P.E.I.’s population had the highest rate of growth in Atlantic Canada, according to census data released by Statistics Canada Wednesday.
The province increased its population by 4,353 people over the past five years, an increase of 3.2 per cent. In 2006, just under 136,000 people lived in the province. That number has grown to more than 140,000.
The census report released by Statistics Canada Wednesday says this puts P.E.I. among the provinces with the largest increases in growth between 2006 and 2011.
“Immigration was the main factor explaining the increase in Prince Edward Island,” the report states.
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The Provincial Nominee Program facilitated these immigration increases. Although dogged by controversy, the PNP did attract thousands of newcomers to the province.
Long-term retention of these newcomers continues to be an issue, however.
A recent report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada evaluating Provincial Nominee Programs across the country showed P.E.I. has the second-lowest retention rate of PNP immigrants in the country.
That report showed only 36.6 per cent of newcomers who came to the Island through the PNP in 2000 were still residing in P.E.I. in 2008.
Wednesday’s census data also detailed population numbers for the Island’s municipalities.
Charlottetown gained the most in population numbers, with an increase of close to 2,400 people. But Stratford had one of the highest percentage increases — a little more than 21 per cent.
Stratford Mayor David Dunphy said he believes the town’s low tax rate is a major factor in its continued growth.
He also said a number of the newcomers to the province have been settling in Stratford.
“Stratford is a fairly quiet, peaceful community and it is close to a main city, being Charlottetown, and I think the quietness is a big factor, a big draw for a lot of immigrants,” Dunphy said.
He added he believes the rapid rate of increase in the town’s population over the past number of years will begin to level off.
“For the past 10 years and five years it’s been fairly brisk so we feel, that to be conservative, the (projected growth) rate will be about two and a half per cent on an annual basis.”
Cornwall also gained residents with a 10-per-cent boost in population, while Montague and Summerside gained only modestly with a 5.2-per-cent increase in Montague and just a 1.7-per-cent increase in Summerside.
Souris, which has been struggling since the closure of the Ocean Choice and Ocean Pride fish plants, lost close to five per cent of its population.
Lot 2, just outside of Tignish, lost the highest number of residents, dropping 168 people.
At the national level, there was a healthy 5.9-per-cent surge in population from the previous census in 2006, giving Canada the fastest growth pace of all the countries in the G8.
While other countries are struggling to maintain their populations, Canada’s is actually picking up speed.
But even with rising immigration in the Atlantic provinces, the pace of growth east of the Ottawa River is still dramatically below the national average, while the West — especially Alberta — is in full gallop.
Saskatchewan has flipped from a period of decline to above-average expansion in just half a decade.
Statistics Canada says the West has proven particularly attractive to newcomers.
At the same time, the western region is also seeing somewhat higher fertility and is luring many residents from other parts of the country.
The Guardian attempted to reach Innovation Minister Allen Roach for comment on this story, but did not receive a response by the time this story was filed.
With files from The Canadian Press
