While northern Ontario’s population continues to decline there are areas within the north that are showing increases.  A report has been released from the Northern Ontario Policy Institute examining the trends in population over a 13-year period up to 2013.  Institute President Charles Cirtwill says five census districts out of the 11 in the north saw growth—–Algoma was among the slight majority that saw a decline…

Cirtwill says despite the overall decline, there were 5 districts that saw growth…

Manitoulin and Kenora saw the greatest growth at 6.5% and 5.2% respectively.  Algoma was among the slight majority that saw declines with a loss of over 61-hundred people or 5%.    Northern Ontario as a whole saw its population shrink by over 17-thousand or 2.2% over the study period to over 805-thousand.  Historically, northern Ontario’s population peaked in 1993 at over 859-thousand but has gradually been declining ever since.   Cirtwill says the north saw huge declines in employment and the resulting impacts on population from the mid-90’s into the early 2000’s.  Cirtwill says institute research over the last seven years based on leading economic indicators suggests that the trend maybe ending and we could be on the verge of turning it around or at least holding out own in terms of population…