More information obtained through the 2021 Census exercise was released in mid-July, offering details about the changing demographics in our nation and our small corner of the country.
The size of the average family in Canada continues to shrink, from 4.2 people in 1931 to 2.9 in 2021. The proportion of one-parent families in Canada is 16.4%, and slightly higher at 17.1% in Ontario, so fully 83.6% of Canadian families are headed by a couple- either married or living common law. The rate of single parent families rises in the far north, topping at 33.2% in Nunavut, and 23.3% in the NWT. Almost thirty percent of Canadian households consist of a single person, while 2.9% of households are multigenerational.
The July Census release also included date about income: levels and sources broken down by age. In Cavan Monaghan, there were 7750 people over 15 years of age earning an income- from employment, pensions, investment or government transfers. The median employment income (the amount that divides the values into two equal parts) of people 15 years of age and older was $46,000 within the township. This is $8,800 above the national figure $8000 above the provincial one. The average income in the township was higher at $60,200. Relatively speaking, our residents enjoy high incomes.
Of the 7750 residents reporting income, 1070 said some of it came from self-employment. This source of income generated a median of income of $2040 and an average of $12,960 for Cavan Monaghan residents. Slightly more than 27% of the income-earning residents identified Canada or Quebec Pension Plans as one of their income sources, indicating they were at or near 65 years of age. This reflects our older population, as this demographic represents only 19% of the nation’s population. The vast majority of reported income (86.5%) came in the form of wages, salaries and commissions, with private pension income following far behind at an average of $28,200, equaling 46.8% of the average total income.
On the national front, 11.1% of the population are considered to fall into the low income category, a reduction of 3.3% from the 2016 Census count. In Ontario, the figure was lower- 10.1% of the population was considered to be low income in 2020. There was no breakdown of this statistic for the township, nor was a numeric definition of low income provided, but anecdotal evidence suggests the gentrification of the area has pushed many low income residents into Peterborough where resources are more plentiful.
Future releases will provide details about linguistic diversity, demographic information about the ethnocultural and religions composition of our population, education levels and labour force details and how people commute to work.
Census data provides policy and lawmakers with information about socioeconomic trends that can directly influence local decisions today, including planning for schools, daycare, housing, hospitals, emergency services, roads, public transportation and employment skills training. The resulting statistical portrait of neighbourhoods large and small across the country also helps establish electoral boundaries, inter-governmental transfer payments and indicate the nature and level of social services required. Demographic details describing local workforce profiles also helps businesses make investment decisions that result in job creation. Our population is older. This has policy implications related to housing and support for healthy aging. Our neighbourhood is also changing. Understanding those changes can help thoughtful decision makers anticipate and address our changing needs through sustainable policy choices. KG
