The Social Impact of Out-Migration: A Case Study from Rural and Small Town Nova Scotia, Canada

Authors

  • Lynda Harling Stalker Department of Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University
  • John G. Phyne Department of Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

Abstract

By drawing from Statistics Canada and qualitative research data, we assess the social impact of population decline in the Strait Region of Nova Scotia. Statistics Canada data show that from 2001 to 2006, there was a net out-migration from the Strait Region to other areas in Canada. This was a continuance of a pattern established nearly two decades ago. This, coupled with an aging population, means that the economic viability and social vitality of the Strait Region is being slowly undermined. The decline in the population of rural and small town settlements over the past two decades has negative implications for the local economy, families and communities, and community support structures in the Strait Region. We conclude by arguing that more resources are needed for the retention of immigrants if some of the negative consequences of out-migration (such as labour market shortages) are to be redressed. Keywords: socioeconomic structures, community support structures, out-migration, immigration

Author Biographies

Lynda Harling Stalker, Department of Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

Lynda Harling Stalker is an Associate Professor of Sociology at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She has conducted research on craft workers in rural Atlantic Canada. Her current work involves a comparative analysis of rural issues in Atlantic Canada and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

John G. Phyne, Department of Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

John Phyne is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. For most of his academic career, his research has focused on the socioeconomic and regulatory dimensions of salmon aquaculture in Norway, Chile and Ireland. He is currently examining urban social change in post-WWII St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Published

2014-10-29

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 3 (2014)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.