A common refrain in Squamish is that we are growing.
Well, not anymore.
The town’s population has been declining since 2017, according to population stats released by BC Stats last week.
Squamish was on a growth path since 2011, but the reversal of that trend started three years ago.
According to BC Stats, 21,572 people called Squamish their home in 2017. That number fell to 21,018 in 2018.
The latest stats for 2019 shows yet another another dip. The number of people calling Squamish their home is currently 20,404.
As many as 1,348 people have left town since 2017-2018.
Whistler, meanwhile, is among the top ten municipalities where population has increased. Between July 2018 and June 2019, Whistler gained 391 people, a 2.9 per cent growth.
The biggest population gains were made by communities on Vancouver Island, with Langford, Duncan, and Colwood leading BC in population growth.
Langford lead the population growth in BC by adding 2,096 people to the community in 2018-2019.
In terms of numbers, the City of Surrey experienced the most significant population gain between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.
Surrey added more than 16,382 people in this period. B.C.’s population grew by 1.4 per cent between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019 – an increase of over 70,000 people.
BC stats used administrative data sets to calculate the change in the population between two annual periods.
Greg Lynes says
I have to believe that the cost of housing being so high now in Squamish and the lack of well paying jobs is a big factor in this decline of population.
Mark Caulton says
Squamish is a perfect example of how to screw up a lovely town. Too many cheesy developments that are massively overpriced. Too many hard working people that can’t afford a decent rental home, if they can find one. It’s a recipe for the failure of a community. We bailed out in 2015 and bought an oceanfront home on the East Coast for a fraction of the cost of a city lot with a modest home on it. No regrets!
Chelsey Wolf says
As a member of this community’s that done volenteer work and many activities in my youth, it’s sad to see how hard it is to live here. I’m now put in a very bad situation where I may have to leave the home town that I love so much, and have spent my entire life in because the costs of living here are just to high.
I’m a full time associate and have had to live with 3 others just to scrape by, now with the rents being raise were forced to find a new place to live out of town.
Fact is though there isn’t any available places for people with low income jobs to live.
So my Roomates and I will all have to scatter and leave Squamish which wasn’t any of our plans. I never had intentions on leaving my mother alone in this town, or any of my friends or my job, but this is what it’s coming to.
Im positive many others are having this problem which is not only depressing but not fair that our community is being pushed out.
susie says
treehuggers oh yes drugs to. Bedroom for Vancouver and Whistler.