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Smaller communities help fuel London region's booming growth: Census

The London region is among Canada's fastest-growing metropolitan areas – and the fastest in Ontario – with its population growing by an astonishing 10 per cent in the last five years, new census data released Wednesday shows.

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The London region is among Canada’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas – and the fastest in Ontario – with its population growing by an astonishing 10 per cent in the last five years, new census data released Wednesday shows.

That tied the London Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which takes in Strathroy, St. Thomas and portions of Elgin and Middlesex counties, for the third fastest-growing among 41 Canadian metropolitan centres along with Kamloops and Nanaimo, B.C., Statistics Canada figures show.

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Only Kelowna and Chilliwack, B.C., grew at a faster pace, at 14 per cent and 12.1 per cent respectively.

Driven largely by immigration, Canada’s population grew by 1.8 million since 2016, now sitting at 36.9 million, Statistics Canada said.

The London area’s growth rate over the past five years was almost double the national average (5.2 per cent) and also blew away Ontario’s rate (5.8 per cent). The London area’s population now sits at 543,551.

The City of London itself also saw a significant growth of 10 per cent over the 2016-2021 period.

It’s a dramatic shift from the 2011-2016 census when the city grew by 4.1 per cent – a growth rate that lagged both the province and the country. The city’s population has now officially pushed past the 400,000 mark, with a total population of 422,324.

“I would have been very surprised if we hadn’t experienced quite a bit of growth, but to just be the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Ontario, that is noteworthy,” said Don Kerr, a demographer and professor at King’s University College.

“Even before the pandemic, our city was growing. We can’t overstate the fact that we’re looking at 2016 through to 2021. That’s a five-year period.”

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The region’s high ranking is also the result of some of the growth seen in London’s neighbouring communities.

Lucan, for instance, was in the top 25 communities in the country after growing by an impressive 20.9 per cent. After losing people in the previous census, Strathroy-Caradoc grew by 14.4 per cent.

Lucan Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson said she expected to see strong growth for her community, but admitted she was shocked by the final figure.

“To be quite frank, I’m still digesting it,” she said.

Burghardt-Jesson credited Lucan’s proximity to London for its strong showing.

“We are close to an incredible urban neighbour, where we have access to world-renowned, world-leading health care, higher education and employment opportunities,” she said. “That has certainly has played into our attractiveness.”

So did Lucan’s relative affordability to the Forest City, where a few years ago homes were significantly cheaper than those in London.

“It’ll be interesting, in the years to come, to see how the closing of that (affordability) gap affects us, but that being said, I don’t see a slowdown on the horizon for Lucan Biddulph,” Burghardt-Jesson said.

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Migration from people outside Canada and other parts of the country and the province has been the driver of the recent growth for London and surrounding communities.

But not all cities across Southwestern Ontario have benefited equally from the mass migration from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Communities east of London, such as St. Thomas (10.1 per cent) and Woodstock (13.6 per cent) saw robust growth.

Those further away from the GTA and London’s own orbit of influence saw weaker numbers. Chatham-Kent’s population, for instance, grew by only 2.3 per cent while Sarnia stagnated at 0.6 per cent.

For some, “the remoteness” of some areas continues to be an issue, Kerr said.

“The further you get away from the largest metropolitan areas, the more difficult it is to sort of benefit from that” spillover from the GTA, he said.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said the census figures do not reflect the reality the city is now experiencing, especially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the last year in particular, which is basically outside of the census, growth has been incredible,” Bradley said, noting the city has set new records for the highest number of building permits issued and home sales.

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“I don’t dispute the census numbers, but they were accurate three or four years ago. Today, we’re dealing with major growth issues.”

Still, Bradley lamented the figures, saying they can impact the type of support Sarnia could receive in the next few years.

“When you’re trying to get money for housing, money for other services in the community, that’s the figure that’s often used,” he said.

jjuha@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/JuhaatLFPress


WHAT OTHERS SAID

“Whether it’s the residential side or the industrial side, it’s all being driven by what’s happening in the GTA and people moving west looking for affordability. We probably have five times the level of interest than we have land.” Brad Hammond, development officer for Woodstock.

“It’s bringing amenities to St. Thomas that would have been a decade further away without this type of growth, whether it’s in shopping, roads or new areas in town that just wouldn’t have been here at the old 25,000 population.” St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston.

“We all know that there’s been growth in our communities. That goes without saying by looking at the number of building permits, , the value of the building permits, and the amount of work that’s going on in every community in Middlesex County. I think it’s a good news story for us.” Alison Warwick, Middlesex County’s warden.


BY THE NUMBERS – POPULATION GROWTH RATES

Canada: 5.2%

Ontario: 5.8%

London CMA: 10%

City of London: 10%

Woodstock: 13.6%

St. Thomas: 10.1%

Sarnia: 0.6%

Chatham-Kent: 2.3%

Stratford: 6%

Windsor: 5.7%

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