THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay has one of the highest concentrations of seniors in Canada, and one of the lowest concentrations of people 14 and younger.
According to 2016 census data released on Wednesday by Statistics Canada, 19.8 per cent of residents in the community are aged 65 and older, the eighth highest total in the nation, 2.9 percentage points higher than the Canadian average.
Calgary had the lowest proportion of seniors in Canada, at 11 per cent, while Trois Rivieres, Que. had the most per capita, at 22.3 per cent.
Thunder Bay, at just 14.6 per cent, has the fifth fewest number of children 14 and younger, two percentage points lower than Canada as a whole. Lethbridge, Alta. led the category at 19.1 per cent, while Victoria came in last at 13.1 per cent.
Statistics Canada released its second batch of data from the 2016 census, on age, sex and type of dwelling.
The report points out the first baby boomers turned 65 in 2011, the year the last census was taken, many of whom have left the labour market and are now seeking health-care and other age-related service.
Nationwide, there are more seniors in Canada (5.9 million) than people 14 and younger (5.8 million), for the first time in the country’s 150-year history.
