March 28, 2024

Census: BC has oldest population in Western Canada

As the average age in Canada gets older, the numbers for British Columbia show this province has more old people than anywhere else in Western Canada.

Out of all of the provinces located west of Quebec, British Columbia had the highest share of seniors in 2011, ranking BC sixth in Canada.”

Andre Lebel with Statistics Canada says Metro Vancouver is one of the regions with the lowest proportion of children.

“It’s actually ranked 23 out of 33,” says Lebel. “One interesting thing to notice for BC is there are more people aged 65 and over than children aged zero to 14 in British Columbia.”

Using data from last year’s census, Stats Canada is also reporting the median age in Metro Vancouver is 40 compared to 39 in 2006.

BC is also home to one of the country’s oldest-populated communities.

Nearly half of all the people living in one Vancouver Island town are senior citizens.

“Parksville is the oldest in Canada with 39 per cent and I think Victoria also is one of the oldest,” says Andre Lebel with Statistics Canada.

The aging population is expected to impact funding for health care and education, because the trend for the next census in 2016 shows the senior population will equal that of children.

CKNW Vancouver News

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