Our Population Challenge

New Brunswick is the only province in Canada whose population has declined based on the last census. People are leaving the labour force at a faster rate than entering. From 2013 to 2017, New Brunswick suffered a net loss of almost 3,000 workers annually. Like the rest of the province, the greater Sussex region is aging fast and the number of young people is declining.

The New Brunswick Multicultural Council, this past spring, held a “New Conversations Tour”. People from communities across the province were invited to converse on the topics of immigration, the economy and the vitality and sustainability of our communities. David Campbell of Jupia Consultants developed a community profile for the Greater Sussex Region. It provided the following information:

· The region has experienced a 13% drop in youth age 20 and under since 2001

· The median age of a person in the region is 12% older than the median age of a person in Canada

· 40% of everyone self employed is over the age of 55

Why is this a problem?

Because population growth can be directly linked to economic prosperity.

Managing a population in decline is difficult. Our decline in population means fewer students which may result in school closures. It means there are not enough workers joining the workforce to make up for those retiring. Without enough workers, businesses may close and services may leave the community. A smaller population means a decline in the tax base and less tax revenue means a reduction in government services. We may not have funds to repair our bridges, resurface our roads, or clear them in winter. Health care budgets may be cut, which means fewer doctors, longer wait times for care and not having the best equipment to meet our needs.

So how do we stop this population decline? Certainly encouraging our young people to stay or come back to us would help. Encouraging people from other parts of Canada to move here is a great idea too as is having the next baby boom.

But we need 150 000 people to join our province over the next 20 years to reverse the trend of declining population. To get these kinds of numbers, we need to look outside our borders for growth and that means embracing immigration.

Immigrants make up 22% of the population of Canada but less than 5% here in New Brunswick which is partly why we are falling behind the rest of the country in growth and development. Provinces like Manitoba with high immigration are leading the country in production and increased revenue.

New Brunswick needs new ideas, new energy and enthusiasm and the money that comes from immigration. A larger tax base will help us grow our revenues and maintain our services.

Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton actually saw modest population growth. That is largely because of the influx of newcomers to these cities.

What about Sussex?

Unfortunately the region has experienced difficulty attracting and retaining newcomers with statistics showing less than 50 new immigrants between 2011 and 2016.

Employers in our region are already feeling the pressure of population decline and a reduced labour force. We are increasingly seeing employers looking beyond our borders to fill their job vacancies. It is expensive for an employer to bring in someone from outside Canada: there are application fees, settlement fees and other costs of recruiting outside the country. Outside sourcing is a last resort for most employers, but if the choice is to lose customers, cut back on production or close up shop, they’re going to do it.

Rural life is the backbone of this province and small towns like ours cannot be left to die from population depletion. To overcome today’s challenges, we must welcome more people here to share our passion for this place and to build its future. We need to welcome newcomers to our community, help them integrate and put down roots to help our community thrive.

Population decline is everyone’s challenge. We are all part of the solution.