– With Kelowna, town is fastest-growing Okanagan community –

(OSOYOOS TIMES — March 21, 2007) –

By Lawrence McMahenrnOsoyoos Times

The national census figures released last week show Osoyoos to be leading the way in growth in the South Okanagan between the 2001 and 2006 Canadian population counts.
With a 10.6-per-cent population increase, Osoyoos joined Kelowna (10.8 per cent) as the two fastest-growing communities in the Okanagan Valley.
The census numbers, released March 13, show that by May 2006 Osoyoos had grown to 4,752 “ up by 457 people over the count in 2001.
By contrast, Oliver grew by just 3.5 per cent “ increasing to 4,370 people in 2006, up by 146 over its 2001 population of 4,224. After historically trailing Oliver's population, Osoyoos passed the nearby town's population for the first time in the 2001 census. In 1996 Osoyoos had had 4,021 people compared to Oliver's 4,285 “ but in 2001 Osoyoos had grown to 4,295 and Oliver had dropped to 4,224.
Kelowna grew to 106,707 people in 2006, up from 96,288 in 2001. The greater Kelowna municipal area accounted for 162,276 people by 2006.
Other Okanagan communities grew by less than the more than 10-per-cent rates in Kelowna and Osoyoos.
Penticton grew by 3.0 per cent (to 31,909 in 2006 from 30,985 in 2001); Vernon grew by 7.2 per cent (to 35,944 from 33,542); Summerland grew by 1.0 per cent (to 10,828 from 10,723); Keremeos grew by 7.7 per cent (to 1,289 from 1,197); Rock Creek grew by 3.0 per cent (to 2,234 from 2,169); and Cawston decreased in population by -3.6 per cent (to 1,082 in 2006 from 1,122 in 2001).
Osoyoos Mayor John Slater says he's glad the town's growth didn't push it over the 5,000 mark, because that would have increased Town costs “ but he says the ongoing upswing in population is putting pressure on the community for more services and amenities.
The town is very fortunate to be under 5,000 (since) many grants are conditional on being in that size of community, Mayor Slater says. He adds that while the Town faces a higher bill from the province in 2007 for its policing costs, that charge would have been at least double if we would have been over 5,000.rnSlater says Osoyoos will come under pressure from this growth for more amenities, recreational opportunities, health-care services, and good-paying jobs.
Our community, like many, is part of the amenity migration “ with people moving to places looking for a better, quieter life and the same or better amenities than they had at their former home.rnThe mayor notes that 25 years ago Osoyoos had just nine holes of golf and today it has 45 holes.
He says that same increase in demand now has people wanting an aquatic centre, arts and culture opportunities, and recreational facilities.
Of course the biggest pressure will come from health-care expectations. This is why we need to work very closely with the Interior Health Authority to meet the expectations of our citizens.rnAnd, Slater says, The biggest challenge in the next few years will be how we can attract people to Osoyoos to work.rnIn other census results, B.C.'s population passed the 4 million mark, rising to 4.11 million people in 2006, a 5.3-per-cent increase over its 3.91 million population in 2001. The province now makes up 13.0 per cent of Canada's total population of 31.61 million. The national population growth from 2001-2006 was 5.4 per cent.
B.C. is the most urbanized province, with 85.4 per cent of its people living in urban areas. The province has one of the lowest fertility rates in the country, at 1.4 children per woman, so the biggest factor in the population growth has been international immigration.
Most of the province's population growth took place in the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island, although some occurred in the Interior and in certain other communities. Some communities lost population, notably on the central coast.
Vancouver is Canada's third-largest metropolitan area, at 2.1 million people “ trailing Toronto at 5.1 million and Montreal at 3.6 million.
Vancouver city population is 578,041 “ the largest city in B.C. It is followed by Surrey (394,976), Burnaby (202,799), Richmond (174,461) and Abbotsford (123,864).
The fastest-growing B.C. communities of over 5,000 people, from 2001-2006, were View Royal, near Victoria (20.6 per cent), Langford (19.2), Port Moody (15.5), Courtenay (14.5) and Surrey (13.6). The biggest population drops in communities over 5,000 were in Kitimat (-12.6 per cent), Prince Rupert (-12.5), Quesnel (-7.1), Terrace (-6.5) and Kimberley (-5.3).
The fastest-growing communities of under 5,000 people were Pemberton (33.5 per cent), Anmore (32.8), Tumbler Ridge (32.6), Radium Hot Springs (26.1) and Taylor (21.1). The biggest drops in communities under 5,000 were in Tahsis (-39.0 per cent), Fort St. James (-29.7), Port Alice (-27.1), Lytton (-26.3) and Stewart (-25.0).