Many have left or will leave to seek out work

The findings won’t come as a real surprise to anybody that has stuck around Prince Rupert for the last five years, Prince Rupert’s Quality of Life study unearthed a factor in our recent de-population that probably wasn’t too hard to force out of people.

Surveying the intentions of 475 people over their plans for the next few years, 84% of the respondents said they believed they were here for more than the next few years, 8% were destined to move on in the next two years while another 8% just aren’t sure what their plans are yet.

Of those destined to leave 39% were leaving to seek out a better job, 11 per cent to get education or training, 13 per cent were set to retire elsewhere, 12 per cent wanted a better quality of life and 12% wanted a better climate.

Considering the unseasonably large dump of snow on Wednesday and its effects on our roads today, we’re thinking that many of those that left must have been snow plow drivers and that the 12% that chose climate may find a few more converts to their gripes by tomorrow morning…

Full details on the depopulation question were found in Tuesday Daily News.

‘WORK’ WAS A BIG REASON FOR EXODUS FROM RUPERT
“Retirement’ and ‘climate’ other big factors says pollster
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, March 27, 2006
Page three

Prince Rupert’s Quality of Life community survey took an in-depth look at a long-standing problem – depopulation – and identified reasons why people leave the community.

According to consultant Jennifer Wilson, of the 475 people surveyed between November and February, 84 per cent believed they were in town for more than the next two years, while eight percent said they planned to leave and eight per cent said they were not sure.

“It’s really important to be grounded in this information so you know why people chose to stay or choose to leave,” she said at a council meeting last week.

Of those leaving, 39 per cent said they were leaving to find a better job, while 13 per cent said they were leaving to retire. Twelve per cent said it was to find a better climate, another 12 percent said it was for a better quality of life and access to medical services and 11 per cent said it was to get education and training.

Wilson went on to explain that as part of the Quality of Life Plan, the city should look at ways to improve in these areas in order to retain more people.

Prince Rupert lost more than 10 per cent of its population between the 2001 and 2006 census counts.

Statistics Canada released the population counts for communities across Canada earlier this month and Prince Rupert’s population, a number than had been the subject of much speculation, dropped from 14,463 in 2001 to 12,815.

The 12.5 per cent drop in population was in part due to the closure of the Watson Island Pulp mill in 2002, as well as a downturn in fishing and forestry.

Overall, the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District – which includes the North Coast and Queen Charlotte Islands – dropped by 9.4 per cent, from 21,693 to 19,664.