[jasonashhh]

Population
Greater Halifax has the largest population east of Québec City and north of Boston and it ranks thirteenth among all metropolitan areas in Canada. As of the 2006 Statistics Canada 2006, Halifax's population was 372,855 persons, this was an increase of 3.8% over the 2001 Census.

Halifax's population continues to grow; in 2010, Statistics Canada projected that the population had grown 8.1% over 2005 to approximately 403,188 persons.

www.greaterhalifax.com

This just shows we blew what they say our rival Moncton out the water I personally think we should start picking on Quebec City and grabbing some of there ideas and using them for our own. Were not up to population with Quebec City but we can continue to domitate my thought our population was always 375,000 put where up another 26,000 people and that's just 2010 where in 2011 now and more development are taking place like Kings Wharf etc, Like weekend I was in Moncton and I got to admit they ran out of Downtown in two minutes of driving they were back to homes and side streets. Halifax is nowheres near that so lets battle and go after Quebec City i'd say hmmmm? :yes::banana:

Population Quick Facts:

59% of residents are under 45 years of age
More than 1/4 are under 20 years of age
Working age student population of 50,000 - due to 5 post - secondary institutions

[someone123]

Halifax seems to be doing okay. It would be a little more interesting and successful if it were a more popular destination for immigrants. To be honest I also think that population growth is less important than economic growth and city planning. There are bad cities much larger than Halifax and good cities that are much less populated.

Moncton isn't a "rival" in the sense of being a contender for the title of first city in the region. The size difference is too great and a lot of things are lacking in Moncton. They compete in certain specific areas as we've seen with the megaconcerts but don't have the same breadth because of the smaller population and second city status. For example, Halifax has a great deal more local musical talent and live shows. In my opinion that is much more interesting than geriatric rock bands who ran out of steam decades ago (if they were ever creative at all). Similarly look at restaurants or theatre or most other things and it's very one-sided.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

We may be second but we try harder!

:banana::banana::banana:

[q12]

Actually 2nd largest in the region, and a more compareable city to Halifax is
St. John's. It is closing in on 200,000 within its Metro population. People seem to forget about.:rolleyes:

[someone123]

Depends on if "region" means Atlantic Canada or Maritimes. I think looking at just the Maritimes makes a little more sense for the purposes of this discussion.

[PoscStudent]

Actually 2nd largest in the region, and a more compareable city to Halifax is
St. John's. It is closing in on 200,000 within its Metro population. People seem to forget about.:rolleyes:

If you actually expand St. John's to the area of other metros or HRM the population would be around 240,000.

[MonctonRad]

Depends on if "region" means Atlantic Canada or Maritimes. I think looking at just the Maritimes makes a little more sense for the purposes of this discussion.

Agree. I think most people think of the Maritimes as a region. St. John's is actually as far away from Halifax as Montreal is. It's a bit like defining Western Canada as a region. I think it is arguable whether or not BC should be lumped in with the Prairies.

In terms of relative importance of St. John's to NF or Halifax to the Maritimes, I think there is some equivalence there. St. John's however is not in direct competition with Halifax.

BTW, in general terms I am OK with the concept that Moncton is Halifax's little brother. That doesn't mean however that Halifax should expect to win every fight. Occasionally little Johnnie has to win one too..... :)

[someone123]

If you actually expand St. John's to the area of other metros or HRM the population would be around 240,000.

I guess, but the areas are based off of commuting patterns. And at any rate you could also play the "arbitrary geographical area" game with Halifax and draw an area around the city of 5,000 square kilometres that has over 400,000 in it. It's also possible that St. John's has a smaller population than Moncton within an area of that size.

Agree. I think most people think of the Maritimes as a region. St. John's is actually as far away from Halifax as Montreal is.

Basically St. John's is not going to have anything that directly serves people in the Maritimes in any appreciable way. People travel between NS/NB/PEI all the time though, often just for daytrips.

[Antigonish]

Halifax seems to be doing okay. It would be a little more interesting and successful if it were a more popular destination for immigrants. To be honest I also think that population growth is less important than economic growth and city planning. There are bad cities much larger than Halifax and good cities that are much less populated.

Moncton isn't a "rival" in the sense of being a contender for the title of first city in the region. The size difference is too great and a lot of things are lacking in Moncton. They compete in certain specific areas as we've seen with the megaconcerts but don't have the same breadth because of the smaller population and second city status. For example, Halifax has a great deal more local musical talent and live shows. In my opinion that is much more interesting than geriatric rock bands who ran out of steam decades ago (if they were ever creative at all). Similarly look at restaurants or theatre or most other things and it's very one-sided.

If there was a +/- rating system on this forum you'd get a +1 good post.

Re: Immigrants they are moving in fast the last few years. Theres been roughly 100 Phillipinos immigrated to Antigonish in the last 2 years. The ones I worked with said they are bringing they're families over and moving to Halifax once they gain their citizenship next year.

[PoscStudent]

I guess, but the areas are based off of commuting patterns. And at any rate you could also play the "arbitrary geographical area" game with Halifax and draw an area around the city of 5,000 square kilometres that has over 400,000 in it. It's also possible that St. John's has a smaller population than Moncton within an area of that size.



Basically St. John's is not going to have anything that directly serves people in the Maritimes in any appreciable way. People travel between NS/NB/PEI all the time though, often just for daytrips.

I was just making a point on the population, I know you don't like Halifax being compared to Moncton or St. John's.

[kwajo]

:previous:

We may be second but we try harder!

:banana::banana::banana:
Moncton hasn't even passed other cities in New Brunswick, so looking to Halifax is a bit far off anyway. Saint John is the same size in residential population and has a greater tax, wealth and industrial base than Moncton, the two are twins for all intents and purposes.

[someone123]

I was just making a point on the population, I know you don't like Halifax being compared to Moncton or St. John's.

It's interesting to compare cities, but you have to do it carefully to avoid producing a misleading result.

Sometimes of course the aim is to produce a certain result, even if it is misleading and the facts get swept under the rug a little. That I do take issue with.

[someone123]

Moncton hasn't even passed other cities in New Brunswick, so looking to Halifax is a bit far off anyway. Saint John is the same size in residential population and has a greater tax, wealth and industrial base than Moncton, the two are twins for all intents and purposes.

Moncton is also well behind Saint John when it comes to history and architecture. In my opinion those are some of the most important characteristics of towns in the Atlantic region because that is what sets them apart from other parts of Canada. The West already has bland suburban towns covered.

