Table 4-1 shows the population size for the seven communities for 1991 and 1996. It is striking that the seven communities are alike neither in population size nor in rate of population change in the five-year period under review. Edmonton (1996 population: 616,306) and Calgary (1996 population: 768,082) are the two largest cities in Alberta. The remaining five, namely Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray, are all smaller urban centres, although the first three are somewhat larger than the resource-based Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray.
The table further shows that between 1991 and 1996, Grande Prairie experienced the largest percentage change in population (10.1%) while Calgary experienced the largest absolute increase in population (growing by an additional 57,287 people). In the same period, but at the opposite extreme, the oil-producing city of Fort McMurray lost nearly 1,700 people (or 4.8% of the population), due to cyclical factors in the economy, (the population decrease is also due to changes in the boundaries of Fort McMurray as defined by Statistics Canada). Edmonton lost over 400 people (or 0.1% of the population). The remaining three communities experienced modest to low rates of population increase (Medicine Hat: 7.2%; Lethbridge: 3.4%; Red Deer: 3.3%).
Table
4-1
Total Population and Population Change for Communities in Alberta, 1991 and
1996
|
|
|||
| Population | Population | Per Cent | |
| 1991 | 1996 | Change | |
|
|
|||
| Edmonton | 616,741 | 616,306 | -0.1 |
| Calgary | 710,795 | 768,082 | 8.1 |
| Lethbridge | 60,974 | 63,053 | 3.4 |
| Red Deer | 58,145 | 60,075 | 3.3 |
| Medicine Hat | 43,625 | 46,783 | 7.2 |
| Grande Prairie | 28,271 | 31,140 | 10.1 |
| Fort McMurray | 34,706 | 33,045 | -4.8 |
| Total Alberta | 2,545,553 | 2,696,826 | 5.9 |
|
|
|||
Note: Data from Calgary and Edmonton reflect CMA only
Source: Statistics Canada (1998). Preliminary Data Release, 1996 Census of Canada. Ottawa.
With reference to age-sex composition of the population, Figure 4-2 shows the population pyramids for the host communities for 1996. A visual examination of these pyramids shows that the populations of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are, on average, older than the populations of the other communities. Fort McMurray’s population is clearly the youngest, with very few people over the age of 60, while Grande Prairie’s population is also on the young side, given the large base of young people in the pyramid. The age-sex composition of the populations of Edmonton, Calgary, and Red Deer are between the two extremes and more similar to the age-sex composition of the Alberta population.
Considering other demographic characteristics, Table 4-3 shows the educational attainment of the population age 15 and older for the host communities in 1996. The table shows that there are relatively minor differences among the seven host communities in the proportions of people with a high school diploma, with some post-secondary education, or with a trades certificate. However, community differences in educational attainment are most pronounced at the extremes in terms of the proportions of people with less than a high school education at one end, and the proportions of people with a university degree at the other end.
For example, Table 4-3 shows that 11.3% of the adult population in Medicine Hat has less than a Grade 9 education, compared to only 4.4% of the population in Fort McMurray in that educational category. The comparable proportion for all of Alberta is 7.1%. At the other extreme of educational attainment, Calgary is distinguished by having the largest proportion (20.8%) of the population with a university degree, compared to 8.8% with a similar educational attainment in Fort McMurray. Uniquely, however, among the seven host communities, Fort McMurray records the largest proportions of people with a trades certificate (31.1%) or with some postsecondary training (17.4%).
In terms of family size, there are no noteworthy differences among the seven host communities. Table 4-4 shows that among married or common-law families, the average number of persons per family ranges from 3.0 (for Lethbridge and Medicine Hat) to 3.2 (for Grande Prairie). Similarly, among lone-parent families, the average number of persons per family ranges from 2.5 (for Calgary) to 2.7 (for Grande Prairie).
Home ownership is a common experience among Albertans. For example, 67.8% of families in Alberta reported that they owned their dwelling in 1996, compared to 31.7% living in rental property (Table 4-5). Research as well as anecdotal evidence indicates that immigrants and refugees tend to be more satisfied when they own their place of residence. There are no official statistics regarding home ownership among immigrants/refugees; however, in Table 3-10, Chapter 3, we observed that only 26% of refugees in this study owned their own homes.