.
City officials have declared that new immigrants and lower rates of interprovincial out-migration are responsible for an increase of 1,233 people since the 2016 census.
"This is a significant rebound," said David Dobbelsteyn, the city's population growth manager.
"The data is clearly suggesting that people are not leaving to the same degree that they were and more importantly, is we're increasing the amount of people who are moving here through immigration."
The city's internal numbers show immigrants account for 91 per cent of that growth. The vast majority of them are settling in Millidgeville, in the city's north end.
According to Dobbelsteyn, 25 per cent of the population there does not speak English or French as a first language.
A diverse community
The biggest cohort of recent arrivals is from China. Other groups are from Syria, South Korea, Lebanon and Ukraine.
"This represents around 500 new families to the city with all the demand that they require both for housing and for goods and services," said Dobbelsteyn.
Coun. Gary Sullivan, who lives in Millidgeville, says he's not surprised by the numbers.
"Our community is getting much more diverse," said Sullivan. "Just walking down the street, hanging out at the Yacht Club, I see many, many different nationalities and cultures represented."
"It's fantastic for Saint John."
Statistics Canada will not release new municipal population estimates until results from the 2021 census are compiled.
But the city has been poring over its own records on residential units, water and electricity customers, data from the Saint John census metropolitan area, and county population estimates, which are released more frequently.
The city's population makes up 91 per cent of Saint John County.
Population growth still modest
The 2016 census revealed Saint John's population had fallen to a population of 67, 575 — that's 3.6 per cent since the previous 2011 census.
This made it the only census metropolitan area in the country showing a decline, and officially ended Saint John's tenure as the province's largest city. Instead, Saint John came in second place behind rival Moncton, which grew to 71,889.
And while Saint John is growing once again, the growth remains modest, at just under 1 per cent, according to Dobbelsteyn.
And immigration levels must continue at or above the current rate if it is to be sustained because an aging population makes natural growth — more births than deaths — less reliable.