A city in a state of perpetual transformation I am an eyewitness to the transformation of Canada’s capital from a city of some charm to just another big city that modernity has spawned. These are cities whose endlessly sprouting| Population Institute Canada
Do we really need more growth? 8 billion and rising. Numbers matter for a sustainable future Every child a wanted child. Every mother a willing mother. Promote reproductive health and rights for all. Latest News Newsletter No. 61, May 2025 More growth means less happiness,| Population Institute Canada
The narrative in a nutshell There are few public dissenters among the political, corporate, and celebrity elites from the current climate change narrative. The essence of that narrative is that greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted through human activities are altering| Population Institute Canada
A grim prognosis The Government of Canada’s strategic foresight organization, Policy Horizons Canada, recently issued a report that anticipates a Canada in dire straits in 15 years. The report, with the title “Future Lives: Examining Social Mobility,” describes a scenario where Canadians can’t get ahead no matter how hard they work. Most Canadians will be [...]| Population Institute Canada
Longtime PIC member and vice-president from 2021-2023, Ian passed away on February 13, 2025. Ian’s love of nature went back to his youth and he spent a lifetime striving to protect it. A lifelong Ottawa native, he often went to Gatineau Park starting in| Population Institute Canada
Mystery migrants In the spring of 2024, a friend called to tell me about a meeting he had with his City of Ottawa councillor. She had told him that, at the time, three community centres in her ward that| Population Institute Canada
The new year could prove to be more exciting than many of us might wish. The spirit of “Peace on Earth and good will toward men” is in short supply in extensive regions of the world. Even in the| Population Institute Canada
In 2001, I attended some sessions at a demographic conference in Ottawa. I was astonished when a speaker from Statistics Canada said that immigration had essentially no impact on the Canadian age structure. Even back then, following a decade of high annual immigration initiated in 1990 as a government policy by Brian Mulroney’s immigration minister [...]| Population Institute Canada
Immigrants share stories from their community Not long ago, I was contacted by an immigrant from a developing country that I’ll call “Pangea” who had seen one of my articles republished on a Canadian housing subreddit. This person, whom I’ll| Population Institute Canada
Why is growth in your city exploding? Most Canadians have probably never heard of the Century Initiative. It operates behind the scenes and has received a measure of public scrutiny only in the past few years when the impact of Canada’s population explosion became too evident to ignore. Founded in 2011, it obtained charitable status in 2014, [...]| Population Institute Canada
Canadians are frequently told that continuous growth is just what their country needs. But when surveyed, they have never expressed a craving for it. They want safe communities, access to nature, equality and the rule of law. They place| Population Institute Canada
Not in my backyard NIMBY means Not In My Back Yard. It is often used in a derogatory sense for people who are opposed to a certain development because it would affect their own little neck of the woods. Instead of| Population Institute Canada
