Our communities--definition.

There are geographically-defined communities, professional communities, communities of knowledge, corporate communities, and academic communities. The list goes on to include urban communities, rural communities, ethnic communities, grassroots communities, arts communities, green communities, safe communities, and virtual communities. The one thing they all have in common is that groups of people belong to them.

In Canada, 80 percent of the country's 31 million people lives in towns and cities, and that figure is expected to reach 90 percent by 2020. In 2002, 48 percent of Canadians lived in the eight largest metropolitan areas: in order, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, and Winnipeg. Urban growth is cutting into rural life across the country, but the same things that give country folks a sense of community apply to their city cousins.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has summed up quality of life in communities with what it says are six essential elements:

* Developing and maintaining a vibrant local economy;

* Protecting and enhancing the natural and built environment;

* Offering opportunities for people to achieve personal goals, hopes, and aspirations;

* Promoting a fair and equitable sharing of common resources;

* Enabling residents to meet their basic needs; and,

* Supporting rich social interactions and the inclusion of all residents in community life.

Statistics Canada Community Profiles http://www12. statcan.ca/english/ profil01/ PlaceSearchForm1. cfm

Provincial Populations

                    1996         2001         2004

Newfoundland        561,000      521,986      517,027
Nova Scotia         931,000      932,389      936,960
PEI                 136,000      136,672      137,864
New Brunswick       753,000      749,890      751,384
Quebec            7,274,000    7,396,990    7,542,760
Ontario          11,101,000   11,897,647   12,392,721
Manitoba          1,134,000    1,151,285    1,170,268
Saskatchewan      1,019,000    1,000,134      995,391
Alberta           2,781,000    3,056,739    3,201,895
Brit. Columbia    3,882,000    4,078,447    4,196,383
CANADA           29,672,000   31,021,251   31,946,316

Source: Statistics Canada

OUR COMMUNITIES--MIGRATION

Internal migration reflects, to some extent, how individual provinces are doing at least on the economic front. In 2000, about 350,000 people moved to another province. Since the 1970s, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario have gained residents from the other provinces. But, Alberta took first place, according to 2001 census data (from 1996 to 2001), as the province of choice. Population there boomed by almost 120,000, thanks to job opportunities, higher wages, lower housing costs, and less urban congestion. Job seekers also flocked to Ontario, including many of the 31,000 Newfoundlanders who left their province because of the fishery collapse and a shortage of steady, construction work. In terms of numbers, Quebec was the hardest hit province with a loss of more than 57,000 people between 1996 and 2001. Meanwhile, some retiring Canadians opted for Prince Edward Island.

The Ontario government figures that in the next three decades, four million newcomers will call the province home. And, the province thinks one of the keys to building "strong, safe, and livable communities ... that offer residents a high quality of life" is effective land-use planning.

The province is facing increasing gridlock because of urban sprawl, and unprecedented growth in some areas (such as the Golden Horseshoe region around the western end of Lake Ontario), as well as loss of prime agricultural land and other resources. The government says it needs to enhance environmental protection in the province as well as continue building a strong economy to keep its communities thriving. And, it says those communities and the people in them need to have a voice in deciding what works.

The University of Regina's Centre for Sustainable Communities (CSC) thinks so too. Established in April 2003, CSC is a group of university faculty, staff, and research communities aiming to link social policy with environmental infrastructure to create healthy communities. Projects range from research on innovative community housing to controlling traffic noise in the city. CSC is part of the Communities of Tomorrow Partnership, a collaboration of federal, provincial, and municipal governments along with educational and research institutions to promote sustainable development in communities across the country. It is involved in issues such as roadways, public transportation, waste management, model subdivisions, water systems, sewage treatment, and affordable housing. CT is also very interested in supporting programs that address the social and cultural sustainability of communities.

Immigrant Magnets

Ninety-four percent of immigrants who arrived in Canada in the past decade settled in the country's cities.

Vancouver (right) is the second most popular destination for immigrants--after Toronto. Vancouver's newcomers are overwhelmingly Asian in origin, with the top five source countries being: China, India, Philippines, Korea, and Taiwan. According to 2001 Census data, the Greater Vancouver area received 169,600 additional immigrant residents between 1996 and 2001, raising the region's total immigrant population to 738,500.

Settlement is not without a few hiccups. The city of Richmond has a large Chinese population (32 percent of children in the community's schools are of Chinese origin). The city council is thinking about passing a by-law to force merchants to display signs in English. Some currently only use Chinese.

Between the censuses of 1991 and 1996, 43 percent of Canadians moved.

The top ten source countries for immigrants up to 1981

United Kingdom

Italy

United States 

Germany

Portugal

Netherlands

India

Poland

China

Yugoslavia

The top ten source countries for immigrants--1991-2001

China

India

Philippines

Hong Kong 

Sri Lanka 

Pakistan

Taiwan

United States

Iran

Poland

Inter-city Migration--2002/03

                In        Out      Net     Net rate per
                                            1,000 pop.

                                           02/03   01/02

Oshawa         18,705    12,025    6,680   +21.4   +16.9
Toronto       166,356   101,689   64,667   +12.9   +21.7
Calgary        47,228    36,872   10,356   +10.4   +17.7
Vancouver      71,557    49,850   21,707   +10.3   +13.4
Kitchener      19,735    15,852    3,883    +8.9   +11.1
Sherbrooke      7,976     6,621    1,355    +8.5    +7.7
Kingston        8,700     7,487    1,213    +7.9    +7.7
Hamilton       26,712    21,580    5,132    +7.4    +9.0
Ottawa Peg.    45,926    38,302    7,624    +6.8    +8.4
Victoria       14,682    12,642    2,040    +6.2    +5.0
St. John's      6,525     5,450    1,075    +6.1    +3.3
Montreal       90,079    68,917   21,162    +6.0    +7.6
Edmonton       39,140    33,425    5,715    +5.8   +13.0
Halifax        15,677    13,784    1,893    +5.1    +6.0
Quebec City    20,767    17,807    2,960    +4.2    +5.0
Winnipeg       21,348    19,531    1,817    +2.6    +0.9
Regina          7,972     7,804      168    +0.8    -6.3
Saint John      3,374     3,353       21    +0.2    -0.1

Source: Statistics Canada

OUR COMMUNITIES--SUSTAINABILITY

When the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISP) awarded communities around the world for successful citizens' initiatives, it defined community as "any group of people who share a common unity and have a sense of place."

That was almost a decade ago, and more than 50 communities worldwide got top marks in one of ten categories of activity considered important to the United Nations. (The Awards were part of a program honouring the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, undertaken by the Friends of the United Nations, a non-governmental organization.)

Recognizing that not all communities are rooted in a specific geographic settlement, IISP said those honoured included organizations and social movements working toward developing a sense of community at a local, regional, or global level.

These communities were chosen because they came up with positive and practical solutions to tricky problems and offered inspiration to others.

One of those winning communities was Walpole Island Indian Reserve. It is nestled between Ontario and Michigan at the mouth of the St. Clair River. The Reserve was one of the first Native communities in Canada to take leadership in the field of environment and sustainable development, influencing both its own members, and provincial government policies. Walpole Island has a unique ecosystem which includes about 7,000 hectares of the richest and most diverse wetlands in the Great Lakes Region. It is also known for its rare flora and fauna.

While maintaining its cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of the environment, the Walpole Island First Nation worked effectively with the nonindigenous population and western environmental scientists to everyone's benefit, according to IISP. The Reserve, which has been home to Aboriginal people for thousands of years, now includes about 2,000 Ojibwa, Potawatomi, and Ottawa citizens. With a common heritage they formed the Council of Three Fires, a political and cultural compact that has succeeded in holding on to that heritage: they continue to support their families through hunting, fishing, trapping, and guiding activities.

While recreation and tourism is the community's main industry, it has been threatened by pollution for decades. One of the main culprits has been Canada's petrochemical and refining region, in Sarnia, just upstream from Walpole Island.

Between 1974 and 1986, a total of 32 major spills, as well as hundreds of minor ones, involved 10 tonnes of pollutants. Since 1986, the Ministry of Environment has recorded an average of 100 spills per year. Agricultural runoff of The pesticides and fertilizers is another major source of pollution in the area, with beaches closed down regularly because of high levels of bacteria. Add to all this the environmental degradation caused by dredging contaminated sediments in the surrounding waters, and it's clear the Walpole Island First Nation has a lot of work to do.

By 1990, the community decided it was time to act: "Globally, sustainable development is an imperative. At Walpole Island, we believe sustainable development must be defined in practical terms. The people of Walpole Island view life in a spiritual, holistic, and dynamic way. As our ecosystem knows no political boundaries, neither should sustainable development. We know that we cannot do it alone. Only through an integrated approach will society be able to reconcile the environment with economic development to complete the circle. We have committed ourselves to this end. The future depends on it."

The two other Canadian communities that received awards were also Native communities. Sanikiluaq, an Inuit community in the far North, was determined to be heard on environmental concerns in the region. The community was a leader in gathering and documenting traditional indigenous knowledge of the environment, through the Sanikiluaq Environmental Commission (SEC), and became an award winner in the area of Cultural Development.

Using modern science and management systems, it effectively influenced the region's development; Hydro Quebec's plans to build the Great Whale Project in particular. The proposed development would have involved damming and diverting several rivers flowing into eastern Hudson Bay, directly off-shore from the Belcher Islands, threatening the land, its wildlife, and its people.

In November 1994, the Great Whale Project was suspended by the Premier of Quebec. As a result, southern interest in the Hudson Bay Program has dropped. However, SEC and study contributors would like to see the Hudson Bay traditional ecological knowledge and management systems initiative continue. The value of the knowledge documented is much greater than for purposes of the Great Whale environmental review assessment.

