Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
SDG 11: Make communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Sense of belonging
Sense of belonging
Hastings Prince Edward (HPE)
Seniors
HPE seniors have a strong sense of belonging at 82 percent, compared to their Ontario peers at 77 percent. This is perhaps influenced by the large seniors population, local attractive lifestyle opportunities and support services for mature residents. Prince Edward Community Care for Seniors reaches out to keep in touch with seniors and maintain a sense of connectedness and belonging.
Also see: The County of Prince Edward, Seniors, Age in Place
Youth
Residential Stability
Residential stability is an indicator of stability, investment, and connectivity to a neighbourhood. (Urban Institute. Family Residential Instability) It measures the percentage of the population that has remained at the same address for five or more years.
The rate of residential stability in PEC has decreased 9 percent between 2016 and 2021 (from 72% non-movers within 5 years down to 63%).
Inclusion
An inclusive community is welcoming to diverse groups of people, including seniors, youth, children, Indigenous peoples, immigrants and newcomers, gender diverse, persons with disabilities, people experiencing mental health challenges, and low-income populations. (Accessibility Canada, Pathways to Recreation)
Public health recognizes the strong relationship between the social determinants of health and health outcomes. Racism and employment are two key social determinants of health.
Changing sense of place
PEC is undergoing a changing sense of place. The majority of the population has historically been long-time residents, with many being descendants of the first European settlers to this island community. Permanent residents and businesses have been invested in the place-based economic ecosystem that relied heavily on agribusiness and seasonal tourism.
Shifting demographics in recent years are causing disruptions to the culture, housing market, available workforce and makeup of businesses. PEC’s proximity to large urban centres and the area’s natural beauty have attracted retirees, second-home buyers, and investors.
- PEC is attractive to retirees − a third of the population is now aged 65+. While this age group continues to increase, the workforce and youth aged populations are decreasing.
- Between 2016-17, up to half of the home sales in PEC were attributed to new short-term accommodations (STAs). Some neighbourhoods have become “dark”, with a constant turnover of tourists and few permanent residents. Businesses cater more to the tourism market than to the needs of local residents.
- Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21, PEC’s housing market has felt the impact of increased homeowner demand with people from areas surrounding Toronto purchasing local properties where they can work remotely and live more affordably.
- The uptake of remote work has enabled more white-collar workers to move to PEC. Since they are already employed they don’t contribute to the local labour shortage.
- Pressure from developers and investors is resulting in “gentrification” of neighbourhoods and displacement of current residents.
- There is growing divisiveness between generational residents who are struggling with the cost of living, and newcomers to PEC. The financial divide is widening.
This “perfect storm” has resulted in a housing crisis due to the escalation of housing prices and depletion of housing inventory. Many young families, low-income earners and seniors can no longer afford to live here. Businesses are short-staffed and lack of affordable housing is a barrier to attracting employees and doctors. The over-tourism, housing crisis, and sense of loss of place are causing growing discord between long-time residents, visitors, and newcomers. New housing developments currently in the planning stages will further change the demographic mix.
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