The CDI has been gathering information on non-metropolitan housing stock and the housing needs of the changing non-metropolitan demographic throughout BC and across all Canadian provinces and territories. Statistics Canada classifies communities as Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) when they have reached a population of 100,000. There are 52 CMAs in Canada. For the purpose of this research, the CDI has focused on the areas outside of the 52 CMAs, the non-metropolitan areas (NMA). In 2016, over 19 million Canadian residents lived in non-metropolitan communities. 

For this study, we have selected a sample of 39 NMA communities from our BC dataset. The communities selected range in 2016 population size from 1,021 (Valemount) to 90,504 (Nanaimo). The histories of the communities in our sample vary from settlements established with early settler economic activity to instant towns purpose-built in the mid to late twentieth century. They also represent a diverse range of primary economic activity, which includes agriculture, forestry, mining, oil and gas, fishing, manufacturing, tourism, retirement living, and government services. The sample communities are commonly located some distance from, and have a weak connection to, a CMA. To provide context for comparison, we have included data for Vancouver CMA next to the average of this NMA sample. 

Despite wide variations in the sample communities, a number of patterns are evident in practically all of the non-metropolitan communities examined so far. These communities appear to tell a consistent housing story.

Building Foundations for the Future: Housing, Community Development, & Economic Opportunity in Non-Metropolitan British Columbia

Be sure to visit our newly launched Housing Information Portal for more on housing in non-metropolitan BC and Canada.