Canadian immigration to promote small communities

July 23 2009 by Mark Johnstone

Can Canadian immigration end urban sprawl?

As the problem of overcrowding grows in cities across Canada, a new Canadian immigration initiative may be the answer.

Small communities in Canada are shrinking as young people move into the city for job opportunities and immigrants who have made the move to Canada typically settle in cities.

A small community located at the North bay, Ontario, has set up an immigrant settlement agency and has already received settlement funding from the government. The agency will aim to encourage Canadian immigrants to move outisde the major cities.

This programme will be also implemented in two other cities in Ontario that are part of a pilot programme that aims to encourage immigration to the area.

A 2006 census revealed that four out of five of the Canadian population lives in an urban area.

Mark Rosenberg, a professor of geography and community health and epidemiology at Queens University in Ontario says:

“The disappearance of some communities, particularly some of the smallest communities in rural and northern places, will slowly see their populations disappear.”

Not everyone thinks Canadian immigration is the answer to the problem of small communities shrinking. Some believe too much multiculturalism is damaging the culture and the country as a whole.

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