[q12]

Moncton is also well behind Saint John when it comes to history and architecture. In my opinion those are some of the most important characteristics of towns in the Atlantic region because that is what sets them apart from other parts of Canada. The West already has bland suburban towns covered.

If I had to rank the Downtown area of Cities in Atlantic Canada for their history, architecture, vibrancy, and overall "feel" it would be something like this:


Halifax
St. John's
Saint John
Charlottetown
Fredericton
Moncton
Sydney


And thanks to King's Wharf I would say Downtown Dartmouth could be included in that list somewhere in the middle.

[MonctonRad]

If I had to rank the Downtown area of Cities in Atlantic Canada for their history, architecture, vibrancy, and overall "feel" it would be something like this:


Halifax
St. John's
Saint John
Charlottetown
Fredericton
Moncton
Sydney



While I tend to detect a strong anti-Moncton bias in your posts q12, I do not disagree with your general assessment.

Halifax, St. John's, Fredericton and Charlottetown are blessed by being capitals of their respective provinces and as such, they have large civil service populations and large provincial universities. This contributes to the economic health of the community and provides a strong support to the local art and culture scene.

Saint John tends to be a gritty working class city, but had a golden age in the late 1800's giving the downtown a healthy stock of heritage buildings that gives the city a certain grandeur that still reflects well today.

Moncton on the other hand is the Johnny-come-lately of Maritime cities. Moncton was only a village until about the 1850's, and didn't really start taking off until the 1880's. The core of our downtown tends to date from the early 20th century and the period of major expansion in Moncton dates from the automobile era, hence we tend to be cursed with urban sprawl and suburban strip malls, not unlike the western Canadian cities that someone alluded to. Neither of our two universities and two hospitals are downtown. This is a major liability. Just think if the VGH and Infirmary, as well as Dal and Saint Mary's were located outside the peninsula in Halifax. It would totally change the character of the city.

So, Moncton does have some liabilities but I like the city anyway. I particularly like the non-Maritime-like dynamism and can-do attitude of the community. I am fascinated by the constant growth in the city. If there is an opportunity to be found, the city will exploit it. I have lived here for 20 years and there are 40,000 more people in the city now than when I first moved here. The city is always changing.

The downtown in Moncton will come. I think if we can get a new downtown events centre built, it will make a big difference to the feel of the area. It will spur additional restuarants and pubs and would make downtown living a more attractive option. Like in most cities, if you want commercial growth in the core, you have to convince people to actually live downtown. The future is bright. :tup:

BTW, this discussion really belongs in the Atlantic Canadian section.

[Helladog]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/Obsceneeyedog/Misc/britneyspears.jpg

:haha:

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

True enough!! :haha:

This has deteriorated into yet another SSP pissing contest.

I remember a time about 25 years ago when the population of Halifax was about 287,000 and the population of Moncton was about 95,000.

Now Halifax is a little over 400,000 while Moncton is nearing 140,000.

That magic 400,000 figure sounds so much larger than 287,000 but when you analyze things, not much has changed.............

Halifax was three times larger than Moncton 25 years ago and still is three times larger.

Plus le change, plus le meme chose............... ;)

[q12]

The downtown in Moncton will come. I think if we can get a new downtown events centre built, it will make a big difference to the feel of the area. It will spur additional restuarants and pubs and would make downtown living a more attractive option. Like in most cities, if you want commercial growth in the core, you have to convince people to actually live downtown. The future is bright. :tup:


I do like the downtown area of Moncton that now includes the Marriott Residence Inn along with the Keg, as well there is a nice Italian Restaurant there. This area is a step in the right direction for Moncton improving it's downtown "feel".

[kwajo]

:previous:

True enough!! :haha:

This has deteriorated into yet another SSP pissing contest.

I remember a time about 25 years ago when the population of Halifax was about 287,000 and the population of Moncton was about 95,000.

Now Halifax is a little over 400,000 while Moncton is nearing 140,000.

That magic 400,000 figure sounds so much larger than 287,000 but when you analyze things, not much has changed.............

Halifax was three times larger than Moncton 25 years ago and still is three times larger.

Plus le change, plus le meme chose............... ;)
Haha, well to be fair I was trying to avoid the typical pissing contest by stating that essentially SJ & Moncton are now twin cities and have the potential to really play off of the other's strengths. Seaport in one, airport in another; industry in one, retail in another; urbanity in one, suburban diversity in another; history in one, modernity in another, etc. There are a great many ways of synergizing the two cities - then we can take on Halifax ;)

[MonctonRad]

Haha, well to be fair I was trying to avoid the typical pissing contest by stating that essentially SJ & Moncton are now twin cities and have the potential to really play off of the other's strengths. Seaport in one, airport in another; industry in one, retail in another; urbanity in one, suburban diversity in another; history in one, modernity in another, etc. There are a great many ways of synergizing the two cities - then we can take on Halifax ;)

Sounds like a plan to me. Let's have at them! :tup:

[reddog794]

Would we could call it the SaJoMo Megalopolis! Halifax would have to create the HalTruWin Triangle, as a response.

[kwajo]

I think a better name for an amalgamated city would be MoJo.

Plus I bet a MoJo Regional Municipality would still be smaller physically then the buxom boundaries of HRM ;)

[MonctonRad]

I think a better name for an amalgamated city would be MoJo.

Plus I bet a MoJo Regional Municipality would still be smaller physically then the buxom boundaries of HRM ;)

MoJo would be a great name for the Moncton/Saint John googleplex! :D

I think you're right kwajo. I wouldn't be surprised if HRM would still be physically larger than Moncton, Saint John and all the intervening territories combined.

As for the size of HRM, I distrust any municipality that is physically larger than some provinces! :haha:

[-Harlington-]

Halifax would still be larger population wise, even if you throw in Freddy

although the size of HRM may be exesive and should change hardly anyone lives in the larger parts anyway

i keep forgeting how big Halifax is compared to the rest of the maritimes

it doesnt really feel like its 3 or 4 times larger then most large cities around here but yet it does at the same time, lol

although, a triangular freddymojo might be interesting, ahah

[kwajo]

Halifax would still be larger population wise, even if you throw in Freddy

although the size of HRM may be exesive and should change hardly anyone lives in the larger parts anyway

i keep forgeting how big Halifax is compared to the rest of the maritimes

it doesnt really feel like its 3 or 4 times larger then most large cities around here but yet it does at the same time, lol

although, a triangular freddymojo might be interesting, ahah
We can't just throw Freddy into this, all those civil servants would ruin our MoJo!

