Canada: National Trend

Boomers Dept: The census breakdown of boomers and babies shows all of Canada is getting greyer, but the West has slowed its aging process since 2006. Nearly 20 per cent of Manitoba's population is younger than 15. All of this bucks a national trend that holds broad implications, especially for the country's social welfare programs, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Manitoba's story pretty much mirrors that of the West. This tracks with a rapid rise in immigration, which tends to bring in younger people. The West has aggressively moved to welcome newcomers through tailored provincial nominee programs that seek to match job skills with shortages in specific industries. + The East, with the bulk of the country's population, is getting older faster, with some provinces far above Canada's median age of 40.6 years. Meanwhile, most provinces west of Ontario have younger median ages. The fertility rate is rising, likely because the children of baby boomers are having children themselves now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.