More people living in Prescott-Russell

There are more people living in the PrescottRussell region. This is good news for all the municipal offices and for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR).

Statistics Canada has begun releasing details of the 2016 federal census. The first report out of the census deals with population numbers and for the UCPR, the StatsCan report shows a 4.6 per cent increase in the overall population of the region during the past five years.

Fatal accident

Police report a Russell woman died as a result of an accident, on Feb. 11, in North Dundas Township. Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry (SDG) OPP dealt with a single-vehicle accident soon after 10 a.m., on County Road 3, near the North Wing Road intersection. Investigation report stated Louise Hoogsteen, 57, of Russell, was southbound on the county road and then somehow lost control of her Dodge pickup truck which went off the road and rolled over. Morewood Fire Department was called to help remove Hoogsteen from the wrecked truck. She was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead. SD&G OPP investigation of the accident causes continues. – Gregg Chamberlain

“These recent census figures demonstrate quite clearly that the United Counties of Prescott and Russell continue to experience a period of steady and confident growth,” stated warden Gary Barton.

In 2011, the population of Prescott-Russell was 85,381 people but now it is 89,333 residents. Prescott-Russell’s population growth is a close match for the national average of five per cent for the whole of Canada during the past five years. The StatsCan information release also noted the number of private homes in the UCPR jumped from 34,400 in 2011 to 36,783 in 2016, resulting in a growth rate of 6.9 per cent with the additional 2,383 new dwellings.

“Looking back further over the last 10 years,” stated Barton, “we also observe that our region has seen a total population increase of 11.4 per cent, with a gain of more than 9000 new residents. This is wonderful news for our communities, our municipalities, and our businesses, as well as the potential for economic development and tourism opportunities, and the benefits that these create on a regional level.”

Among the UCPR’s eight member communities, The Nation Municipality and Russell Township experienced the largest percentage increase in their local populations, at 9.8 for The Nation and 8.3 for Russell Township.

Les premiers résultats du dernier rapport de recensement indiquent une croissance de l’ensemble de la population des Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell