B.C. community population gainers and decliners

B.C. GAINERS. Biggest gainers in actual population.....
2006 2001 Change % change

Surrey
394,976 347,820 47,156 13.6%

Vancouver
578,041 545,671 32,370 5.9%

Kelowna
106,707 96,288 10,419 10.8%

Richmond
174,461 164,345 10,116 6.2%

Burnaby
202,799 193,954 8,845 4.6%

Abbotsford
123,864 115,494 8,370 7.2%

Langley
93,726 86,896 6,830 7.9%

Chilliwack
69,217 62,567 6,650 10.6%

Maple Ridge
68,949 63,169 5,780 9.2%

Nanaimo 78,692 73,000 5,692 7.8%


B.C. DECLINERS.....Biggest decliners in actual population:
2006 2001 Change % change

Prince Rupert
12,815 14,643 -1,828 -12.5%

Prince George
70,981 72,406 -1,425 -2.0%

Kitimat
8,987 10,285 -1,298 -12.6%

Terrace
11,320 12,109 -789 -6.5%

Port Hardy
3,822 4,574 -752 -16.4%

Quesnel
9,326 10,044 -718 -7.1%

Mackenzie
4,539 5,206 -667 -12.8%

Fort St. James
1,355 1,927 -572 -29.7%

Lillooet
2,324 2,741 -417 -15.2%

Houston
3,163 3,577 -414 -11.6%

Urban Futures Institute director Ryan Berlin said the population declines in northern B.C. continue a trend in the 2001 census -- the failure of many rural areas to share in the economic prosperity of urban B.C.

Especially hard-hit, said Berlin, are towns dependent on the forest industry. The softwood lumber impasse and poor housing markets in the U.S. and Japan have hurt -- as has the industry's mechanization.


(Source: Vancouver Sun)