And the third Canadian award winner (for Human Settlement) was Ouje-Bougoumou, an Indigenous Cree community in Northern Quebec. After decades of repeated relocations, these people finally gained band status and land in 1992. It took a lot of political pressure and negotiation but the fight succeeded, and the Band designed a village based on three principles: economic efficiency and sustainability; environmental conservation and harmony; and aesthetic beauty. By using biomass from waste wood in a district heating system the village cut energy costs and benefitted the environment. It integrates traditional Cree values and culture with ultra-modern design and technology.

The village's buildings reflect the values and culture of the Ouje-Bougoumou people. The village design (left) is circular, with the Shaptuwan (traditional meeting place for feasts) in the centre and at the top of the hill. The inner rings are lined with community buildings, reflecting a tradition of sharing. The homes are built in clusters, just as the old camps were, and their doors face east where the sun rises, as the elders demanded. The people set up a home-ownership program to foster self-sufficiency. Band members trained as carpenters so they could build their own homes. Construction of the village, which includes day care, a community centre, a healing lodge, a youth centre, and sports facilities, provided jobs that are now beginning to produce some spin-off business.

International Institute for Sustainable Development http://www.iisd. org/

Zebra mussels are pesky little mollusks that cause trouble for the folks on Walpole Island and elsewhere. They breed rapidly and clog up water-intake pipes. An introduced species, the mussels were left behind by an ocean-going freighter. They were first spotted in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, and have spread throughout the Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence River system, and into some inland lakes.

OUR COMMUNITIES--SAFETY AND BEAUTY

Safety is always a concern no matter where people live.

The Safe Communities Foundation is a national not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to making Canada the safest country in the world in which to live, learn, work, and play.

Founder Paul Kells established the Safe Communities Foundation in 1996, following the death of his 19-year-old son Sean in a workplace explosion in 1994. There are currently 45 Safe Communities (as of August 2004) across Canada covering approximately 22 percent of the population. The Foundation works with the private and public sectors to improve the health and safety of workers and people throughout the community. The goal of the Foundation and all participating Safe Communities is to eliminate injuries, while promoting a culture of safety across the country.

Love flowers? There's a community for you: Communities in Bloom blossomed (sorry!) in 1995 with 29 Canadian communities. It has grown to include more than 100 national participants and hundreds of municipalities registered in the provincial editions. Thenon-profit Canadian organization describes itself as one which fosters "civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community participation and the challenge of a friendly competition." It was inspired by national beautification programs in Europe, which have flourished for decades. Canada's version aims "to improve the tidiness, appearance, and visual appeal of the nation's neighbourhoods, parks, open spaces, and streets through the imaginative use of flowers, plants, and trees ... (focussing) on environmental awareness and preservation of heritage and culture."

59 percent of Canadian adults say their prime leisure activity is gardening

Safe Communities Foundation http://www. safecommunities. ca/

Communities in Bloom http://www. communitiesinbloom.ca/

OUR COMMUNITIES--VIRTUAL

As well as being part of communities on the ground, more people are connecting in cyber space through the Internet.

Electronic communication has changed our lives, sometimes replacing face-to-face social interaction between people. Office workers e-mail their colleagues. Friends and family communicate on the Net. Strangers can join discussion groups around the world at the flick of a switch, forming interest groups, and developing relationships.

According to one article in Canadian Social Trends (Winter 2001), one of the main concerns to social analysts is that Internet users become isolated from traditional social support networks. Studies have shown that to be true to some extent. However, the Internet also has spawned new communities based on shared interests rather than geographic proximity. Some argue that the Internet actually increases our sense of community or belonging. Not only does it introduce people to new groups, it allows them to stay in touch with friends and family who live far apart. And, while some people admit to spending less time visiting and talking with friends and family because of their time on the Net, others say they would first choose to spend less time on other pursuits such as TV watching, reading, household chores, and even sleep.

For $24.95, Americans can buy the "Go Canadian" package to help them pass themselves off as their northern neighbours when travelling elsewhere in the world. Some U.S. tourists have been facing harassment abroad because of their country's unpopular politics. The "Go Canadian" package from T-Shirt King.com includes a Canadian flag T-shirt, lapel pin, back-pack patch and a quick reference guide on "How to Speak Canadian--Eh."

Home Internet use

                          % of all households

                       2000   2001   2002   2003

E-mail                 37.4   46.1   48.9   52.1
On-line banking        14.7   21.6   26.2   30.8
Buying merchandise      9.6   12.7   15.7   18.6
Medical information    22.9   30.1   32.8   35.6
Formal education       19.0   22.9   24.3   24.9
Government info.       18.9   25.6   29.2   32.2
Looking for work       12.2   16.2   18.0   19.6
General browsing       36.2   44.3   46.1   48.5
Playing games          18.2   24.4   25.7   27.9
Chat groups            11.0   13.7   14.0   14.4
Downloading music      17.8   23.3   24.3   20.6
Listening to radio      9.3   12.3   12.3   13.1
Finding sports info.   17.3   22.1   23.8   24.6
Financial info         18.5   22.8   23.5   25.0
View the news          20.4   26.2   27.2   30.2
Travel info            17.7   21.1   24.8   23.5

Source: Statistics Canada