Official site of the City of Ottawa

Printable Version

Browsealoud

Text Size

The Housing Choices of Immigrants

Immigration is a significant source of Ottawa’s population growth, and is projected to increase – by 2031 almost all of Ottawa’s population growth is expected to be from immigration.¹ As the number of immigrants entering Ottawa rises, it is worthwhile from a land use planning perspective to examine where immigrants choose to live and how these choices may affect the future growth of the city. For example, what type of housing do immigrants choose? Do these choices differ from the Canadian-born population? What parts of the city do they favour? These are some of the issues explored in this brief report. 

Immigration patterns in Ottawa are unique among Canadian cities. We attract disproportionate shares of both well-educated immigrants and refugees. The former are likely attracted by jobs in technology industries and the federal government; the latter likely come to Ottawa because it is the nation’s capital. Immigrants, defined by the census as people who have “been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities,” made up 22.3% of the population of the city in 2006 (Census). Recent immigrants (those arriving in the last five years), comprised nearly 4% of the population. “Non-permanent residents”, individuals who are in the city as refugees or with a work or study permit, made up 1% of the population.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Immigrants in Ottawa are highly centralized. Nearly 70% of immigrants, and 77% of recent immigrants, live inside the Greenbelt (2006 Census). The three central wards of Somerset, Capital and Rideau-Vanier account for 20% of total immigrants and 24% of recent arrivals. Outside the Greenbelt, most live in the urban centres, with relatively few in rural Ottawa (Fig. 2).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Ottawa wards with the most immigrants are River (13,900), Gloucester-Southgate (13,350), Bay (13,340) and Alta Vista (12,550). Wards with the highest proportion of immigrants are River (31%), Bay (31%), Kanata North (31%) and Gloucester-Southgate (30%); Fig. 3. New arrivals are concentrated in Bay (10.9% of recent immigrants), River (9.4%) and Alta Vista (8.9%) wards.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Almost half of immigrants in Ottawa arrived since 1991, with one in six coming in the five years preceding 2006. Data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada show the highest numbers of new arrivals over the five years between 2004 and 2008 came from China (10.4%), India (5.6%), the U.S. (4.7%), Philippines (4.5%), Lebanon (4.2%), U.K. (3.3%), Iran (3.0%), Haiti (2.7%), and Pakistan (2.4%). And, while the top ten countries accounted for 45% of the total, new arrivals to Ottawa came from virtually every country in the world.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Apartments (36.5%) are the most popular housing among immigrants living inside the Greenbelt. In urban areas outside the Greenbelt, immigrants occupy a much higher share of singles (64%) than do immigrants inside the Greenbelt (33%). In the rural area, immigrants occupy singles almost exclusively, reflecting the available housing stock.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Census data show that city-wide, the immigrant population occupies a lower proportion of single detached and semi-detached dwellings and a higher share of townhouses and apartments than the Canadian-born population. Forty-three percent of immigrants live in single detached houses, followed by apartments (26%), townhouses (25%) and semi-detached (6%). The non-immigrant population occupies a higher share of single detached and fewer townhouses and apartments (Figure 6). Among recent immigrants, occupancy of singles is even lower (21%), while many more live in apartments (45%) and townhouses (30%).

These indicators suggest that immigration patterns will dampen future demand for low-density housing, especially single detached units. Other factors include:

• 18% of all immigrants were below the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) after taxes, compared to 11% of the Canadian-born population. Among recent immigrants, 37% were below the LICO (2006 Census).
• In 2006, 42% of immigrant rental households in Ottawa were in core housing need, compared to 25% of Canadian-born renters (households are in core housing need if they live in housing that is inadequate or unaffordable, and would have difficulty finding an affordable alternative locally).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Over time, the housing choices of immigrants increasingly resemble those of the Canadian-born population, but this usually takes many years. After living in Canada for between 25 and 35 years, their ownership rate is actually slightly higher than the Canadian-born population.

Overall, 67% of immigrants lived in owner-occupied housing in 2006, compared to 74% of the Canadian-born population (Fig. 7). A major factor in homeownership is the length of time they have been in Canada. Of those who arrived before 1980, homeownership was over 80%, and almost 87% for those arriving during the 1960s. Immigrants who arrived between 1981 and 2000 had an ownership rate of over 60%. Those who arrived since 2001 had a homeownership rate of 41% (Fig. 8).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census; graph reports tenure by population

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census; graph reports tenure by population

Conclusion

As our population becomes more diverse in its origins, immigration will continue to be a topic of interest. A recent report²by Statistics Canada provides insights into how Ottawa’s population may further diversify by 2031.

For more details or if you have comments or suggestions about Ottawa Counts, please contact either:

Ian Cross, MCIP, RPP
Program Manager, Research and Forecasting
Planning & Growth Management Department, City of Ottawa
Tel.: 613-580-2424 ext 21595

or

Eva Walrond, MCIP, RPP
Planner, Research and Forecasting
Planning & Growth Management Department, City of Ottawa
Tel.: 613-580-2424 ext 27592

[ top ]