Aging population
Powell River Regional District dropped from ninth to 10th place in the country for communities with the oldest populations, according to Statistics Canada.
Released Wednesday, May 3, the 2016 information shows 27.2 per cent of Powell River’s 20,070 residents were 65 years or older, more than double the number under age 14.
In 2011, the region had a population of 19,906. Of Powell River’s 5,460 seniors in 2016, 625 were between the ages of 85 and 99; 10 were over the age of 100.
Working-age adults accounted for the majority of Powell River’s population at 59.3 per cent, more than a four-point drop from 2011.
In 2016, 13 per cent of Powell River’s population was under 14 years old, about a half per cent drop from 2011.
Median age drops
According to Statistics Canada, Powell River’s median age slipped from 50.1 years old in 2011 to 48.4 years old in 2016.
BC led the country in 2016 by having five of top 10 oldest communities in Canada. Parksville, with 43.9 per cent of its residents noted as seniors, topped the list. Penticton came fifth with 29 per cent, Salmon Arm was eighth with 27.5 per cent and Courtenay placed ninth with 27.3 per cent.
Statistics Canada’s next planned release of information takes place in August, further broadening the picture of who Canadians were in 2016.
Salish Orca sails
BC Ferries’ newest vessel, the dual-fuel Salish Orca, will officially go into service between Comox and Westview at 6:20 am on Tuesday, May 16, the corporation announced Tuesday May 9.
