Census Data

2011 Census Data Dept: The data lands in the middle of a heated national debate over whether Ottawa should make Canadians wait an extra two years for government Old Age Security benefits, a policy change that could spur them to postpone retirement beyond 65, according to Globe and Mail. The Statscan presentation, from late December, 2011, shows the agency expects census data will continue a broad trend that s leaving the Atlantic provinces and Quebec with an above-average proportion of seniors aged 65 and up. Many provinces further west, however, have a lower-than-average share of the retirement-age population and statistics Canada will release the first wave of 2011 census data next Wednesday, highlighting population shifts. But the age and sex component of the census, expected to be released by this spring, will further illuminate the greying of eastern provinces compared with Ontario and others further west. An internal Statscan document, obtained by The , estimates that the share of Canada s working-age population in the 45-64 year group has hit a record high. This suggests that a significant number of mature workers could retire from the labour force in the next 20 years the latest sign of a demographic shift as the population ages. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.