The basic population growth numbers for Canada were released this week. The trend for Athabasca is looking up, and looking good. The County is holding steady. And, growth in year round residents at Island Lake and around Baptist Lake has been enormous.
Growth around the lakes raises two issues: concerns about ecological sustainability of the lakes and overbuilding; and the need for tax support for the Town whose residents pay for all the human services for those 'Summer' Village residents. More about that later.
2006 Census Athabasca
The 2006 Census shows the Town of Athabasca grew by 6.6 percent and Athabasca County at a low 0.9 percent growth. Canada's population growth rate was 5.4 and the AB Province 10.6 percent.
Clik
That 2006 Census rate of growth for the Town has doubled from the 2001 Census which showed the Town of Athabasca grew 4.4 percent between 1995 and 2001, and the County at 0.9, the same rate as the 2006 census. The national average in 2001 was 4 percent and AB grew at 10 percent.
Clik
In the new 2006 Census there are some interesting patterns across Rural Canada. According to Statistics Canada - " Canada's population in small towns and rural areas grew by 1.0% between 2001 and 2006, after declining by 0.4% in the previous intercensal period. In 2006, just under 20% of Canadians (6.0 million people) were living in rural areas, that is, in areas located outside urban centres with a population of at least 10,000. (So for a small Town, Athabasca is growing 6 times the national average - MG).
Rural growth often depends on proximity to large urban centres. There are two types of rural areas: those close to urban centres, and those which are more remote. In rural areas close to urban centres, more than 30% of the labour force commutes to work in the urban centre. In these rural areas, population growth between 2001 and 2006 (+4.7%)was close to the national average (+5.4%). Population growth in such
locations is often associated with the presence of small towns that are easily accessible by highway from an urban centre.
In remote rural areas located farther from urban centres, the population remained nearly the same as in 2001 (-0.1%). These areas for example also lost population in the previous intercensal period. The lack of growth in such areas is often due to the fact that young adults move to metropolitan areas to pursue their education or find a job."
************
In 2006 Athabasca is one of the few small Towns bucking the rural trend of low or no growth north of Edmonton, and doing it nicely. Most of our neighbours (some much closer to Ecity) are losing people, not gaining as we have. It is worth noting how population declined in Smoky Lake - 0.1 and Lac La Biche -0.6; the low growth in Barrhead (0.1); Boyle (1.0); High Prairie (.5) and Slave Lake (1.6), and the modest growth in Westlock 3.9 percent (or 189 new people compared to Athabasca's growth of 160 people, which begs the question of why there is considerable re-investment by the province in health care in Westlock and Westlock County (0.7) which are growing more slowly and located closer to hospitals and specialists in St Albert)... Hmmm.
The big growth in the region was at the lakes west of Town in the Summer Villages -
Island Lake grew 76.4 percent from 199 to 351 residents (or up 152);
Island Lake South SV grew 47.6 percent from 71 to 105 residents (up 34);
South Baptiste grew from 44 to 69 residents or 56.8 percent (up 25);
Sunset Beach grew from 50 to 88 or 76 percent, (up 38).
West Baptiste grew from 46 to 104, (up 58);
That's a whopping 307 more residents (or almost twice the raw increase in the Town of Athabasca. Hmmm
Neither the town (nor County) receive any significant tax support from these villages (where taxes are very low compared to property values - BTW), yet the Town provides commercial services, schools, elder care, health services, recreation facilities, churches, doctors, dentists, etc, etc., to their residents. Keep in mind that we DO have over 20 cost sharing agreements with the County whose residents use the same Town services. Hmmm
Other Comparisions
When you look at towns about our size outside Edmonton
their growth was weaker. Both Gibbons -.5 and Redwater 0.9 are about our size or a bit larger. So Athabasca is doing real well.
If I had to venture a guess, I would argue that the investment the Town Council has made over the last few years...in all areas...has really helped, as has the job security and recent boom growth at Athabasca University, and the steady work at the pulp mill. But don't forget the efforts on the Riverfront and with Communities in Bloom to make the Town look good and feel so well looked after. Our Town.
It will be interesting, later in the year, when Statistics Canada releases
the age, education, workforce and income information, to review our other local patterns, so we can plan for the future.
A good news story for Athabasca. Now if we can just become more sustainable, low fossil fuel dependent, and begin to adopt green thinking like they are doing in Sweden, Clik Herewe might have something to pass on to future generations.
Mike
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Condo Conversion and Rental Shortages
Last week the Municipal Planning Commission (comprised of the Mayor and four councillors) had to consider a request to convert one of Athabasca's few apartment buildings (with 12 units) to a condominium.
The conversion of apartments to condominiums is a hot issue in Edmonton and other parts of the province, as renters are pushed out of their homes to make way for condo buyers. This has resulted in a huge shortage of affordable rental accomodations, and a rent hike squeeze for those who are lucky enought to have a place to live.
