Warning flags raised as Vital Signs report released
Posted Oct 2, 2012 11:00:06 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new report from the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia has shed some light on a segment of HRM’s population that is dropping off dramatically.
The group’s first ever Vital Signs report look at a number of different areas, but the most alarming figure is the steep decline in the number of kids 15 years of age and younger.
The report showed that over the past 10 years there has been a 10 percent drop in that demographic, which is five times the national average.
Allison Kouzovnikov, Executive Director of the Foundation, says that can lead to big problems in a number of areas including education and labour.
“It’s going to affect our public education system, our workforce, it impacts just about every are you can think about,” said Kouzovnikov
The report suggests a baby boom is needed, along with an emphasis on attracting immigrants to HRM and a focus on retaining university students who are already here.
Kouzovnikov says in order to reverse the trend attention needs to be paid to a high occupancy rate in rentals in the South End and in Clayton Park.
High youth unemployment has also been tapped as a contributing factor in the decline of youth in the city.
The full Vital Signs report is available at www.cfns.ca
