Experiencing a growth spurt

Stats show East Hants as the only municipality with more young people than seniors

Nova Scotia’s aging population presents a variety of issues, and increased healthcare costs and a shrinking labour force are the two big ones.

It’s an issue that is virtually universal across the entire province — except for one region.

East Hants is the only jurisdiction in Nova Scotia that has more young people ( aged infant to 14) than seniors ( 65+), according to a recent socioeconomic study backed up by numbers via Statistics Canada.

With 23,542 residents, East Hants, including Indian Brook, has 3,915 people under 15 years of age, representing 17.5 per cent of the population. There are 3,450 people over the age of 65, representing 15.4 per cent.

For comparison sake, in Kings County, infants to 14- year- olds make up 15 per cent of the population, while 65 and older makes up 21 per cent.

East Hants even beats out HRM, Nova Scotia’s most populated municipality, which has 15 per cent infant to 14- yearolds and 15.7 per cent of people who are 65 and over.

It’s good news for the government of East Hants, as it shows that more young couples are deciding to put down roots and raise families there.