By Patrick Newhook/February 17, 2022
Nearly all of the municipalities on the Northeast Avalon have seen population growth over the past four years, according to the latest Census, with one notable exception – Mount Pearl.
According to the census, Mount Pearl’s population dropped from 23,120 people in 2016 to 22,477 last year.
Mayor Dave Aker said it’s due to the city’s aging population.
“I think it’s the aging population and in all honestly not every demographic within every family wants to live in Mount Pearl,” said Aker. “I think we are very well positioned in the region that we do live in, and I think basically you have a lot of people who have built up their houses over the years and the good news is they continue to remain in those homes, but naturally some of the offspring, as they grow up, they move to other places, including Mount Pearl, but they don’t necessarily stay in the city.”
Rookie city councillor Chelsea Lane agrees with the mayor.
Lane is a young parent who chose to stay in Mount Pearl. She feels the city is limited with space unlike other towns on the Northeast Avalon, which makes housing options more difficult for young families.
The provincial government put a sharp limit on Mount Pearl’s expansion in the late 1990s when it handed over a lot of land on its borders to the City of St. John’s as compensation for taking over the Goulds, which had been an independent town of its own but in need of costly infrastructure upgrades.
“I think some of it has to do with Mount Pearl only having so much land,” said Lane. “We are surrounded by other towns and cities. When it comes to building new houses, which is attractive to some new families, we are restricted in some ways. We’re working towards trying to figure out how to get some new properties here in Mount Pearl, because I know that for a lot of young couples, sometimes when they’re looking to buy their first home, they’re not looking for a home to do work on, they’re looking for a house that's fresh and ready to move in.”
Population growth is a tricky problem to solve. Mount Pearl does have an advantage in that it a city with many amenities. In the past the city has invested in its recreation and other public facilities, including trails. It is also close to other important amenities, such as hospitals, in St. John’s. Lane feels that by continuing these types of developments, it will be key in attracting families.
“As a young mother here in Mount Pearl, when I think what’s going to draw new families to Mount Pearl, I think about stuff for families,” she said. “And one of those main things we have coming, which I think is a great addition, is we are going to be having a smart and accessible playground.”
Mayor Aker agreed with that view and cited similar projects the city has built which are good for young families.
“We are going to build a new civic center too,” said the mayor. “We want to replace an old building in Mount Pearl, the existing community centre called Park Place. One of the things we are doing with families in mind will be a year-round outdoor recreational space featuring a splash pad for the warmer months and an ice-skating surface for the winters and those two items are clearly targeted towards families. We continue as a city to plan ahead.”