Tag Archives: census

Highest rise of visible minority population in Barrhaven

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(Photo| Marina Wang)

Barrhaven in Southern Ottawa has had the highest growth in the visible minority population according to an analysis of census data from Statistics Canada. Between 2011 and 2016, 4260 residents that identify as belonging to a visible minority (persons that are non-white or Aboriginal) have moved in to a census tract area that makes up the southern two thirds of the neighborhood.

Visible minorities now make up 43% of the residents occupying private households in the southern Barrhaven, compared to a city-wide average of 20%. Residents that identify as having a South Asian background made up the highest proportion of the visible minorities at 26%. This is followed by Chinese at 24%, Black at 14%, and Arab at 13%.

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Click on a census tract area to see a demographic break-down

“It’s a very diverse community,” said Andres Leon, a young professional that moved to the neighborhood in 2014 with his family. “On my street you have people from Cuba, you have people from India, you have people from the Middle East. We’re from Colombia.”

Low housing prices is part of the reason Leon’s family decided to settle in Barrhaven. “We used to live in Kanata. It’s almost fully developed so the prices were higher for the houses but since Barrhaven is just developing there’s no real estate,” said Leon. “There’s more opportunities to get houses in that area for good value.”

The suburban neighborhood is around 20-kilometres from downtown which has posed challenges for Leon who doesn’t own his own car. However, being far from the Ottawa core provides opportunities for peace and tranquility, said Leon. “The thing that I love about the neighborhood is that I feel like there’s nothing better than being away from the city itself. It’s so quiet. It’s so safe.”

(Photo: Andres Leon was born in Colombia and moved to Barrhaven in 2014 | Marina Wang)

According to Alison Stirling, assistant to Barrhaven city councillor, many of the new residents are young families drawn to the neighborhood’s many local amenities, convenient location, and low cost of housing.

“There’s just an incredible amount of green space in the area,” said Stirling.  “The number of different parks is just astonishing.” Stirling also said that the ward has a high number of community associations, recreational sports teams and activities for children.

The ward contains 26 schools and five community recreation centres including the Minto Recreation Complex which contains a pool, ice rinks, and outdoor turf fields. The Barrhaven Town Centre, a shopping complex, includes a movie theatre and stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Cosctco.

Barrhaven city councillor Jan Harding is also working towards bringing more businesses to the area so that residents won’t have to commute long distances for work. For example, the Tomlinson Group, a construction company, will be moving their new headquarters to Barrhaven.

Another appeal to living in Barrhaven is that it can be easy to access other areas of Ottawa and is located close to highway 416 and close to the Fallowfield VIA Rail station for those that frequently commute to Toronto or Montreal. “It’s a cheaper way of life,” said Stirling. “Not everyone can afford living in Toronto.”

Stirling said that the diversity in Barrhaven isn’t immediately obvious, but that “for sure we are a multicultural community and a very welcoming community.”

(Photo: Barrhaven’s many schools and relatively affordable housing is attracting new residents to the area | Marina Wang)

“Barrhaven probably represents what Canada aspires to become on a national level: a true and thriving multicultural community,” wrote Andre Lefrancois in an email. Lefrancois runs a community news website called The Barrhaven Blog.

“Many different things attract people from various ethnic backgrounds to Barrhaven. Our new mosque and synagogue have certainly played an important role, as have the quality of our schools and growing business sector. But I think that at a certain level, people who come from different ethnic backgrounds want to live in a multicultural community – one where residents respect each other based on values, not religion or race,” wrote Lefrancois.

Census shows Stittsville growth as older millennials move in to nest

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Census shows Stittsville growth as older millennials move in to nest  

Millennials may think that home ownership is just a pipe dream, but many are trading the city for the less expensive suburbs.

Ottawa suburban areas like Stittsville have seen growth in their populations between 25 and 75 per cent, according to the latest census.

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This is contradictory to the belief that millennials aren’t buying homes.

Instead, young homebuyers are flocking to Stittsville to purchase affordable condos and townhouses.

Ward 6 Councillor Shad Qadri says that building more compact residential homes has helped drop the cost of living in the suburbs.

“Now that we have higher density, houses are worth significantly lower,” Qadri says. “Up until eight years ago I was hearing from people who grew up here who said they couldn’t stay because they couldn’t afford it. But now they can.”

Many high density developments are popping up all over Stittsville, including the proposed Blackstone and 5618 Hazeldean Rd. projects.

But some young families are looking to move from high density townhouses to starter homes with a bit more room. While the new Potter’s Key development will offer some single family homes, many of the other proposed projects lack the space many seem to be looking for.

Valerie Hollyer moved to Stittsville three years ago after renting in the city for years. For her new family, she was looking for room to grow.

“It came down to getting more bang for your buck,” she says.

For Hollyer, it was also a return home. She grew up in Kanata and wanted to move close to home.

“A lot of my friends did that to go back to their roots,” she says. “And as they start their new families, it’s nice to have their own family nearby.”

More and more millennials are starting their families. A recent article in Housing Policy Debate notes that in 2015, the peak millennials (born in a small boom around 1990) turned 25, when may settle into careers and marriages. With the economy and jobs back on the rise, a perfect storm has been created for millennials to start buying property.

 

There is also evidence that the notion that millennials dislike the suburbs is a misnomer. A recent study by the National Association of Home Builders says that 66 percent of American millennials would prefer to live in a suburb. Only 10 per cent of respondents said they’d prefer to live in a city centre, despite the commute.

“It doesn’t outweigh having a big house and a backyard,” Hollyer says of her commute to work.

Fellow Stittsville resident Courtney Dauphinee agrees, saying she doesn’t mind commuting on transit.

“The mortgages aren’t too outrageous, and public transit is great,” she says. She jokes that she “may be retired by the time LRT makes it out here,” but adds that the light rail expansion towards Stittsville will be helpful for parents who work in the city.

Dr. Christopher Stoney, a public policy professor at Carleton University, says that better commuting solutions may be a factor in millennials finally making the move to the suburbs.

“From an urban planning perspective it could also be that they are anticipating being able to commute further and more cheaply through Uber services, or the LRT that will soon be open,” Stoney says.

Stoney also notes that this trend could undermine attempts to reduce urban sprawl by making it easier and cheaper for people to live outside the downtown core.