[reddog794]

Plus Fredericton wouldn't if asked, they would ask MoJo if they wanted to join them! lol

[someone123]

although the size of HRM may be exesive and should change hardly anyone lives in the larger parts anyway

Here's a map of HRM districts:

http://www.ecologyaction.ca/gowild/images/district_All_HRM.jpg
Source (http://www.ecologyaction.ca/gowild/goWild_gettingStarted.php)

District 1 has about 20,000 people in it. If you removed it you would be left with about 385,000 in the HRM. That population is concentrated in an area smaller than the Moncton CMA alone and is still larger than the combined population of SJ, Moncton, and Fredericton.

Also note that the HRM is way smaller than the combined CMAs of the NB cities. Fredericton alone has a CMA covering 4,500 square kilometres (HRM is about 5,500), for example, with its CMA population of around 85,000: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredericton

The arguments about the HRM being some kind of assortment of rural areas masquerading as a city don't hold water.

[DigitalNinja]

Personally, I don't think that district one should be part of the HRM, rest are fine though :P

[-Harlington-]

I agree that district one should be excluded and HRM be revised to something maybe more like this :


http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5647704500_01ee01a625_z.jpg

[MonctonRad]

Also note that the HRM is way smaller than the combined CMAs of the NB cities. Fredericton alone has a CMA covering 4,500 square kilometres (HRM is about 5,500), for example, with its CMA population of around 85,000: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredericton

The arguments about the HRM being some kind of assortment of rural areas masquerading as a city don't hold water.

The Fredericton CMA is unusually large given the size of the city. The Moncton CMA is about 2,400 sq. km. ( but curiously doesn't include important neighbouring towns like Shediac and Sackville).

I agree, district one should not be part of the HRM.

[q12]

I agree that district one should be excluded and HRM be revised to something maybe more like this :


http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5647704500_01ee01a625_z.jpg

If this were the case than areas like Mount Uniacke and Elmsdale should be included in the CMA, which would bring the population back up to 400,000.

These are places that are clearly part of Metro and have a short drive to the Downtown (excluding rush-hour).

[DigitalNinja]

I know people who drive in from Windsor for Rush hour in Halifax...

[-Harlington-]

If Mt.uniake and enfield and elmsdale are not included in the above diagram its not by much because they were meant to be and i just guessed with it,

i also think they should be included, they seem to be more connected to the city than parts that are
especially when your near the airport.

[q12]

I know people who drive in from Windsor for Rush hour in Halifax...

I know people who drive and work Downtown from New Minas and even Greenwood (3 hours each way in rush-hour).:haha:

There is a considerable Daily Commute to Halifax on Highway 101, 102, 103 from as far away as Kentville, Truro, and Bridgewater respectively.

[someone123]

I agree, district one should not be part of the HRM.

Why do you say this? For statistical purposes or because it's not practical to administer?

The only thing I don't like about the rural areas is that they don't tend to pay their way. I don't mind that so much for actual rural residents (farmers etc.) but they are a small and shrinking minority. Most people in these areas live in large lot subdivisions that are subsidized by the core. They pay lower tax rates and have lower assessments because they are farther out but services like garbage collection cost much more per household because of the low density.

[halifaxboyns]

Why do you say this? For statistical purposes or because it's not practical to administer?

The only thing I don't like about the rural areas is that they don't tend to pay their way. I don't mind that so much for actual rural residents (farmers etc.) but they are a small and shrinking minority. Most people in these areas live in large lot subdivisions that are subsidized by the core. They pay lower tax rates and have lower assessments because they are farther out but services like garbage collection cost much more per household because of the low density.

I don't know if any 'suburban' or 'rural' property owners ever really pay their own way. There has been a big push in Calgary to change the development agreement for new communities (with developers) because its been recognized that for the life of a typical suburban home (which these days seems to be about 40 years) - that home will not pay back the cost that was incurred to get it where it is (including roads, sewers, etc.).

Personally, I've always felt that the taxation system should be turned around and that people living out in the rural areas (with the exception of farmers) be taxed the highest and with downtown being taxed the lowest (to encourage redevelopment in the core).

[fenwick16]

I agree that district one should be excluded and HRM be revised to something maybe more like this :


http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5647704500_01ee01a625_z.jpg

This would be a more manageable area and includes the airport.

[MonctonRad]

Why do you say this? For statistical purposes or because it's not practical to administer?

The only thing I don't like about the rural areas is that they don't tend to pay their way. I don't mind that so much for actual rural residents (farmers etc.) but they are a small and shrinking minority. Most people in these areas live in large lot subdivisions that are subsidized by the core. They pay lower tax rates and have lower assessments because they are farther out but services like garbage collection cost much more per household because of the low density.

I say this because the vast majority of the eastern portion of the (former) Halifax County is nothing but barren wilderness populated only by fishers and foresters. It has absolutely nothing in common with the south end of Halifax. I'm sure that any concerns that the residents of this area have are given short shrift in HRM council.

Halifax should be a city, not a regional municipality. It should only include urban, suburban and some exurban areas of the central Nova Scotia peninsula. ie - only those areas which actually economically depend on the urban core of the city. Hopefully this would give some commonality of purpose to the governing structure of the city.

Give the eastern part of the (former) County of Halifax to Guysborough County. At least they have something in common. :yes:

[Antigonish]

Guysborough County is struggling as it is. Maybe the best idea is for the area to be established as its own regional municipality e.g. Eastern Shore Regional Municipality. I like your thoughts about the Halifax comment MonctonRad makes perfect sense!

[terrynorthend]

Read an article about Dexter wanting help from Ottawa to increase provincial international immigration to 7200 per year by 2015-2020. I hope he is successful. Most would settle in HRM no doubt, and those kind of immigration rates, coupled with normal growth would quickly boost our population north of 1/2 million.

[-Harlington-]

:previous:

Province wants to triple immigrant numbers



By DAVID JACKSON Provincial Reporter
Sat, Apr 30 - 4:54 AM

The provincial government wants to triple the number of immigrants to Nova Scotia by the end of this decade and will press Ottawa for help doing it.

Premier Darrell Dexter and Immigration Minister Marilyn More released a new immigration strategy at Pier 21 in Halifax on Friday.

It sets targets of 5,000 new Nova Scotians annually by 2015, and 7,200 by 2020. There were 2,424 new immigrants in 2009, according to the provincial Office of Immigration.

Dexter said the province will continue lobbying Ottawa to lift the cap on the provincial nominee program, now set at 500. That doesn’t include the nominee’s family.

