• 2007 Report
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• Notes
• Community Context
• Arts and Culture
• Belonging and Leadership
• Environment
• Gap Between Rich and Poor
• Getting Around
• Getting Started in our Community
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Sudbury's Vital Signs Report 2007

Community Context

The City of Greater Sudbury has the largest geographic area of any city in Canada (3,627 sq. km). What's more it boasts 330 lakes within its geographic boundaries and is nestled against the vast, unspoiled wilderness of Northern Ontario. This "City of Lakes" provides our 157,857 residents (2006 population figures) 1 with an enviable lifestyle that is further enhanced, at the moment, by a booming economy.

Our city's most important asset is its citizens. The City of Greater Sudbury was formed on January 1, 2001, through the amalgamation of the towns and cities which comprised the former Regional Municipality of Sudbury, namely, Capreol, Nickel Centre, Onaping Falls, Rayside-Balfour, Valley East, Walden and, of course, Sudbury. Several of the neighbouring unincorporated townships - Fraleck, Parkin, Aylmer, Mackelcan, Rathbun, Scadding, Dryden, Cleland and Dill - were also included. Although there have been growing pains, the combined talent and vitality of our new municipality has enormous potential.

Greater Sudbury's multi-cultural character is dominated by a strong and active francophone population (28.2 per cent). 2 Our city also has the largest number of bilingual citizens in Ontario (40%) compared to Ottawa at 36.6%. 3

Despite a well-represented population of ethnic groups, only 10,775 people living in Greater Sudbury are foreign-born, representing 7% of the population. This compares with 26.8 percent for Ontario and 18.4 per cent nationally (2001 figures). 4

Sudbury has not been a settlement preference for recent immigrants with a total of 505 people settling here between 1996 and 2001. 5 On the other hand, Greater Sudbury's aboriginal population was 7,385 in 2001, representing a twenty-year population growth rate of 245%. 6

Greater Sudbury has been plagued with several years of out-migration. Between 1993 and 2002, Sudbury experienced a net population loss. This trend has since been reversed with positive net in-migration between 2002 and 2005. 7

Figure 1: Sudbury's net migration*

Sudburians are getting older at a faster rate than the province or the country. Collectively, in 2001, we had a median age of 38.9 years, 3.5% higher than the Canadian median age and 4.6 % higher than Ontario's. 8

Employment in Greater Sudbury in 2006 in the goods-producing sector accounted for 23.2% of the jobs while the service-producing sector accounted for 77% of local jobs. 9 In 2001, the goods-producing sector employed 20.0% of Sudbury's labour force while 80.0% were employed in services-producing jobs. 10

Sudburians tend to be wealthier than Ontarians and Canadians, generally. Greater Sudbury's median income in 2005 was $66,100 (2.5% higher than Ontario and 9.1% higher than the national level). 11 Although these figures suggest a positive growth and a prosperous community, it is important to remember that in 2005, 19.7% of Sudburians lived below the poverty line. 12 Single Sudburians, for example, in 2005 earned $21,600 which is below the Ontario average of $21,800 and the Canadian average of $23,400. 13

Sudburians depend more on government supplements than other Canadians. This year's report shows that 72.3% of Sudburians' per capita income in 2001 came from employment, a lower number than both Ontario and Canada (78.7% and 77.1% respectively). 14

Homelessness has continued to be an issue for Greater Sudbury. In July, 2000, 407 people were homeless (verified, unduplicated cases) compared to 608 in July, 2003. 15

Greater Sudbury has great promise but much still needs to be done. We have a growing aboriginal population that will need services and little population growth of foreign-born immigrants. We tend to have a higher per capita income than other Canadians, but an older population and a poorer single population. Despite being known as a resource-based economy, 77% of employed Sudburians work in service-producing occupations. 9

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