Lessons about Hamilton’s changing face

There are many lessons to be learned from the justcompleted series by The Spectator’s Steve Buist on the changing face of Hamilton. Consider:

Declining birth rates are an issue across Canada, and Hamilton is no exception. The millennial generation, those who reached adulthood after the year 2000, are not having babies at the rate they would need to drive growth. Having kids is obviously a personal decision, but what should concern us is the extent to which those decisions are being influenced by external factors, such as precarious employment, low income and ability to rent or own adequate housing.

This is just one reason economists and advocates alike are worried about the overwhelming growth of precarious employment, with its typical lack of security, low wages, no benefits and little dependability. We need to recognize this is a potential societal gamechanger. If we don’t have sustainable population growth, there’s only one other option — decline.

Another theme from the series: Hamilton is no longer the destination of choice for too many immigrants. In the last decade or two, employment prospects and other more competitive jurisdictions have resulted in immigration decreasing to the point where only about 25 per cent of our population is made up of immigrants, compared to 29 per cent provincewide.

Right about now some people reading this are untroubled by this fact, and some even happy about it. But that xenophobia and racism isn’t just wrong from a moral and ethical standpoint, it’s also bad for business. Without adequate birth rates, immigration is a critical driver of population sustainability. Work to change this reality is being done by many in the city, but the reality is that Hamilton is losing its competitive edge, and more needs to be done to attract and retain our share of the immigrant population.

Last but certainly not least, here’s a thread of the story of particular interest to those of us in the baby boomer bulge. Quite simply, boomers are toast. They were in the economic and demographic driver’s seat, but are no longer. Hamilton millennials, at 27.58 per cent of the population, now outnumber boomers. Since they will drive the future, it’s a good thing Hamilton has more than its share.

But it’s also true that the emergence of this demographic leader also means our city is changing. Don’t like those bike lanes? Millennials do. They don’t drive as much, many don’t even own cars. Don’t favour modern public transit? Millennials do. Like urban sprawl? Millennials do not.

This isn’t about winning and losing. But these things are reality, and no amount of stubborn opposition will change that. Boomers would be wise to get aboard and enjoy the ride while millennials, many of them children of boomers, do the driving.