Shifting Sands: The Changing Shape of Atlantic Canada. 1999.

A report on economic and demographic trends in Atlantic Canada and their impacts on seniors.
By Susan Lilley and Joan M. Campbell
46 pages
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Description

This 46-page report reviews existing data on economic and demographic trends in Atlantic Canada and speculates on the impacts of these trends on future generations of seniors. The purpose of the report is to promote thought, discussion, and more widespread planning, both in communities and across government departments. The report identifies the following key trends:

• Slower population growth
• Increased numbers of seniors
• Fewer young people
• Older old people
• More older single women
• Rapid aging of small towns and communities.

Key economic trends include:

• Globalization
• Changing economic base
• Concentration of jobs in urban areas
• Weak economic growth and productivity
• Increasing unemployment
• Fewer working men, more working women
• Decline in regular, full-time jobs
• Slow income growth and few savings
• Increasing economic inequality.

The report looks at possible impacts of these trends on each of the following determinants of seniors' health: education, health services, social support networks, employment and retirement, income and social status, and the physical environment. It concludes by listing ten priorities for action.

Credits

Shifting Sands was produced by Susan Lilley and Joan M. Campbell for the Atlantic Regional Office of the Population and Public Health Branch, Health Canada, under the guidance of the Atlantic Seniors Liaison Committee, which includes

• the Department of Health and Community Services, Newfoundland and Labrador
• the Department of Health and Social Services, Prince Edward Island
• the Department of Health and Community Services, New Brunswick
• the Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Region, Health Canada
• the Nova Scotia Senior Citizens' Secretariat.

Availability

This publication is available for download in English (171 KB) and French (170 KB). You will require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

For more information on obtaining copies of the document, call or write

Public Health Agency of Canada
Suite 1525, 15th Floor, Maritime Centre
1505 Barrington Street
Halifax, NS B3J 3Y6
Tel: (902) 426-2700
Fax: (902) 426-9689
E-mail: atlantic-atlantique@phac-aspc.gc.ca