The number of recent immigrants within a suburb in Ottawa’s southwest end doubled between 2011-16, beating a city-wide trend that saw a decrease in newcomers, according to an analysis of Statistics Canada’s census on immigration and ethnocultural diversity.
Several neighbourhoods in Barrhaven are becoming home to a growing population of recent immigrants, climbing from 300 to 705 newcomers in five years—that’s the highest increase the city has seen.
Among the newcomers moving in the area are Ali Niaz and his family, who immigrated to Canada from Pakistan in 2013. They moved around Ontario for a few years before finally settling in Barrhaven last year.
“It’s a family friendly neighbourhood,” says Niaz, sitting in the living room of his rented townhome, located a convenient walking distance away from a market place.
The father of three says he and his wife were happy to find a school in the area that offers a special learning program from their 6-year-old son who has difficulty speaking, something they did not find in their old neighbourhood in the city’s urban region.
There are lots of opportunities for families with children in Barrhaven, says Alison Stirling, an assistant speaking on behalf of the Barrhaven city councillor, who was unavailable for comment. Stirling says the ward is home to more schools by far than any other in the city, in addition to recreation centres, sports associations, and greenspaces.
But the amenities available are not the only factors that Niaz and his family find attractive about the area.
“There is so much diversity here,” says Niaz, who is applying for a master’s degree in accounting at Carleton University. “My neighbours next door, they are French, the others are English. Down the street we have a neighbour from Libya and another from India, too. Our neighbours are very friendly.”
Barrhaven has been a hot bed for development in decent years, says Stirling. “Of course that’s causing an increase in population and immigration as well.”
At the same time that Barrhaven welcomes a growing population of newcomers, the city is seeing an overall decline in recent immigrants by 2,350 people.
The map below illustrates the number of newcomers who have settled within each census tract across the city, with red areas representing a decline, beige areas indicating no change, and the lighter to darker shades of orange showing the lowest to highest growth areas.
In the latest census, a recent immigrant refers to someone who first obtained their landed immigrant or permanent resident status between January 2011 and May 2016.
Ottawa saw an overall decline in its recent immigrant population between 2011-16.
Source: Statistics Canada
The general decline may have to do with federal policies from the previous government that “put all kinds of impediments” for bringing new immigrants, says Caroline Andrews, steering committee chair of the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership, which works to attract and integrate immigrants in the city.
Although the number of recent immigrants in Ottawa has fallen, this does not mean there are fewer newcomers arriving, says Andrews. She cites the “huge community effort” in bringing Syrian refugees, who would not be counted as recent immigrants in this census data.
The Niaz couple, who have just passed their citizenship test this week, are looking forward to becoming new Canadians and buying a new home of their own, hoping to stay in Barrhaven.
“It all happened so fast that it came as a surprise to us. We’re very excited,” says Niaz.