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Growing immigration trend not being seen in Hope

Only 45 new immigrants came to live in Hope over the past five years, according to new census data
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Immigration is growing in Canada, but according to the most recent data, that trend isn’t being seen in Hope. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Hope grew by 505 people between 2016 and 2021, but only 45 of those people were immigrants.

New data was released by Statistics Canada this week based on the 2021 census. It shows that immigrants made up nearly a quarter of all people in Canada in 2021 and are projected to represent a third of people in the country by 2041.

But according to this most recent data, immigration has continued to be slower in Hope.

There were 6,686 Hope residents in 2021, including 900 immigrants. But the majority of those immigrants moved to Hope long ago, the stats show, and the number of immigrants moving to Hope is waning.

Just 45 immigrants landed in Hope between 2016 and 2021. By contrast, 390 of Hope’s immigrants have lived in the town since prior to 1980. Another 185 have lived in Hope since the 1980s, and 115 since the 1990s. The number of new immigrants fell in the 10 years between 2001 and 2010 to 85 new immigrants, and from 2011 to 2015 (five years) the number was 80.

There were also 60 non-permanent residents in Hope during the census taking.

Of the 900 immigrants living in Hope, the majority (495) have a European place of birth, 175 are from Asian countries, 155 are from the Americas, 45 are from Oceania and other places, and 25 are from African countries.

Statistics information also includes data around the reasons for people coming to Canada. There are economic immigrants, refugees and those sponsored by family. Economic immigrants, who are selected on their ability to work in Canada, make up the majority of Hope immigrants.

Other communities in the Lower Mainland are seeing growing numbers of immigrants, including Abbotsford, Richmond and Surrey.

Statistics Canada says immigration is the main driver of population growth, in part because of the aging population and low fertility rates in the country.

The federal government has also committed to bringing in record numbers of immigrants to fill labour shortages, with plans to welcome 431,645 newcomers to Canada this year.

Immigrants accounted for four out of five new workers in the labour force between 2016 and 2021.

-with CP files

READ MORE:Record share of Canadians are immigrants or permanent residents, census shows


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Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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