STRAIT AREA: Data from the 2016 census showed that the population in the Strait area is shrinking.

On February 8, Statistics Canada released population data from the 2016 census.

The sharpest decline was in the Municipality of the District of Guysborough where the population went down by 8.5 per cent between 2011 and 2016. In 2011, the census recorded 4,995 people living in the municipality, but five years later, that dropped to 4,670.

The Town of Mulgrave saw a population decline of 9.1 per cent over those same five years. The population in 2011 was at 794, and in 2016 that number was at 722.

The Town of Port Hawkesbury’s population is also shrinking. In 2011, the census recorded 3,167 people living in the town, but by 2016 that was down to 3,004, for a 5.1 per cent drop.

Richmond County also saw a noticeable decrease in population. In 2011, the census showed there were 9,293 people living there, but in 2016, that figure was down to 8,964, for a drop of 3.5 per cent.

The news was mixed in Inverness County. The village of Inverness saw a 2.2 per cent uptick in population. In 2011, there were 1,221 people recorded as living in Inverness, and five years later, that number was 1,248. This is even more positive considering that from 2006 to 2011, the population of the village went down by 5.3 per cent.

The rest of Inverness County witnessed a population drop of four per cent. In 2011, the county’s population stood at 17,947, but by 2016, that number was down to 17,235.

Even Antigonish County saw a 1.5 per cent drop in population. In 2011, there were 19,589 people living in the county, but in 2016, that decreased to 19,301.

The Town of Antigonish also saw a slight decrease. In 2011, the town’s population was 5,049, and in 2016, that number was recorded at 5,002, for a drop of 0.9 per cent.