"It doesn’t make any sense, if we all agree that immigration is critical to economic development and then place a limit on that development," Dexter said.

The program allows the province to nominate immigrants who help meet the province’s labour and economic needs to have their entry to Canada fast-tracked by Ottawa.

Dexter said it’s unfair that Manitoba, with a population slightly larger than Nova Scotia’s, can nominate 5,000 people — 10 times as many as this province. There are about 1.2 million people in Manitoba, about 33 per cent more than in Nova Scotia.

Manitoba attracted 13,500 immigrants in 2009, more than five times as many as Nova Scotia, according to that province’s Labour and Immigration Department.

Tom Peck, a provincial immigration spokesman, said the big reason Manitoba’s numbers dwarf Nova Scotia’s is the prairie province’s nominee program started in 1998, seven years before Nova Scotia’s was up and running.

Dexter said, to be fair to Ottawa, that 2010 was the first year the province hit the cap for 500 nominees, but that underlines the need to remove it.

Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told The Chronicle Herald in December that removing the cap isn’t a simple matter. He said other provinces and groups also want limits lifted, but Ottawa didn’t want to increase the number of immigrants — 265,000 — it planned to allow in the country in 2011.

Dexter said the program is important but not "the linchpin to a successful immigration strategy."

The province is putting another $790,000 into programs supporting immigration. The strategy promises improvements to settlement programs, encouragement for temporary foreign workers to stay here, and earlier recognition of foreign workers’ credentials.

There will also be a bigger effort to provide prospective immigrants with information about life here, from the cost of homes to getting children into schools to required work credentials. Making that type of information easily accessible can make a big difference in attracting people, said Claudette Legault, director of programs and services with Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services in Halifax.

"Whichever province can get that (pre-landing) piece down right first is going to be the draw for immigrants just coming to Canada," Legault said.

Liberal immigration critic Michel Samson said he’s cautiously optimistic about the strategy, but he wanted to hear more from Dexter about efforts to lift the nominee cap.

"I realize the premier’s indication we can’t put our eggs all in one basket, but the nominee program has, by far, proven to be the most successful tool used in the province of Nova Scotia, not only to bring immigrants here, but to actually keep them here," he said.

Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie said he’d prefer a target of at least 10,000 new immigrants a year. He said that’s projected as the minimum required to maintain the province’s population, never mind growing it.

"It is no time to be incremental or modest. It’s a time to be bold, and the strategy in my view is not bold enough," Baillie said.

He said he would like to see the province emulate Manitoba, which has settlement offices in rural parts of the province and a targeted approach to attracting immigrants.

The strategy says there will be a focus on countries and regions that have workers with the skills and transferable credentials to meet labour market needs.

( djackson@herald.ca)

[PoscStudent]

How does Nova Scotia do in retaining immigrants?

[terrynorthend]

I dont understand the role the federal government has in determining WHERE the 265,000 immigrants settle. Sounds a bit fascist to me. If accepted to Canada, a newcomer should be free to settle where he wants; close to family, a potential job, a community, etc.

Even if we divide up those quotas by prop. pop., NS should be allocated about 6,900 of those 265,000 immigrants for our 900,000 population, based on a Canadian pop. of 35M.

[NBNYer]

I dont understand the role the federal government has in determining WHERE the 265,000 immigrants settle. Sounds a bit fascist to me. If accepted to Canada, a newcomer should be free to settle where he wants; close to family, a potential job, a community, etc.


I think its mostly through incentives, marketing of areas immigrants are less familiar with rather than tell people where to go. Not all immigrants like the big cities, they may just not be as familiar with smaller canadian cities and provinces and just settle for the larger cities that they know.

[fenwick16]

I read that Manitoba tries to attract immigrants from areas that are most apt to stay in the province (probably Scandinavian countries with cold weather).

I think for Nova Scotia, places like Scotland, Germany, and other European countries with similar weather might want to stay in Nova Scotia, and these countries are relatively close by airplane (for visiting relatives after moving). Immigrants like to immigrate to areas that have same-country immigrant communities. I think in Halifax there is a fairly large Lebanese community so this could be another area to target.

If Nova Scotia feels that it can attract and retain people from China (maybe the colder northern parts) and India then those two countries have lots of people who want to emigrate. There are also the Caribbean countries which are close to Nova Scotia by airplane (but will people from the tropical countries want to stay in Nova Scotia?).

If the economy started to boom in Nova Scotia then it could attract some ex-Maritimers from other parts of Canada. There is no quota on attracting people from other parts of Canada - the Maritimes have been drained of people moving to Alberta and Ontario.

[PoscStudent]

Does job prospects determine where they are allowed to settle I wonder?

[fenwick16]

Does job prospects determine where they are allowed to settle I wonder?

Maybe not officially, but unofficially I think that it would (it makes sense also).

Halifax has to let Ottawa know about its low unemployment rate and forecast of tradesman shortages in the future.

[PoscStudent]

Maybe not officially, but unofficially I think that it would (it makes sense also).

Halifax has to let Ottawa know about its low unemployment rate and forecast of tradesman shortages in the future.

The unemployment rate compared to western cities though is higher and Halifax's is based a lot on government jobs where western cities aren't as much.

[someone123]

Maybe not officially, but unofficially I think that it would (it makes sense also).

I suspect that it just comes down to whether or not a province lobbies the federal government to increase the maximum. Nova Scotia hasn't done that.

[halifaxboyns]

I suspect that it just comes down to whether or not a province lobbies the federal government to increase the maximum. Nova Scotia hasn't done that.

It surprises me that they haven't to be honest. Considering the impending boomer retirement out here in Alberta, I know the oil sands and many companies are freaking out.

The situation may actually be even more pronounced in places like Nova Scotia and HRM because there - when you get a job, you generally devote a long time to that group. I know many people that are working with HRM that have moved up the ladder, but have stayed there. When they retire, it will create openings in middle and upper management. This is why I say it may be more pronounced. Another example is my aunt - she works with Tourism and has been there for almost 25 years. Government is a good example of where the retirement will create huge gaps in all levels.

[Jstaleness]

I once again did my part in helping Halifax's population. Although she was unexpected, my girlfriend gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday night. We seriously didn't know she was even pregnant until the baby was born.
Watch for us on that TLC TV show about it. We have submitted our story.

[-Harlington-]

lol, nice :previous:
and congrats

[halifaxboyns]

I once again did my part in helping Halifax's population. Although she was unexpected, my girlfriend gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday night. We seriously didn't know she was even pregnant until the baby was born.
Watch for us on that TLC TV show about it. We have submitted our story.

