Seniors outnumber kids by more than double in Viking

Canadian seniors (age 65 plus) outnumber kids (age 14 and under) for the first time in Canada, according to Census 2016.

While seniors have always had the higher numbers in Viking, the age gap in town is larger than ever. In fact, the older group now outnumbers the younger by more than double.

The age and sex data from Census 2016 was released on May 3, and it shows Canada has a population of 5.9 million people who are over 65 years of age, as compared to 5.8 million people under the age of 14.

The over-65 population in the country has experienced a jump of 20 per cent since the 2011 census. Canada as a whole has only seen an increase of about five per cent.

The large increase could be due to the fact that the first of the baby boomers have been turning 65 in the past five years. Along with this, life expectancy is going up for Canadians and fertility rates are low…. for more see the May 9/17 Weekly Review