Hi everyone, we'll get started in just a few minutes.
by Melissa Whetstone 9/19/2012 4:00:07 PM
Hello everyone. I'm chock full of census statistics and looking forward to your questions.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:00:35 PM
Hi John, thanks for joining us today to talk census. What did you find most interesting in today's data?
by Melissa Whetstone 9/19/2012 4:02:35 PM
There's a lot of fascinating stuff for wonks who like to dig into demographics, Melissa. I'd throw two numbers out that really caught my attention....
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:04:01 PM
The first is that about 32 per cent of same-sex couples are now married, a huge increase from 2006. Obviously, that's because same-sex marrige was legalized in 2005...
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:05:40 PM
That answers a debate that raged at the time over whether gay couples should be allowe to marry. The answer is, yes they should, because clearly many of them craved the same stability and permanance that marriage afforded opposite-sex couples. For me, at least, that's case closed.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:06:48 PM
The other interesting number is the increase in the number of multiple-family dwellings in suburbs surrounding Toronto and Vancouver. To me, that suggests that immigrant Canadians are continuing the tradition of multiple-generation and multiple-family arrangements that they brought with them from their home country.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:07:54 PM
What do you think Ottawa will do with the stats on same-sex couples?
by Melissa Whetstone 9/19/2012 4:09:17 PM
In Brampton, for example, multiple-family dwelling constitute just over 10 per cent of residences. (To finish that earlier point.)
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:09:48 PM
I don't think Ottawa will do much of anything with the data. Political strategists, though, will tailor their "family" message to include same-sex families. At least, they will if they're smart and want the same-sex vote.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:10:31 PM
How does this information affect, say, a young parent’s future vs. a senior’s future?
by Melissa Whetstone 9/19/2012 4:15:33 PM
Well the good news for seniors is that they are living in families longer. Basically, that's because men are living longer, so widow's spend less time on their own. I personally consider this wonderful news. I hesitate to ask what women think of it.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:17:07 PM
And twenty-somethings still living with Mom and Dad can take solace in knowing that 40 per cent of their peers do the same. Again, I hesitate to ask what the parents think.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:17:54 PM
Here's a question from a reader:
by Melissa Whetstone 9/19/2012 4:18:11 PM
if you're an educator in Alberta, where the tranche of families with children is growing strongly, the challenge will be accommodating students in schools. Will students spend all their time in portables? What about class sizes? What about finding teachers to meet demand....
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:19:51 PM
In New Brunswick, the challenge, and it's a grimmer one, is to figure out which schools to close, because there aren't enough parents with young children to justify current resources.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:20:50 PM
Another question from a reader:
by Melissa Whetstone 9/19/2012 4:22:21 PM
We can say categorically in this case that the answer is no. There have been three releases of data from the 2011 census so far this year, with one more (on language) to come in October. All have been drawn exclusively from the mandatory short-form census.
by John Ibbitson 9/19/2012 4:23:36 PM