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The changing face of the family

Traditional unions down in Winnipeg, across Canada

By: Kevin Rollason

Thursday, Sep. 20, 2012 at 8:34 AM | Comments: 0

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Andrew and Nikita Ross went the traditional-marriage route as they felt it was right for them, after having lived common law.

When it comes to families in Winnipeg and Canada, think of us as more Modern Family than Leave it to Beaver.

But whether families are traditional marriage, common-law or single-parent, one thing is for certain: the numbers have changed since the last census taken in 2006.

The results of the 2011 census, released Wednesday by Statistics Canada, show there were 198,065 families in Winnipeg, up from the 189,790 recorded just five years before. For census purposes, families are married or common-law couples and single parents.

Of those families, the percentage of married couples -- whether they have children or not -- dropped to 70.2 per cent from 70.8 per cent in 2006. Part of the reason for the drop was the increase in common-law-couple families to 11.7 per cent from 10.7 per cent.

During the same period, there was a significant jump in the number of same-sex couples in Winnipeg, to 1,155 from 755.

Manitoba chief statistician Wilf Falk said one conclusion can be drawn from the census.

"The numbers are showing us our society is changing, and it has been changing for a period of time," he said.

"There's a lot more common-law marriages and other living arrangements than there used to be... you also have more people living on their own, whether divorced or widowed. You have a lot of moving parts there.

"Manitoba is not a static environment, nor is Canada."

Nikita and Andrew Ross fall into the traditional-marriage category, one they know is gradually getting smaller.

"I think a lot of traditions are on the downward slide and marriage is one of them," Andrew said.

"For us, it was the right thing to do -- I lived with her for four years, and knew this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

Adds Nikita: "I know a few couples who have been common-law for decades and will never get married. It works for them.

"But I wouldn't have jumped into marriage togetherness if I didn't know this was right."

Helen Fallding and her partner, Jo-Anne, got married in 2010. While she knows the number of same-sex couples is growing in the province, she's not sure if it's as dramatic as the statistics show.

"It is more a question of the people willing to identify themselves," Fallding said.

"The 2006 census was the first time you could identify, so a lot of people were very nervous about it. Who had access to that information? I think the change now is people are being more comfortable, it is confidential, and (people) are identifying.

"I don't think there was a great wave of people going gay and shacking up."

Melissa Budyk and her partner David Stoddart have lived common law for four years.

While she's fine where she is now, she'd also like to move to the married category, but there are expenses. "Weddings are so costly these days," Budyk said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

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