| |
Canada's population in small towns and rural areas grew by 1.0% between 2001 and 2006, after declining by 0.4% between 1996 and 2001. In 2006, around 20% of Canadians (5,981,340 million citizens) were living in rural areas, that is, in areas located outside urban centres with a population of at least 10,000. Rural areas provide food, wood, minerals and energy in both raw and processed forms to urban centres. They process urban pollution, including air and garbage, refresh and restore urban populations, and maintain the heritage which is the basis of our identity. Approximately 7.9% of rural and small town Canadians identify themselves as Aboriginal compared with 2.1% of urban residents. Rural Canada has been able to attract more foreign-trained physicians than urban Canada. In 2004, 26.3% of all physicians in rural Canada were foreign-trained, compared to 21.9% in urban areas.” Monthly unemployment rates for rural men fluctuate significantly more than for those of rural women. The yearly average unemployment rate for rural youth has declined steadily from 1997 to 2005. In 2001, 15% of the rural workforce was in primary sector industries (agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, mining, oil and gas exploration). In 2001, 22% of the rural workforce was in secondary industries (construction and manufacturing). In 2001, 63% of the rural workforce was in service industries (production services, consumer services, and government-provided services). Rural employment in the culture sector grew faster than total rural employment in the 1996 to 2003 period. Rural residents are more likely to know all or most of their neighbours, to trust their neighbours, to volunteer, to participate in service clubs or fraternal organizations and to have a sense of belonging to the local community compared to their urban counterparts. Individuals at all levels of educational attainment are more likely to volunteer if they live in rural than urban areas. Rural Canadians exhibit less healthy behaviours and have higher overall mortality rates than urban residents. Family physicians fill the gap of specialists in rural Canada by having a broader scope of practice and performing a broader range of clinical procedures than their urban counterparts. Rural and small town Canadians are slightly more likely than the urban population to have received a post-secondary certificate or diploma but less likely to have earned a university degree. In 2002-2003, the proportion of children in non-parental child care was about the same for children who lived in a rural or urban setting. In 2005, 58% of residents living in rural and small town areas accessed the Internet, well below the national average of 68%.
For more information on rural Canada: Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins Agriculture and Rural Working Paper Series Canadian Rural Partnership Research Reports Statistics Canada Analytical Studies
|
|
||||||||
| HOME | ABOUT CID | RESOURCES | WHATS NEW | FORUM | LINKS | CONTACT US | HELP | SURVEY | MAILING LIST |  |
