The city of Saint John unveiled a population growth strategy Tuesday in an attempt to combat a stubborn trend that’s plagued the community for nearly half a decade.
The strategy focuses primarily on attracting immigrants to the port city.
"We need to be getting more people to live here, and we also need to be rolling out the red carpet for those who come here,” says David Dobbelsteyn, population growth manager for the city of Saint John. “We want to make it really, really easy, so that when you come to Saint John, you can succeed here."
The plan also calls for "selling" the affordability of Saint John compared to bigger cities, especially the low cost of real estate.
Saint John’s population has been in decline since 1971. During that time, the city has lost roughly one-quarter of its residents.
For the first time, hard targets have been set for population growth. The city wants 5,000 more permanent residents over the next four years.
"We think we're aggressive in some areas,” says Saint John Mayor Don Darling. “I'd rather have targets and fall a little bit short than not have targets and just moseying along and not knowing whether we're making any progress."
Paul Teniere is a newcomer to Saint John, moving from the Toronto area last fall.
"It's a slower pace of life compared to Toronto. And people are very friendly and always looking to help you out. That's a big thing," says Teniere. “You don't have to be sitting in an office building in downtown Toronto or in Vancouver. You can be working in the Maritimes and here in Saint John and doing your job."
A lot is riding on the progress of Saint John’s growth, as the city is losing millions of dollars every year in per-capita funding because there are fewer and fewer people living in the city.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron.
