By Steve Buist
With a heritage of English and Scottish names like Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster and Flamborough, it’s perhaps not surprising that nearly half of the city’s people have their origins in the British Isles.
But the face of Hamilton is changing.
Nearly one in four Hamiltonians under age 15 are members of a visible minority group compared to just 7 per cent of Hamiltonians ages 65 and older, according to a new demographic analysis of the city produced by the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton.
About 6 per cent of Hamilton’s children under age 15 specifically identify as black compared to just 1.5 per cent of the city’s seniors.
“By far the biggest growth will be seen in coming years among black Canadians,” the SPRC report states.
South Asians — including those from India and Pakistan — are the next largest visible minority group, representing nearly 4 per cent of the city’s total population.
Hamilton’s proportion of visible minorities could rise even higher in coming years as the city’s Global Hamilton office attempts to retain more of the 5,000 international students who come to McMaster University and Mohawk College each year to study.
Count 24-year-old Joseline Nicholas as one of the successful converts.
Article and image source: The Hamilton Spectator
