Calgary population grew by 18,367 according to annual census data

Census shows city growing on fringes The new census shows that Calgary is still growing, mainly on the outskirts of town. Brenna Rose reports.

Calgary's population continues to grow, but the growth rate is slowing, according to annual civic census data released Tuesday.

The city's population grew by 18,367 between April 2018 and April of this year, to now sit at 1,285,711.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi revealed the number at a press conference Tuesday and called it "pretty standard for growth for Calgary in non-boom times."

"We think this is going to continue, at least for the next three years," he said.

"It's lower growth than $100 oil growth, but it shows that growth will continue to be the trend into the next decade."

Sally Lockhart, general manager of the Mahogany Home Owners Association, says the community is growing between seven and nine per cent annually and estimates it is about one-third completed.

“By the time we’re complete we will be roughly around 12,500 homes and 33,000 people,” said Lockhart, who believes the surrounding area will also see development.

“The city doesn’t relocate a hospital on the outskirts of the city, so there’s obviously going to be a lot more room for expansion for the south as well.”

The community of Mahogany saw the largest growth in population with an increase of 1,948, followed by Legacy (+1,116), Nolan Hill (+1,051), Cornerstone (+1,019), and Redstone (+1,002).

In terms of pre-school age children, the community of Evanston has the most at 2,398, followed by Auburn Bay (2,398), Saddle Ridge (2,244), Panorama Hills (2,145) and Cranston (2,068).

But the number of pre-school age kids, those under the age four, is going down, which Nenshi said could become "a big problem."

"What that implies is those 34 or 38 new schools we built in the last two years will run out of children to be in them in the next decade," he said.

"This is a big problem and it will lead to a lot of stranded assets, so we've got to be much, much more thoughtful than we have been in terms of how we are thinking about and how we are planning our city."

While the city's population is increasing, the birth rate actually fell from a high of 16,600 in 2016 to 15,300 in the most recent census.

That also needs to be addressed, said Nenshi.

"If this trend is real and if it continues, there are actually some very troubling consequences," said Nenshi.

"It's clear if we want to retain a young, vibrant  population, a population that can continue to support older people, we have a lot we've got to do, and it really is about attracting young, working-age people to the city."

With files from CTV Calgary's Brenna Rose)