A look at diversity in Ottawa's suburbs
Plus a preview of the Welcome to Stittsville Newcomer's Guide
(This post is adapted from a presentation I gave at a panel discussion last month in Kanata organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Institute Ottawa and World Multicultural Festival. Two excellent organizations who are promoting education, discussion, and co-operation between cultures in Ottawa.)
Ottawa is growing and changing. We’re now at nearly 1.1-million people, and as the Nation’s Capital we welcome people from around the world. In the last 20 years, Ottawa has become a very diverse city – and a lot of that diversity is in the suburbs.
Kanata South, Kanata North, and Stittsville combined now have about 148,000 residents, and Stittsville now has the largest population of the three wards at 56,540.
These suburbs, and other communities on the edge of the urban area, welcome thousands of newcomers each year from elsewhere in the province, the country, and around the world.
The demographic make-up of suburbs in Ottawa is changing really quickly, with these suburbs rapidly becoming more diverse and multicultural. According to the 2016 Census, 12% of residents in Stittsville identified as a visible minority. In the 2021 Census, that number rose to 21%. I’m sure it’s even higher in 2024.
The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study is a great tool to explore demographics and statistics in neighbourhoods across Ottawa. One of the measurements you can explore is “Total Racialized Population” based on 2021 data. Dark green areas represent higher rates of diversity.
Stittsville East (Abbottsville Crossing, Blackstone, Fernbank Crossing, Westwood) has a total racialized population of 53%.
Kanata Lakes: 49% (west)
Half Moon Bay: 53% (south)
Findlay Creek: 57% (south)
Portobello South: 45% (east)
While the most diverse neighbourhoods are still inside the Greenbelt (Heron Gate 69%; Bayshore 60% Parkwood Hills 63%), these days in the newer suburban neighbourhoods you’re just as likely to see Diwali lights as Christmas lights.
This is obvious to me – I’m a councillor, I track this data, and I get to meet so many people in the community. But I don’t think this diversity is obvious to many people in Ottawa – whether they’re from a racialized community or not. Unfortunately we don’t always see this diversity reflected in local media, or in membership of community associations or sports teams or school councils.
And it’s important to be aware of this diversity because we know that racialized communities face significant equity challenges in accessing health care, in finding affordable and appropriate housing. There major gaps in services city-wide, and we need more awareness and understanding to fix these inequities.
It’s also important to welcome and embrace these newcomers into our community, and to celebrate how diversity and multiculturalism enrich our society.
In Stittsville, we’ve established a diversity committee made up of volunteers representing various cultural groups. Together, we work on activities and projects to help people connect and feel welcome in our community.
In June, we hosted hundreds of people in Stittsville at our third annual “Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival”. We also used the occasion to launch our “Welcome to Stittsville Newcomer’s Guide”, designed to help people during their first few days, weeks, and months in Stittsville.
Those are just a couple of local initiatives we’re undertaking to better engage and support newcomers. And there are groups all over the city working on projects and activities to foster dialogue, education and connections. This work is incredibly important as our city and neighbourhoods continue to grow and change.
Welcome to Stittsville Newcomer’s Guide
Our new Welcome to Stittsville Newcomer’s Guide is designed to help people who are new to Stittsville during their first few days, weeks, and months in our community.
You can download a copy at glengower.ca/welcome/ or pick a copy in person at my ward office at CARDELREC (1500 Shea Road).
The guide will be useful for people who are moving from another country, another province, or even from another neighbourhood in Ottawa. The booklet includes a range of information on topics such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, city services, and more.
The booklet is available in English and will be provided in other languages as well.
“And it’s important to be aware of this diversity because we know that racialized communities face significant equity challenges in accessing health care, in finding affordable and appropriate housing.”
It is not only racialized communities that face these challenges, and more specifically the challenges of inadequate healthcare and affordable housing is direct result of immigration levels out of control.