Cornwall population at all-time high; North Stormont a good place to grow
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Cornwall’s population over the last five years grew by just over 1,000, reaching an all-time high according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census of Population.
The 2021 Cornwall population is listed at 47,845, a 2.7 per cent increase since the 2016 census when the city’s population was listed at 46,589. The previous highest number ever recorded was 47,403, in 1996.
“The growth rate of 2.7 is the first time Cornwall has experienced a full-digit increase in the last 30 years, and only the second time for at least 50 years,” said Mark Boileau, the city’s general manager for planning, development and recreation.
“Historically we have not experienced significant natural increases (births versus deaths), but rather our recent growth has been though migration. The information forthcoming from Census Canada, starting on April 27, will help explain where the primary growth occurred.”
The growth puts Cornwall closer to the milestone 50,000 mark, but Mayor Glen Grant’s hunch before the data was released was that the five-year gain would be more than it is.
“That was just the feeling I had,” Grant said. “There’s been so much interest in this community from developers.”
Grant said we need more workers (in Cornwall) and that, if there’s more housing in place, more growth will occur.
Data for Akwesasne is not available on the census website; the symbol legend for the community’s chart indicates information is not available for a specific reference period. Only the 2016 population is listed, at 1,693, as well as the land area category (11.81 square kilometres).
Flipping the virtual page to South Stormont, the 2021 population is listed at 13,570, up 3.5 per cent from 13,110 in 2016. It’s North Stormont, however, that has had largest percentage increase for local municipalities, growing to 7,400, up by 7.7 per cent from the previous census total of 6,873.
“First of all, it’s a good place to live, with strong communities,” North Stormont Mayor Jim Wert said. “And the ability to get space is a big factor – we’re seeing this decentralization (of population, from large urban areas).
“Another encouraging thing is, there’s been a lot of in-fill, in our villages.”
Wert said that communities including Russell and Embrun previously benefited from population movement from Ottawa, and with the price of lots cheaper further east, the motto for a municipality that’s heavily agricultural-based, A Good Place to Grow now has triple entendre. Wert said the potential is there for much more population growth, and that more high-speed internet in the municipality will be a key to that.
“That’s a big, big deal,” he said. “(High-speed is) strong in Crysler, but (overall in North Stormont) it’s not where Cornwall is.”
Moving back toward Cornwall, South Glengarry’s latest population total is 13,330, an increase of 1.4 per cent from 13,150 five years ago.
“We’re seeing an uptick in homes and permits in our municipality,” South Glengarry Mayor Lyle Warden said. “Putting my real estate hat on, a lot of people are moving from (other areas of) the province and from Quebec.”
Is South Glengarry in a good position to cash in? Many residents will tell you it’s a great place to live, but time will tell.
“We’re at a crossroads in Glen Walter,” Warden said, referring to the long-term plan to update the water services in that area at the west end of the township.
It’s trickling along, and the mayor says his top priority is to secure upper-tier government grants needed for the infrastructure work which is required to support population growth.
“My personal feeling is that with (more water and sewer capacity) we’ll have a boom like in South Stormont,” Warden said.
North Glengarry’s population is at 10,144, up a meagre 0.3 per cent from 10,109 five years ago. But being up by 35 people is a big development – Mayor Jamie MacDonald on Thursday pointed out that the population had dropped in four of the last five census results.
“This turns the tide, and the future is definitely looking rosier,” MacDonald said. “We’re feeling confident that there’s nowhere to go but up.”
Much more positive population change could be reflected in the next census – it was just last spring when council made a commitment to complete the Alexandria Sewage Lagoon Treatment Project and immediately lift the building freeze, those developments a game-changer for the area, MacDonald said at the time.
The South Dundas population is listed at 11,044, up 1.8 per cent from 10,852. North Dundas has 11,304 residents, a small increase of 0.2 per cent from 11,278.
As for the overall population in the country, it grew to 36.99 million, a 5.2 per cent increase that’s almost double the rate of any other G7 nation.
The next release date is scheduled for April 27, when Statistics Canada will outline census findings on how the country has aged, types of housing and, and gender identity.
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