With Niagara’s reputation for having one of Canada’s oldest populations, attracting and keeping young families is an ongoing challenge.

What exactly is the situation in Niagara? What trends exist in youth migration? What other trends should we be considering?

Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) has teamed up with the Niagara Workforce Planning Board to produce a policy brief examining population numbers in Niagara, focusing on its age characteristics.

“As Niagara’s decision makers look for ways to improve our community’s economic prosperity in the coming years, it’s vital they get the information they need,” says NCO researcher Carol Phillips. “Our goal with this brief is to provide a piece of that information.”

Phillips, along with co-author Adam Durrant, will be presenting their findings at the Niagara Workforce Planning Board’s inaugural Region Building Series event. It will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“There is no simple or single solution to addressing demographic challenges,” says Durrant. “Population changes at a local level require very long-range planning and a range of ongoing efforts to support multiple age groups that can lay the foundation for the future we would like to build.”

What: “A Deeper Dive into Niagara’s Population” presentation

Where: White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa, Niagara-on-the-Lake

When: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m. – noon

Who: NCO Director Charles Conteh and NCO researcher Carol Phillips; Niagara Workforce Planning Board CEO Mario De Divitiis and Research Manager Adam Durrant; Walker Industries executive vice-president Mike Watt

Why: To better understand Niagara’s age characteristics, the opportunities and challenges.