Canada: Fort McMurray population down nearly 11 per cent since wildfire, census shows

By David Thurton

Fort McMurray's first census since the devastating 2016 wildfire suggests the region's population dropped by nearly 11 per cent over a three-year span.

A census conducted in 2018 recorded an overall population of 111,687, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said Tuesday in a news release.

That total was down from 125,032 residents in 2015.

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[Mayor Don Scott] said the 11-per-cent drop was expected given all the region has been through, including the oil price crash in 2014, the 2016 wildfire and now a shortage of pipeline capacity to carry oilsands bitumen to new markets.

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As a consequence of the population decline, Scott expects a drop in grant funding from the Alberta government. He estimated the region gets about $200 for every person counted to help fund infrastructure and social programs.

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