Right on! Way to go!

[fenwick16]

I remember reading about a year ago that there was a baby boom occurring in the Halifax area hospitals. Now jobs need to be created to keep this newborn generation in Nova Scotia.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Like the shipbuilding contract...

[MonctonRad]

I once again did my part in helping Halifax's population. Although she was unexpected, my girlfriend gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday night. We seriously didn't know she was even pregnant until the baby was born.
Watch for us on that TLC TV show about it. We have submitted our story.

I don't know if you are being facetious or not, but it does happen....

I remember clearly once when I was an intern doing my obstetrics rotation in Sydney. A woman presented to Labour & Delivery at Saint Rita's in some distress. She told me "i think I might be pregnant". I delivered a healthy baby boy about 15 minutes later.

Congratulations! :tup:

[Jstaleness]

I don't know if you are being facetious or not, but it does happen....

Congratulations! :tup:

100% the truth.

[josh_cat_eyes]

100% the truth.

This happened to 2 people I know in the last month. One girl was even into drinking and smoking, but somehow the baby is heathy. She is VERY lucky. Neither of them had any idea. The other girl actually didn't have it yet, but she is 7 1/2 months.

[jasonashhh]

I wonder what the shipbuilding contract will add to this hmmm

[someone123]

Well, that contract is not a done deal. I do suspect that Halifax has good chances based on the strengths of the shipyard though -- no pork barrel politics required.

If Halifax does get the 11,500 or so jobs the impact will be huge. I'm not sure how much that includes spinoff jobs.

[halifaxboyns]

Well, that contract is not a done deal. I do suspect that Halifax has good chances based on the strengths of the shipyard though -- no pork barrel politics required.

If Halifax does get the 11,500 or so jobs the impact will be huge. I'm not sure how much that includes spinoff jobs.

The equation that most economic spin off reports use is that for every 1 job - there is usually a spin off of between 3 to 4 jobs in the service industry.

For the sake of math; I'll assume the lower (3 jobs).
So that could be a spin off of some 34500 jobs in the service sector.

[someone123]

Another interesting result is that Halifax could be the de facto shipbuilding centre remaining for Canada. I think this is pretty reasonable from a national perspective since the shipyard did well even without government contracts, while the Davie yards (for example) are barely solvent. Halifax has the offshore, navy, and shipping. No other city has all 3 of those.

It makes a lot of sense economically to centralize and have a major facility capable of taking on large projects rather than a bunch of small yards that are always struggling.

[beyeas]

On their own merit it is clear the two front runners are BC and NS yards. After that, it gets interesting if politics is involved (which the government swears won't happen, but I will reserve judgement). There certainly won't be an appetite to give it to the QC yard, since the Tories certainly got stung there in the last election. If anything, the power shift to the west may favour the BC yard if politics becomes an issue.
If it is merit based I think that NS has an ever so slight edge over BC, but just.
It will certainly be one of the more interesting decisions to come out of this government in the next while.

[Dmajackson]

Value of HRM development permits still climbing

(September 30, 2011) Halifax – The total value of development permits issued by the Halifax Regional Municipality is up almost $60 million over this time last year, Mayor Peter Kelly announced today.
To the end of September, HRM had issued permits totalling almost $596,000,000 compared to $536,000,000 last year. Mayor Kelly said the commercial and residential sectors continued to be the drivers of HRM’s ongoing development expansion.

At $157,000,000, the total value of permits for commercial enterprises was up 50% over last year’s $102,000,000 while the residential sector was showing a gain of more than 6% with permits worth $393,000,000 issued so far this year compared to $370,000,000 last year.

“We are seeing increasing private-sector confidence in our community,” Mayor Kelly said. “I am optimistic that our local economy will continue to grow and further solidify HRM’s long-held position as the hub of the region.”

Last year, HRM issued development permits totalling almost $780,000,000 and Mayor Kelly said he believed that figure would be surpassed, this year

Press Release by Halifax Regional Municipality

[halifaxboyns]

I would not be surprised in the next few years to see building permits surpass (on a regular basis) $1 billion, especially if the ship building contract hits.

[halifaxboyns]

The Herald finally covered HRM's press release:

Value of development permits up
Local developer credits boost to low interest rates

The value of development permits issued by Halifax Regional Municipality so far this year is up, but that is a byproduct of living in the current low-interest environment, a local developer said.

HRM released figures on Friday that showed that permits totalling $596 million had been issued by Sept. 30, up $60 million from the same period last year.

Mayor Peter Kelly said the HRM is on pace to break the $700 million mark and perhaps eclipse last year’s amount of nearly $780 million in permits, the highest total in the last dozen years.

That period has seen "substantive" amounts of development, over $7 billion over the last 10 years, he added.

"It certainly bodes well for the confidence of the development community in the HRM. It’s one that is certainly starting to pay dividends in terms of the outcome of that confidence," he said.

Last year’s high was attained in spite of issuing the lowest amount of development permits during the same timeframe, at 2,603 permits, the lowest in the last dozen years.

That high value to low permit ratio is a result of low interest rates, said developer Danny Chedrawe, president of Westwood Developments.

"That’s the only thing that’s really giving me the sense to do what we’re doing now, because really there’s no real influx of people or economic growth in the province," he said. "I think it’s just more that these record low interest rates have spurred a major push for development and I think it’s short-lived. I don’t think it’s a long-term thing."

The rest of the story is here (http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1266573.html).

I wouldn't be surprised if they come close or exceed last year's record year. But what I can't wait to see is if the ship building contract comes to Halifax the explosion of growth and development will be staggering. 25,000 jobs over the contract, usually creates 75,000 service jobs (using the typical 1 to 3 ratio that I've seen in most economic forcasts). Now that's just the shipbuilding contract, but that alone will spur other growth too. In terms of population growth per job, the typical ratio for every 1 job the population climbs 2.5 people (family, plus a kid). So if those numbers hold true and assuming no other sectors create any jobs, 100,000 jobs works out to 250,000 more people over 25 years. That would put HRM in around 660,000 over 25 years (or more)...

Those are staggering potential stats and my mind gets giddy thinking about other sectors becoming job generators because of this. This could be the single biggest growth potential for Halifax since it was founded and could do exactly what Peter McKay said: Take the 'no' out of Nova Scotia.

[q12]

That would put HRM in around 660,000 over 25 years (or more)...

I can see this happening. Maybe even 700,000 in 25 years.

[someone123]

Keep in mind that even this year, before the effect of shipbuilding, the city's population is growing at 1.5% and there's lots of great stuff in the development pipeline. Halifax is probably going to have one of the strongest economies in the country moving forward.

If the city plays its cards right it will see a period of higher growth and significant expansion of infrastructure. Now is the perfect time to build lasting improvements like an ambitious transit system. Those are the sorts of things that will move the city up a notch and turn it into more of a self-sustaining mid-sized centre that offers a great quality of life and attracts lots of talented people.

Right now I think the "worst case" scenario for Halifax is a status quo where NIMBYs rule the day and basically block progress (what this looks like is council deferring votes and calling for more studies to create the illusion of progress). If that were to happen the new growth would be largely suburban and there wouldn't be many lasting benefits. Quality of life could actually go down for most people because there'd be more strain on the same dated infrastructure. The city needs to wake up and be more proactive to make sure this doesn't happen.

[halifaxboyns]

Keep in mind that even this year, before the effect of shipbuilding, the city's population is growing at 1.5% and there's lots of great stuff in the development pipeline. Halifax is probably going to have one of the strongest economies in the country moving forward.

If the city plays its cards right it will see a period of higher growth and significant expansion of infrastructure. Now is the perfect time to build lasting improvements like an ambitious transit system. Those are the sorts of things that will move the city up a notch and turn it into more of a self-sustaining mid-sized centre that offers a great quality of life and attracts lots of talented people.

Right now I think the "worst case" scenario for Halifax is a status quo where NIMBYs rule the day and basically block progress (what this looks like is council deferring votes and calling for more studies to create the illusion of progress). If that were to happen the new growth would be largely suburban and there wouldn't be many lasting benefits. Quality of life could actually go down for most people because there'd be more strain on the same dated infrastructure. The city needs to wake up and be more proactive to make sure this doesn't happen.

Was it really 1.5% already? Wow, that's better than what I was thinking.
If I look at the reaction of some of the councillor's from the announcement, I think some are more ready than others to deal with growth. What will make it more interesting is the revamped smaller council after the next election. I can only hope that some of the more NIMBY-esque councillors (I can think of one from Dartmouth who will remain unnamed) won't be back.

The regional core project will certainly help but I worry that because of this announcement there will be a push to rush the project. This may cause stakeholder groups to feel that they didn't get a fair chance to be consulted and delay implementation, but it's still early and this may not happen. I think if the regional core LUB is done in the 5 year time frame, this should be workable to help take the steam out of the NIMBY's since the goal was to use an HbD type process to make more development as of right. The only question will be how building height will be determined and density levels.

But regardless, I don't think 'status quo' delays or anything like that are going to fly anymore. It will have to be action or else there will be a lot more political problems, than people think. If council think's they were on a hot seat before - this contract may have turned the heat up to white hot.

[someone123]

I could see a few of these things coming together, although it will probably be a bit less dramatic than expected. For example it's easy to imagine more competitiveness in the upcoming election, and the contract might set the tone, biasing public opinion toward more positive and active candidates.

Something like improved development bylaws in 5 years seems like an example of the old pace of change that will not be sufficient. 5 years means 7 years plus some time to iron things out (note how HbD is still kind of broken), then a couple years to actually build stuff. By then plenty of development will have ended up in Hammonds Plains or whatever.

Similarly transit has a pretty narrow window. If they waffle for 5 years trying to decide what to build then the opportunity will mostly be missed (even if they build buses, which don't help much since they just get stuck in traffic -- Halifax needs rapid transit in its own ROW). They could still build LRT but it would need many years of planning and construction followed by years for transit-oriented development nearby in order to meet its full potential.

[fenwick16]

I can see this happening. Maybe even 700,000 in 25 years.

It is possible. That would be about a 2.2% annual growth rate. Right now the growth rate is about 1.5%.

If the HRM growth rate increases to 1.8% for 25 years then it would be about 640K in 25 years, which would be a decent size city.

[Wishblade]

700,000 in 25 years would be astounding growth. I mean to visualize an impact this large, your looking at adding the entire population and infrastructure of current day HRM, a feat that took hundreds of years, in just 25. Amazing :cheers:

[cormiermax]

It astonishes me the amount Halifax is growing now, and how much development is going on in the city. Just a few years ago all this would have been unthinkable. It almost seems Halifax is growing from a quiet, regional city to a large national level city right before our eyes. Its really amazing.

[q12]

Happy New Year! :fireworks

Anyone want to estimate Halifax's January 1st, 2012 population?

My estimate would be 412,000 maybe 415,000 (plus university students).

[q12]

July 1st 2012 population estimate Halifax: 413,710

http://i49.tinypic.com/30m8vww.jpg
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a03?lang=eng&pattern=051-0046..051-0054&p2=31

[DigitalNinja]

That would put us above Laval, and just bellow Surrey. :notacrook:

[q12]

That would put us above Laval, and just bellow Surrey. :notacrook:

We are now firmly the 12th largest metropolitan area in Canada. 10th if you count the golden horseshoe as one.

[RyeJay]

This is good to see :)

If Halifax's population growth holds steady, the City should reach half a million people within the next decade.

Considering the long-term growth that will occur due to shipbuilding and the fact that Halifax is the only municipality in the Maritimes with a decent foundation of urbanity, our mean annual growth rate may very well increase and we'll hit the half-a-million mark sooner rather than later.

This will certainly be the case if the City's intraprovincial immigration increases, which is reasonable to expect from Cape Breton Island and the South Shore, as well as interprovincial sources of population, such as from PEI and New Brunswick.

In an Atlantic Canadian context, I don't believe it's reasonable to assume large numbers of people from Newfoundland and Labrador will be coming to Halifax to look for work, since that province can now afford to invest in job creation -- and St. John's in particular seems to be doing rather well in growing its market of urban living choices.

[scooby074]

So where does this put us in the one measure that counts... The Ikea-O-Meter?:D:runaway:

[JHikka]

July 1st 2012 population estimate Halifax

Even more interesting is if you take into account the population numbers since 2000:
http://i.minus.com/jQxLUjqf6fpHB.png
http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a47

So, looking at this year-by-year:
St. John's
-635, +578, +813, +1,406, +95, +431, +1,778, +2,671, +3,080, +3,538, +3,194, +3,026

Halifax
+3,274, +5,078, +3,570, +2,615, +1,369, +2,931, +3,372, +4,892, +5,119, +5,972, +5,523, +4,408

Moncton
+1,362, +1,349, +1,441, +1,493, +1,015, +1,324, +1,524, +1,763, +2,621, +2,493, +2,599, +2,280

Saint John
-243, -263, -103, -91, -453, -494, +547, +751, +1,088, +580, +573, +339


2000-2012:
St. John's__+19,544 (+9.75%)
Halifax ____+47,763 (+11.55%)
Moncton___+21,304 (+14.90%)
Saint John__+2,211 (+1.72%)

Not sure how right my percentages are. :P

[Dmajackson]

Does anyone have the scientific/economic factors behind why Saint John is all over the map? The poor city can't seem to catch a decent break. I'ts growing but just barely most of the time.

