Brandon grows by 6.1%

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This article was published 09/02/2017 (3166 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s population increased by 6.1 per cent since 2011, exceeding both the national and provincial growth rates.

Statistics Canada released the first batch of numbers from the 2016 census on Wednesday. The data shows the number of people living in Brandon has increased from 46,061 five years ago to 48,859 in 2016.

“Obviously you want growth. It’s healthy for a community as opposed to a community that’s stagnating or going backwards,” said Mayor Rick Chrest. “You prefer good, solid, steady growth as opposed to … a boom or bust scenario.”

The city’s growth rate was above the national growth rate of 5.0 per cent, while the population of Manitoba increased by 5.8 per cent.

“We’ve certainly been enjoying more solid growth in the last decade or so,” Chrest said.

“But still in my view, it’s on the manageable side.”

Sandy Trudel, the city’s director of economic development, said the new data is on par with what they had projected — roughly one to 1.5 per cent growth each year.

“There wasn’t any huge surprises — obviously it’s really positive to see that our population growth exceeded that of both Canada and Manitoba, so I think that’s a really positive message,” Trudel said.

Two main goals in economic development are to grow the population and grow the economic base.

As the population grows, Trudel explains, the available workforce also grows, as does local spending.

“When you see population growth, typically all of your spinoff growth will follow,” Trudel said, which includes more professional services, retailers, etc.

A major contributor to Brandon’s continued population growth is immigration.

Since the last census in 2011, Brandon’s population has grown by nearly 2,800 people.

According to immigration statistics compiled by the city, immigration numbers between 2012-15 equates to roughly 2,200 people.

While the correlation is clearly evident, Trudel points out they can’t say definitively if the immigrants recorded during those years were here during the time of the census.

“Immigration continues to be a major driver in our population growth, but we know it’s not the only driver,” she said.

The economic downturn has resulted in many people returning to Manitoba from Alberta’s oilfields.

In addition, Brandon has seen a significant increase in birth rates, which also contributes to the population increase.

According to Manitoba Health figures, Brandon Regional Health Centre recorded the highest-ever birth rate in 2014-15 with 749. To compare, back in 2005-06, the rate was 566.

The increasing population has put pressure on Brandon School Division, which is in desperate need of a new school.

Trudel views this as a positive challenge, and points out infrastructure and investments are driven by pressure.

“By having this population growth, it’s putting increased growth in our schools, which now is going to spur additional investment, which then benefits everybody,” Trudel said.

The same goes for the housing market. With more people vying for homes, it’s driving up the cost, but that pressure on the market is what sparks more development.

“It gives builders the confidence to put new units in the ground, which benefits everybody because then you get all of this new housing stock coming in,” Trudel said.

Mayor Chrest agrees the new census data will support Brandon School Division’s case to the province for a new school and other infrastructure initiatives the city is eyeing.

“The fact that we’re continuing to grow at a significant pace will certainly be good evidence for those various projects,” he said.

Brandon’s census agglomeration, which includes the City of Brandon, as well as the Rural Municipalities of Cornwallis, Whitehead and Elton, has recorded a population increase of 5.8 per cent.

In 2011, the population was 54,847, compared to 58,003 in 2016.

Urban centres tend to see faster population growth, compared to its rural counterparts, which Chrest says is simply the reality across Canada and the world.

“They want to be near somewhere that has recreation facilities, and swimming pools and stores and restaurants, hockey rinks and on and on,” he said.

“I’m proud of the fact that we’re a major service centre for western Manitoba, but it just continues to grow and grow the expectations on urban centres to carry the ball for more than just the people that are your local citizens.”

Canada’s population on census day — May 10, 2016 — was 35,151,728, Statistics Canada reported. Manitoba’s population was 1,278,365 in 2016.

The new data published this week is the first of several releases to come from Statistics Canada over the next year that will eventually paint a detailed picture of the country, right down to the local level — including age breakdowns of the population, family makeup, languages spoken, immigration and ethnic origin, the level of education attained and income earned.

Future census releases will give more insight to explain the reasons behind the population changes — whether it’s related mostly to changes in birth and death rates, immigration or interprovincial migration.

» jaustin@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

» Twitter: @jillianaustin