Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy
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Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy Prepared by: Prepared for: David Bruce Director Cumberland Regional and Economic Development Association Gwen Zwicker Research Associate September 2006 Rural and Small Town Programme Mount Allison University 144 Main Street Sackville, NB E4L 3K9 Phone: (506) 364-2391 Fax: (506) 364-2601 [email protected] http://www.mta.ca/rstp/ Table of Contents Executive Summary ......................................................1 1.0 Introduction .........................................................9 1.1 Project Objectives ..................................................9 1.2 Project Rationale ...................................................9 1.3 Recent Population Trends in Cumberland County ........................10 2.0 Methodology ........................................................13 3.0 Cumberland County Immigration and Migration Profile .......................15 3.1 Immigration Profile ................................................15 3.2 Migration Profile ...................................................17 4.0 Economic Outlook ....................................................23 4.1 Labour Force/Human Resources ......................................23 4.2 Business Profile ...................................................23 5.0 Youth Retention and Attraction ..........................................29 5.1 Youth Out-Migration in Cumberland County .............................29 5.2 Cumberland County Youth Input ......................................29 6.0 Communities and Immigration ..........................................33 6.1 Cumberland County Community Input ..................................33 7.0 Recommendations/Actions .............................................37 7.1 General Observations about Immigration ...............................37 7.2 General Observations about Youth Retention and Attraction ................38 7.3 Recommendations and Actions for Cumberland County ....................39 Cultural Awareness/Education ........................................39 Youth Retention ...................................................42 Youth Attraction ...................................................45 Settlement Services ................................................48 Social Supports ...................................................50 Infrastructure .....................................................51 8.0 Action Plan .........................................................55 9.0 Appendices ........................................................61 Appendix A: Youth Out-Migration in Haileybury and Region ....................63 Appendix A: Dealing with Youth Out-Migration in Prince Edward Island ...........67 Appendix A: Attracting Immigrants to Revelstoke, British Columbia ..............71 Appendix A: Immigrant Settlement in Steinbach, Manitoba ....................77 Appendix B: Youth Services/Organizations Available in Cumberland County .......81 Appendix C: Immigration Procedure ......................................85 Appendix D: Community Focus Group Participants ..........................89 Appendix E: Youth Focus Group Participants ...............................91 Appendix F: Responding to a Sudden Large Need for Increased Labour Supply ....93 Appendix G: References ..............................................95 Appendix H: Selected Immigration and Associated Websites ...................99 List of Tables and Acronyms Tables Table 1: Population Changes in Cumberland County, 1986-2001 ......................11 Table 2: Immigrant Status by Place of Birth, 2001 .................................15 Table 3: Population by Citizenship, 2001 ........................................15 Table 4: Immigrants by Selected Places of Birth, 2001 ..............................16 Table 5: Immigrant Population by Period of Immigration, 2001 ........................17 Table 6: Immigrant Population by Age at Immigration, 2001 ..........................17 Table 7: Net Migration, Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ............................18 Table 8: Top 20 Sources of New Residents, Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ............19 Table 9: Top 20 Destinations of Migrants from Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ..........20 Table 10: Age of Migrants, Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ..........................20 Table 11: Median Income of Migrants, Cumberland County, 2002-2003 .................21 Table 12: Number and Distribution by NAICS Type of All Registered Businesses, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ......................................24 Table 13: Retail Trade Mix, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ...................25 Table 14: Retail Trade Mix, Selected Retail Sub-Categories, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ......................................25 Table 15: Retail Sales, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 .......................26 Table 16: Household Expenditure Estimates, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2005 .....27 Acronyms CANSA Cumberland African Nova Scotian Association CREDA Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association CIC Citizenship and Immigration Canada MANS Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia MISA Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association NAICS North American Industry Classification System NSCC Nova Scotia Community College NSNP Nova Scotia Nominee Program OOI Office of Immigration (Nova Scotia) PERCÉ Programme d’entrepreneurship - régional, communautaire et économique (Regional, Community and Economic Entrepreneurship Program) PNP Provincial Nominee Program Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy Executive Summary Nova Scotia, like most other provinces across Canada, is seeing a number of demographic and economic challenges which have the potential to lead to labour force shortages, a slower demand for goods and services, and increasing fiscal pressures. Immigration and repopulation are ways Nova Scotia can help meet long-term population, economic, and labour force needs. Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association (CREDA) commissioned a Strategy and Action Plan for the County, facilitated by Mount Allison University's Rural and Small Town Programme. The primary purpose was to prepare a repopulation strategy and action plan for implementation in Cumberland County. Particular emphasis was placed on two elements: youth retention, attraction, and repatriation of those under 30; and attracting immigrants to the area as well as fostering immigration throughout the County by helping to build an awareness of population trends and the need for immigrants. Recent Population Trends in Cumberland County The population characteristics of the County have changed significantly between 1986 and 2001. The population has declined by 2,205 (6.3%) people but has increased by 1,005 households (8.2%). The largest declines have happened in Springhill, Parrsboro, and along the Fundy shore area. All areas and municipalities have seen an increase in the total number of households over the 15 year period, with the exception of the coast between Parrsboro and Amherst. More alarming, however, is the shift in age distribution. Children age 0-14 made up 20% of the population in 1986, but in 2001 it was under 17%; similarly, those age 15-24 made up over 16%, and by 2001 it was less than 12%. The population is aging - those 65 years of age and over in 2001 were almost 20% of the population. This pattern is consistent across each municipality and rural part of the County. The only exception is that the 65 and over age group in Oxford dropped from 22% to 19% of the population in this time period. As these figures clearly suggest, there is a pressing need in the County to examine the potential for repopulating the area through a strategic approach to retaining and attracting youth and young families, and to examine the possibilities for immigration to the area. Methodology Six phases made up this project: Phase One: Establish a Working Committee on Population Issues Phase Two: Assess Economic Development and Labour Force Development Needs and Economic Opportunities • review of existing CREDA and partner studies and data which identified business development opportunities; • completion of a commercial mix analysis by reviewing the existing inventory/database of businesses to identify potential business opportunities; Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 1 • identification of labour force needs through a review of the CREDA labour force/skills study, with a particular emphasis on looking for skills gaps and total labour force shortages. Phase Three: Youth Retention and Attraction • review of existing CREDA and partner studies and data which identify youth issues; • assessment of the range and quality of available services, including health, education, and social which will be of interest and concern for youth in the region; • youth focus groups at each of the County high schools as well as the Springhill campus of Nova Scotia Community College; • interviews with high school administrators about their alumni programs and possibilities for contacting former students and providing them with information about opportunities in the region. Phase Four: Immigration Strategy • an inventory of the existing cultural groups and services in the county, their capacity for providing services to immigrants, and identification of the gaps; • a review of the new NS Immigration Strategy and its various programs, with a view to assessing their relevance and use in the county; • identification of potential for school-based cultural awareness programs which will be a key part of becoming