Under the Municipal Government Act council cannot deny a condo conversion, but other cities, concerned about keeping a good supply of rental apartments available, have intervened and shown civic leadership to protect renters, and especially to encourage Apartment Building owners to assist renters to become condo owners.
Other cities have worked with owners and money lenders (such as Credit Unions and the CMHC) to make every effort to assist renters to become condo owners. According to the editorial in last Saturdays Ed. Journal, some cities have brought in tax penalties and other measures to slow or control the process of condo conversion. In other words, a socially conscious council can express its concerns about condo conversion and its support for renters and affordable housing as a social issue, not simply defend the status quo as the free market at work, and roll over as if councillors are powerless to address decisions by property owners, or worse, ignore the impact on our community. According to one of my friinds looking for an apartment in Athabasca last week, the wait list may be almost 50 people long, and getting longer, just to be considered for a rental.
I brought up these issues for discussion (it did not make the paper because the Advocate reporter does not attend MPC) and I proposed a motion that we draft a letter encouraging a social commitment from the owner (who lives in Edmonton) to the renters (who live in Athabasca)and ask him to consider at least to approach the current mortgage holder of his building about helping renters get affordable mortgages so they could have first dibs on the condo unit. My motion did not receive a seconder.
No interest.
Why should that bother Athabascans?
1) If not the Mayor and Council, who is supposed to show civic leadership and put the collective or community needs ahead of private self-interest. Councillors should draw on their backgrounds as lawyers or business people, or bankers, or professors, but in the end we are supposed to also be open to all aspects of an issue, to see things from the point of view of local citizens, especially those citizens who are most vulverable such as youth, the aged, and those whose housing security is tenuous. That is civic leadership.
2) Mayor Verhaeghe and Councillor O'Farrell had to ask the CAO where the building was located before they offered their opinions supporting owners rights and explaining how council should stay out of what, to them, was an owners decision. Councillor Hawryluk felt that the market would sort it out, and people would find places to rent.
3) Nobody was interested even in a letter of concern to the owner expressing our support for the renters who live and work in our own town, even if, according to the Town's own sub committee on Community Economic Development, there is a major shortage of affordable housing and rental housing in Athabasca.
Go figure.
MikeG
The conversion of apartments to condominiums is a hot issue in Edmonton and other parts of the province, as renters are pushed out of their homes to make way for condo buyers. This has resulted in a huge shortage of affordable rental accomodations, and a rent hike squeeze for those who are lucky enought to have a place to live.
Under the Municipal Government Act council cannot deny a condo conversion, but other cities, concerned about keeping a good supply of rental apartments available, have intervened and shown civic leadership to protect renters, and especially to encourage Apartment Building owners to assist renters to become condo owners.
Other cities have worked with owners and money lenders (such as Credit Unions and the CMHC) to make every effort to assist renters to become condo owners. According to the editorial in last Saturdays Ed. Journal, some cities have brought in tax penalties and other measures to slow or control the process of condo conversion. In other words, a socially conscious council can express its concerns about condo conversion and its support for renters and affordable housing as a social issue, not simply defend the status quo as the free market at work, and roll over as if councillors are powerless to address decisions by property owners, or worse, ignore the impact on our community. According to one of my friinds looking for an apartment in Athabasca last week, the wait list may be almost 50 people long, and getting longer, just to be considered for a rental.
I brought up these issues for discussion (it did not make the paper because the Advocate reporter does not attend MPC) and I proposed a motion that we draft a letter encouraging a social commitment from the owner (who lives in Edmonton) to the renters (who live in Athabasca)and ask him to consider at least to approach the current mortgage holder of his building about helping renters get affordable mortgages so they could have first dibs on the condo unit. My motion did not receive a seconder.
No interest.
Why should that bother Athabascans?
1) If not the Mayor and Council, who is supposed to show civic leadership and put the collective or community needs ahead of private self-interest. Councillors should draw on their backgrounds as lawyers or business people, or bankers, or professors, but in the end we are supposed to also be open to all aspects of an issue, to see things from the point of view of local citizens, especially those citizens who are most vulverable such as youth, the aged, and those whose housing security is tenuous. That is civic leadership.
2) Mayor Verhaeghe and Councillor O'Farrell had to ask the CAO where the building was located before they offered their opinions supporting owners rights and explaining how council should stay out of what, to them, was an owners decision. Councillor Hawryluk felt that the market would sort it out, and people would find places to rent.
3) Nobody was interested even in a letter of concern to the owner expressing our support for the renters who live and work in our own town, even if, according to the Town's own sub committee on Community Economic Development, there is a major shortage of affordable housing and rental housing in Athabasca.
Go figure.
MikeG
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