6 Surrey/North Delta Leader Tuesday, November 22, 2011
THE CITY’S CHANGING FACE
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
A diverse crowd of new Canadian citizens took their Oath of Citizenship last month. Visible minorities will soon be the majority in most of Metro Vancouver, according to projections from Statistics Canada.
Ethnically rich region to have ‘visible majority’ by 2031 No surprise in areas such as Surrey, demographer says by Jeff Nagel
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thnic Chinese, South Asians and other visible minorities will form a solid majority in Metro Vancouver by 2031, according to Statistics Canada projections. So-called visible minorities who made up 42 per cent of the region’s population in the 2006 census should account for 59 per cent by 2031, the study shows. The proportion of foreign-born immigrants in the region is likewise expected to climb from 40 to 44 per cent over the same period. The concept of a “visible majority” is already a reality in major swaths of Metro Vancouver. Richmond’s concentration of Chinese Canadians means 65 per cent of residents there were already counted as visible minority in the 2006 census. Burnaby at 55 per cent in 2006 and Vancouver at 51 per cent also count as “visible majority” cities already, with Surrey (46 per cent in 2006) expected to soon join their ranks. “It’s a no-brainer to most of us here,” said Urban Futures demographer Andrew Ramlo. “This is not a new process at all.” But he said many people wrongly assume the trend entirely stems from immigration. “In part, it’s home-grown,” he said. The number of children born in Canada to visible
include Filipinos (204,000 or 5.9 per cent), Koreans minority families, some of whom have been here for (136,000 or 3.9 per cent), West Asians (89,000 or 2.6 generations, is rising all the time, he said. per cent), followed by blacks, Southeast Asians, Latin Ramlo also noted seven per cent of marriages in the Americans and other groups. Lower Mainland are interracial. The projections mean Metro Vancouver “It’s not just bringing more people here would continue to hang slightly behind through immigration,” he said. “The diversity Toronto as the country’s second most ethniof people already here is going to breed more cally diverse metro area. diversity.” The study also forecasts changes in reliHe said the changes raise workplace gious faith. issues such as publishing safety manuals in Christians made up just under half of more languages or considering the needs the population in 2006 but are forecast to of employees who might celebrate different decline to 46.6 per cent in Metro Vancouver religious holidays. by 2031. While there may be some challenges, Non-Christian religious denominations, Ramlo said a more diverse labour force also adds up to a major strategic advantage on the Andrew Ramlo at 16 per cent, are to grow to 20.8 per cent, due in part to an expected increase in Musworld stage for many employers. lims in Canada. The projections are based on Metro VanMetro Vancouverites who claim no couver’s population growing from nearly 2.2 religion are expected to be 32.6 per cent in 2031, down million in 2006 to 3.5 million by 2031. from 34.2 per cent in the latest count. The current 396,000 residents of Chinese ancestry The Abbotsford-Mission area is also becoming more are expected to more than double to 809,000 over the diverse, with the study projecting growth in the visible 25-year period, bringing them to 23.2 per cent of the minority population from 23 to 39 per cent. The numMetro population, up from 18.2 per cent now. ber of residents there born outside of Canada is forecast The South Asian population in the region is to grow to grow from 24 to 29 per cent. from 215,000 now to 478,000, or from 9.9 to 13.7 per cent of the Metro population. jnagel@surreyleader.com Other leading ethnic groups here by 2031 are to
“The diversity of people already here is going to breed more diversity.