Metropolitan Growth in Canada 1991-2001 - Essay Example

In actual sense, Montreal and Toronto alone received 60% of new incomers into the cities’ demographic structures. In the 1991 census, Toronto and Montreal had a cumulative population of approximately 7 million members. In 1996, the population rose by 6.4% to approximately 7.87 million people. Other cities which accommodated more than 1 million people in 1991, 1996 and 2001 census include Calgary and Edmonton, both in the district of Alberta. In addition, Ottawa, which lies at the south eastern district of Quebec, accommodated approximately 1.

2 million people. These urban centers comprise of members deriving their ancestral roots from different ethnic backgrounds. Montreal comprised mainly of European and African immigrants while Toronto and Vancouver accommodates majority of Asian immigrants. According to Simmons and Larry (2003), the ethnic difference of a city’s population plays a significant role in determining the key economic activity adopted by citizens. In this case, immigrants from Europe have substantial economic strength and financial capabilities compared to African immigrants.

In this case, Europeans in Montreal lives in the inner-city neighborhoods with high social status. On the other hand, African immigrants tend to reside on the outskirt characterized with affordable housings and cheap social amenities. With respect to ethnic and social differences, economic activities and educational achievements influence the population level of incomes; hence the observed employment patterns across the society. However, the general increase in Canada’s urban population influences the rate of employment.

The changing patterns on Canada’s population seem to exert substantial influence on the nation’s economic and social aspects. According to the bulletin research article, the observed trends within different cities are playing a role in creating new forms of divides within the society. Simmons and Larry (2003) states that some of the notable trends in social and economic aspect of the society include patterns of employment rate as compared to population growth over a period of ten years. Statistics obtained from census results shows different trends in respective cities, all of which falls under the list of 25 most populated metropolitan areas in Canada.

According to Simmons and Larry (2003), emerging differences in economic strengths across the population determines the general welfare of Canadians, especially on aspects like health, living styles and housing environment. Continued degradation of economic patterns may lead to worsening of the general health welfare and society’s well-being. On the other hand, improvement of economic activities, which translates to positive changes in employment patterns, leads to a healthy society with decent and affordable housing.

In an effort to objectively determine the relationship between population growth and employment rates, we will acknowledge the statistical element of correlation coefficient. Prior to appraising its application, we will evaluate the actual change in population and corresponding shifts in employment rates among members of the selected urban areas. As an illustration, statistics shows that in a period of five years, Quebec’s city of St John experienced a 1.28% increase in its population. However, the population increase received a corresponding increase in employment rate by approximately 9 percent.

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