Census statistics detailing the distribution of age groups across the country were released by Statistics Canada on May 29 and, once again, the median age of residents on the Sunshine Coast has risen.
Census 2011 placed the median age of Coasters at 51.6, three years older than Census 2006 figures show. A decade ago, that number was 44.3.
The continuing trend has seniors' groups worried about the strain it could be placing on the services used by older members of the community.
"I don't think it bodes well for a buoyant economy here," said Jef Keighley, chair of the Sunshine Coast Senior Citizens' Organization.
An aging population could spur demand for service sector employees on the Coast, in things from property maintenance to healthcare, he added, but ensuring those jobs are filled could require a bit of "creative marketing" to attract workers.
"All sorts of economic pressures have pushed us in this direction and will continue to push us in this direction. To not accept it is to bury your head in the sand to reality, and I think it makes sense that we undertake the challenge to help counteract that," he suggested.
The trend's inverse, that of a shrinking youth population, could have an opposite effect on demand for the types of services that cater to youth, such as education.
A recent School District No. 46 head count listed student population at 3,294, a decrease of approximately 556 students since 2006.
Over the past decade, the Coast's student population, up to Grade 12, has decreased by 25 per cent.
"It will be impacting on a number of programs we offer," said superintendent Patrick Bocking.
According to him, the declining numbers are beginning to show at the high school level.
The head count showed a grades 8 to 12 population of 1,617, whereas the grades 3 to 7 students, those who should be replacing them over the next five years, number 1,073.
"When we don't have enough students, then we're not able to fill a classroom, then we won't have enough funds to support hiring a teacher for any given program. We have to have enough students to pay for that teacher," Bocking said.
He added that planning will be crucial in the coming years in order to maintain the availability of some programs, while ensuring scarce resources are put to good use.
An example he provided would be to scale back certain programs, making them available every other year. Students would still have a chance to take a course that could consume fewer resources by not being held each year.
But the logistical challenges of dealing with an elementary school population that is "pretty much at the bottom" in terms of numbers will also include planning for its eventual growth.
"Wherever our students show up, that's where our teachers go, and it's a complicated process in the spring, every year," he said. "Families move on and off the Coast, and we adjust for that."
According to Census figures, the population of the Sunshine Coast added 3,020 residents during the decade from 2001 to 2010.
