Victoria County shrinks the most of any N.B. county in census

While Fredericton and Edmundston saw population growth in the 2016 census, most points in between lost people over the previous five years, and Victoria Country was hit hardest.

Victoria County saw the largest population decline of any county in the province on a percentage basis at 6.5 per cent, with the number of residents falling to 18,617. In 2011, the county had a population of 19,921.

Perth-Andover Mayor Marianne Bell thinks a couple of factors are driving the decline in the region, which typically has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the province.

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"There is a changing economy and there are new technologies that have a big impact on the labour force in agriculture, forestry and manufacturing," said Bell.

And that has led to population movement, she said.

"A lot of people have gone out West to get a job," she said.

"I think that covers the drop in population and the fairly respectable employment rate. A lot of the workers have had to go elsewhere to find work."

In comparison, Queens County's population fell 5.5 per cent, to 10,472, while the population of Restigouche County is down five per cent, to 30,955.

Grand Falls sees 6.7 per cent drop

Grand Falls, which is the largest community in Victoria County, registered a population decline of 6.7 per cent. Its population is now 5,326, compared with 5,706 in 2011.

Mayor Marcel Deschênes was surprised by the census results.

"I am aware that there are a lot of people in the area that did not complete the census," said Deschênes.

"If you ask me for the town of Grand Falls, I would have told you before the census came out that our population would have gone up, I'd say probably two per cent."

Statistics Canada said last August that the response rate of 97.8 per cent for the 2016 census was the best ever recorded. The census took place in May.

Deschênes said the town has created incentive programs to try to get people to move to, or return to, the town.

"Small communities, you see people going away and the most important reason is for work."

Deschênes said the town has seen an increase in building permits for new homes, renovations and commercial properties.

"We are working on very important projects and we believe by the time the next census comes around, if it continues in the way that we're looking right now, the census could go up."

Other Victoria County communities also saw declines:

• Perth-Andover registered a decline of 10.6 per cent in population, with the number of residents falling to 1,590.
• Plaster Rock's population fell 6.5 per cent, and is now 1,023
• Tobique First Nation's population dropped 6.8 per cent, to 968.

The Perth-Andover mayor points to a flood in 2012 being a significant factor in her community's 10.6 per cent decline.

"In 2012, we lost over 100 jobs," said Bell. "Restaurants, the hospital downsized. We lost a call centre, hair dresser.

"I think that is a major part of what's going on with the decrease in population in our village."

Trend along the Trans-Canada

Most towns and villages along the Trans-Canada Highway between Fredericton and Edmundston also bled population, with the exception of Hartland, which added 10 people to register a population of 957.

But elsewhere in the Upper St. John River Valley, it was a different story.

• Nackawic's population fell 10.3 per cent to sit at 941
• Woodstock lost 26 people for a population decline of 0.5 per cent, with the number of residents now at 5,228
• Florenceville-Bristol's population fell by 35 people, to 1,604, for a decline of 2.1 per cent
• Saint-Lèonard lost 43 people to register a population of 1,300, which represents a decline of 3.2 per cent