TAKING THE PULSE OF CANADA’S CHANGING POPULATION

Julia Al Akaila, 21, student and recent immigrant Al Akaila arrived in Canada from Greece nearly four years ago. Her mother is a Greek Canadian, her father of Syrian background and she identifies strongly with both the Greek and Middle Eastern parts of her heritage.

“It was hard to (associate) just with Greek people because my background is also Middle Eastern. It was hard in the beginning but school helps make the transition. There are a lot of services (for immigrants),” the University of Toronto student said. Kristine Jordan, 36, hairstylist, Toronto Jordan says she’s skeptical about whether governments are planning properly for the future.

“Are we taking the right steps to ensure everyone will be all right?” she asks.

“That age group is huge,” she said, referring to the 65-andover demographic that Statistics Canada has identified as a growing cohort.

“What if the money for these things gets eaten up? Then what’s left? I worry about that,” she said. Caitlin Keeley, 34, writer, Toronto Aware that the proportion of seniors is growing in Canada, while the proportion of children under 15 is expected to remain stable, Keeley believes individuals should make personal savings a priority and not rely on the system alone for support during retirement. She’s saving diligently and doesn’t want her son Jarvis, now 2 months old, to have to worry about supporting her when she ages. “We’re actively saving for him (Jarvis), too,” Keeley says. “For education my parents looked out for me. I want to do the same for him.”