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Immigrant population tops births as growth rate slowsBy JIM FOX© St. Petersburg Times published March 17, 2002 Immigrants have taken over from baby boomers as Canada's population climbed by only 4 percent in the last five years to top 30-million. Statistics Canada said the latest census shows 30,007,094 residents, with immigration outpacing natural population increases for the first time since World War II. The population growth was almost 1.2-million people from five years earlier. Demographers said baby boomers are past their child-rearing prime, and Canada must look overseas if it is to offset declining fertility and rising death rates. "You have at least a 10-year deficit of children," said Francois Nault, a StatsCan analyst. Growth in the big cities is booming, with 51 percent of Canadians living in four major urban regions -- Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary-Edmonton. The prosperous and job-rich provinces of Alberta and Ontario had population increases of 10.3 and 6.1 percent respectively. Prime Minister Jean Chretien said it's a "pity" population growth slowed but he expressed optimism about immigration. For the first time in 100 years, Canada's population growth rate was lower than that of the United States. In briefA fierce windstorm in Ontario and Quebec last weekend uprooted trees and downed power lines. The icy winds exceeded 60 mph, with some roofs blown off buildings, trees and large signs toppled, and power cut for up to 100,000 customers, more than half of them in Quebec. Relatives of about 50 women missing from Vancouver's downtown eastside were asked to view photographs of items that might have belonged to them. Police have arrested Robert Pickton, 52, of Port Coquitlam for first-degree murder in the deaths of two of the women. It was the first break in the case of the 20 years of disappearances of women, many of them prostitutes or drug addicts. Facts and figuresComments by Deputy Prime Minister John Manley that uncompetitive companies are hooked on the low Canadian dollar caused the currency to drop almost a half-cent to 62.65 U.S. cents, before bank exchange fees. The U.S. greenback is worth $1.5960 Canadian. The Bank of Canada's key interest rate of 2 percent and the prime lending rate at 3.75 percent are unchanged. Stock markets were lower, with the Toronto Exchange 300 index at 7,864 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange, 1,153 points. Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 12, 14, 20, 23, 43 and 47; bonus 3. (March 9) 4, 6, 16, 38, 44 and 45; bonus 9.
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