Great to see the top three getting so many people. 9'700 between them in one year is impressive. That equals a combined 1.3% growth rate.

[Drybrain]

This is good to see :)

If Halifax's population growth holds steady, the City should reach half a million people within the next decade.

...

This will certainly be the case if the City's intraprovincial immigration increases, which is reasonable to expect from Cape Breton Island and the South Shore, as well as interprovincial sources of population, such as from PEI and New Brunswick.


That's true. But we still have to look at stemming outflow to other regions. With every passing generation, there are fewer and fewer young people in rural Nova Scotia, but they still remain the city's primary source of new residents. Once the median age of the rural NS has shot well past the child-bearing years, the city's growth will stall out, unless we become a legitimate draw for people in other regions, and some international immigration (which is already happening, to a small degree).

[Wishblade]

That's true. But we still have to look at stemming outflow to other regions. With every passing generation, there are fewer and fewer young people in rural Nova Scotia, but they still remain the city's primary source of new residents. Once the median age of the rural NS has shot well past the child-bearing years, the city's growth will stall out, unless we become a legitimate draw for people in other regions, and some international immigration (which is already happening, to a small degree).

That's not too much of a worry considering most new people who move here aren't from within the province but rather from other provinces. Even international migration is quickly catching up to our intraprovincial growth now.

[someone123]

Actually migration from rural NS accounts for a comparatively small percentage of population growth in Halifax.

[RyeJay]

That's true. But we still have to look at stemming outflow to other regions. With every passing generation, there are fewer and fewer young people in rural Nova Scotia, but they still remain the city's primary source of new residents. Once the median age of the rural NS has shot well past the child-bearing years, the city's growth will stall out, unless we become a legitimate draw for people in other regions, and some international immigration (which is already happening, to a small degree).

You make an exellent point.
Nova Scotia is a limited pool of less than a million people from which Halifax may draw. Interprovincial and foreign immigration will become increasingly important; however, for now, I believe there is still a time before Nova Scotia's rural population 'dries up', in a manner of speaking

According to 2006 numbers from Statistics Canada:

Halifax: Migration of 47,730;

Intraprovincial migrants - 13,330 (27.9%);
Interprovincial migrants - 26,435 (55.4%);
International migrants - 7,965 (16.7%).

I suspect a significant portion of Halifax's interprovincial growth is coming from the other Maritime provinces, which is also concerning since they too are very limited population sources. To compare this city's intraprovincial migrant gain to the next largest municipality in the Maritimes:

Moncton: Migration of 23,105

Intraprovincial migrants - 14,600 (63.2%);
Interprovincial migrants - 7,115 (30.8%);
International migrants - 1,390 (6.0%).

If over 60% of Halifax's migration was intraprovincial, then I would share your concerns more immediately, Drybrain. :) Our city still has time to grow its appeal internationally.

[someone123]

Those numbers are also migration only. Another source of population growth is natural increase from births within the HRM.

My sense is that a lot of people in regions like CB tend to head straight for Alberta because their skills are a better fit for areas like Fort McMurray. Halifax has a very white collar economy. It will be interesting to see what sort of effect shipbuilding has on this phenomenon.

[Drybrain]

Those numbers are also migration only. Another source of population growth is natural increase from births within the HRM.

My sense is that a lot of people in regions like CB tend to head straight for Alberta because their skills are a better fit for areas like Fort McMurray. Halifax has a very white collar economy. It will be interesting to see what sort of effect shipbuilding has on this phenomenon.

Hopefully it'll be good for blue and white collar work--Alberta's economy is based on roughneck labour, but every sector benefits due to increased demand for health care, teachers, legal services, retail, etc.

[Drybrain]

Oh, and as to above, here's what (http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-cma-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CMA&GC=205) really worries me.

Overall, the population is growing, but the number of people under the age of 15 shrunk. Due, I guess, to low birthrates and too many young families moving elsewhere. That's the next generation of child-bearing Haligonians, so that's the kind of change that can get exponentially worse every generation, unless the trend is reversed. I think we're the only major CMA that shows a decline in that age bracket.

(Not trying to be gloomy--just trying to assess the demographics.)

[Wishblade]

You make an exellent point.
Nova Scotia is a limited pool of less than a million people from which Halifax may draw. Interprovincial and foreign immigration will become increasingly important; however, for now, I believe there is still a time before Nova Scotia's rural population 'dries up', in a manner of speaking

According to 2006 numbers from Statistics Canada:

Halifax: Migration of 47,730;

Intraprovincial migrants - 13,330 (27.9%);
Interprovincial migrants - 26,435 (55.4%);
International migrants - 7,965 (16.7%).

I suspect a significant portion of Halifax's interprovincial growth is coming from the other Maritime provinces, which is also concerning since they too are very limited population sources. To compare this city's intraprovincial migrant gain to the next largest municipality in the Maritimes:

Moncton: Migration of 23,105

Intraprovincial migrants - 14,600 (63.2%);
Interprovincial migrants - 7,115 (30.8%);
International migrants - 1,390 (6.0%).

If over 60% of Halifax's migration was intraprovincial, then I would share your concerns more immediately, Drybrain. :) Our city still has time to grow its appeal internationally.

I saw a statistic somewhere (I'll try to find it and post it) that showed the interprovincial migration numbers from each province to the HRM. The overwhelming majority were from Ontario as I recall.

[halifaxboyns]

These population numbers are exactly what I figured for the growth of HRM. This is going to blow the projections of the Regional Plan (that's been in place maybe 7 years) right out of the water. High growth saw us at 425K in 2027 - hmm, I wonder? :)

While I don't think the whole regional plan needs to be re-writen (the areas of growth seem sound), I think there certainly needs to be an update to make sure it's okay with the higher growth rates, the population growth focus areas are okay and better yet a more sound transportation model based upon a higher population base (AKA rapid transit).

[halifaxboyns]

I was just going back over the numbers looking at the year to year breakdowns for HRM. What is striking to me is the years where we had an economic downtown - look at the population growth numbers. 4,800, and then 3 years of 5,000 plus...that is impressive in light of the economic situation.

