Major Shift in Canadian Cities Towards Diversity

According to the latest census data projections, Canada will become a remarkably diverse nation in the coming decades, with increasing ethnic and racial mixing being concentrated in the nations' cities.

1 minute read

March 10, 2010, 1:00 PM PST

By Michael Dudley


According to Statistics Canada, a "massive" transformation will be taking place in the near future as visible minorities will represent a larger proportion of the population. In some cities, notably Toronto, they will become the majority. As the Globe and Mail reports,

"By 2031, one in three Canadians will belong to a visible minority. One in four will be foreign-born, the highest proportion since the end of the last wave of mass immigration that began around 1910, Statscan said in a release Tuesday.

Growth will be largely concentrated in cities, although there will be significant regional differences, according to the report. More than 60 per cent of Toronto's population will belong to a visible minority in 20 years. About 96 per cent of visible minorities will live in Canada's cities."

There are concerns that these concentrations will intensify an already pronounced urban-rural divide in Canada.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in The Globe and Mail

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