Seniors take up larger share of city population

St. Albert is a little greyer, a little older and, of course, a little wiser than it was five years ago.

New federal census numbers released this week show there are more seniors in the city than there were five years ago. There were 7,760 people over the age of 65 in 2011, when the census was completed.

With those same numbers giving the city an overall population of 61,466 people, about 12.5 per cent of the city’s population are now seniors. Five years ago when the census was last conducted, there were 5,495 people who were 65 and over, at the time just over 10 per cent of the city’s population.

The numbers are in line with a national trend that shows nearly 15 per cent of Canadians are now in their golden years, but Alberta was largely bucking that trend with only 11 per cent of Albertans over the retirement age.

The number of seniors gave the city an average age of 40.2, two years older than it was in 2006.

Mayor Nolan Crouse said the city doesn’t want a perpetually greying population and is looking at ways to balance things out.

“We are working on strategies to become more young-family attractive.”

Crouse said just this past week, city council and administration sat down for a session with local developers and attracting young families was one of the major topics of discussion.

“Council has made a decision to work in this area. We don’t have answers totally yet, but that is the long and short of it for us.”

Crouse said the city welcomes seniors who want to call St. Albert home, but he also doesn’t want the city to become a retirement community.

“We will continue to serve the senior population and we are doing that, and yet we are going to be more overt in attracting and keeping young people here.”

He said failing to attract and keep younger citizens here would have a long-term impact on the sustainability of the city.

“You end up having to shut down schools in the decades ahead and you don’t revitalize your community.”

While they don’t yet have all the answers, Crouse said the city is making moves they hope will attract young families including simple steps like supporting the children’s festival.

“You can put your money toward a children’s festival or you can put your money toward other things,” he said. “We are just going to continually reinforce children and youth into the community.”

Crouse said even the city’s developmental assets program aims to target today’s youth, so they stay in the community to raise their own families.

“The developmental asset program tries to make sure we treat youth with importance, so the 16-, 17-, 19-year-olds today are feeling like St. Albert is a good place to live.”