It also raises a red flag to me that if we were seeing a typical 5,000+ population growth in bad economic times; what can we expect when the ship contract/off shore oil really kick in? My guess would be probably just as high, maybe higher (6,000+?). If that's the case we could see roughly 150,000 people added in 10 years, that's staggering.

[Wishblade]

I was just going back over the numbers looking at the year to year breakdowns for HRM. What is striking to me is the years where we had an economic downtown - look at the population growth numbers. 4,800, and then 3 years of 5,000 plus...that is impressive in light of the economic situation.

It also raises a red flag to me that if we were seeing a typical 5,000+ population growth in bad economic times; what can we expect when the ship contract/off shore oil really kick in? My guess would be probably just as high, maybe higher (6,000+?). If that's the case we could see roughly 150,000 people added in 10 years, that's staggering.

I'd say 150,000 in 10 years is a stretch, but I could see us adding a population equal to the present day Moncton CMA within 15-20 years.

[BravoZulu]

My guess would be probably just as high, maybe higher (6,000+?). If that's the case we could see roughly 150,000 people added in 10 years, that's staggering.

Not sure I'm tracking the math on this one. Wouldn't 150000 in 10 years require ~15000 per year? Or are we reaching a point where the annual increase will start to accelerate (kind of like compound interest) Thanks BZ

[MonctonRad]

I'd say 150,000 in 10 years is a stretch, but I could see us adding a population equal to the present day Moncton CMA within 15-20 years.

You expect us all to move down there? :)

[Wishblade]

You expect us all to move down there? :)

Haha, I know thats obviously not reasonable to expect, though it would be nice ;).

I'm just trying to put things in a more visual perspective rather than simply using numbers.

[Nilan8888]

I was just going back over the numbers looking at the year to year breakdowns for HRM. What is striking to me is the years where we had an economic downtown - look at the population growth numbers. 4,800, and then 3 years of 5,000 plus...that is impressive in light of the economic situation.

It also raises a red flag to me that if we were seeing a typical 5,000+ population growth in bad economic times; what can we expect when the ship contract/off shore oil really kick in? My guess would be probably just as high, maybe higher (6,000+?). If that's the case we could see roughly 150,000 people added in 10 years, that's staggering.

Yeah, but remember that the bad economic times were worldwide and not so much reflected locally. Canada itself found itself in a shielded position from all the stuff everyone else was going through (whether you want to say it's because we dealt with the general issue of runaway debt with Chretien in the 90s, or because Martin kept the old banking laws in place when everyone else was changing, Harper's economic acumen, or it just happened out of simple laziness of Canada's banking industry to not compete with one another to get housing loans in the same way other countries were [which turned out to be one of the biggest blessings in disguise in history]), regardless: point is, Canada got itself insulated from a lot of what was going on.

And on top of that, the Maritimes, Halifax primarily, were insulated on top of that yet again. Economic growth in the Maritimes was following its own drummer, and undergoing small but steady growth while everyone else was tanking.

So what you had was people, if anything, MORE likely to move to Halifax because of that climate rather than less.

So, that said, I'd expect growth to stay constant. Maybe even decrease a little bit, but not much. At any rate, I don't think the economic growth in Halifax is going to drive large increases in population. It'll just stay steady.

[someone123]

It's not really true that Canada was sheltered from economic problems. It went into a recession along with the US and is again perilously close. The economy in NS isn't great right now and that is reflected in lower population growth in Halifax compared to earlier years.

I think population growth in Halifax will closely match job creation numbers, so it will probably go up a bit if there are more jobs as a result of shipbuilding or the offshore industry. Increases to the provincial nominee quotas could also make a big difference. 4,000-6,000 growth over the last few years may become, say, 6,000-10,000 growth based on a scenario with lots of job growth and expanded immigration.

halifaxboyns is absolutely right to point out that the regional planning population projections are wrong. Many arguments against expanding transportation infrastructure are based on those numbers. In reality, unless something fairly dramatic happens, the city won't have the capacity needed to support its population. It already has awful transit service and commute times, and they are going to get worse. Council needs to get into a more ambitious mindset.

[Nilan8888]

It's not really true that Canada was sheltered from economic problems. It went into a recession along with the US and is again perilously close. The economy in NS isn't great right now and that is reflected in lower population growth in Halifax compared to earlier years.

Well firstly, that statement is not really all that true. Did Canada enter a recession? Yes. Did it enter recession at the same "time" as the US? Yes.

But the 2008-2010 recession's effects were not only less severe than in the US and elsewhere, they weren't even as severe as the previous recessions in the early 80s and 90s. Considering the US was in the throes of the greatest downturn, as said, since the Great Depression and was on the verge of Depression itself... that's pretty shielded, I'd say. And if the local economy's going south now... I think that's sort of irrelevant to most my statement, except maybe the last bit, which was more centered on not really thinking the population numbers would change. Or at least, not increase by much.

[RyeJay]

You expect us all to move down there? :)

I would feel more at home in Halifx if the city had a more prominent francophone population.

If the entire city of Moncton were to move to Halifax -- you guys wouldn't mind bringing that stadium along with you too, eh?

:haha:

Magic Mountain could be installed somewhere in Bedford, I imagine.

[RyeJay]

I think population growth in Halifax will closely match job creation numbers, so it will probably go up a bit if there are more jobs as a result of shipbuilding or the offshore industry. Increases to the provincial nominee quotas could also make a big difference. 4,000-6,000 growth over the last few years may become, say, 6,000-10,000 growth based on a scenario with lots of job growth and expanded immigration.

I would like to place bets and predict that Halifax's population growth will somewhat outpace the city's production of new jobs. I believe the trend of urbanisation will escalate further; I believe rural Nova Scotians/Maritimers will increasingly flock to Halifax.

Shipbuilding has been very publicised, as has the city's low unemployment rate.

halifaxboyns is absolutely right to point out that the regional planning population projections are wrong. Many arguments against expanding transportation infrastructure are based on those numbers. In reality, unless something fairly dramatic happens, the city won't have the capacity needed to support its population. It already has awful transit service and commute times, and they are going to get worse. Council needs to get into a more ambitious mindset.

As do the provincial and federal governments. There needs to be more involvement, oversight, and financial commitments from upper levels of government, especially when municipal governments are lagging in adequate planning to create environments of growth upon which these upper levels of government depend.

It seems as though HRM council is fine with letting our transit problem grow to a Toronto-level disaster.