Although Ottawa is becoming more diverse, its population is also getting older. The rate of visible minorities went up by 17 per cent from the last census, according to an analysis done by Tamara Spitzer. The demand for services and affordable housing for both seniors and immigrants has never been higher, especially in Ottawa’s periphery. 

Many immigrants are choosing to live outside of Ottawa’s downtown core in areas like West-Carleton, Goulbourn and Osgoode. Suburbs have always been a popular choice for immigrants coming to Ottawa, however, the latest data from StatsCan, shows an influx of visible minorities stretching beyond the suburbs and into rural areas. 

While diversity is generally increasing everywhere in Ottawa, it’s most visible outside the downtown core. Communities behind the Macdonald-Cartier Airport, such as Gloucester, Piperville and Ramsayville, which share a census tract, have the highest spike of visible minorities, increasing by more than four per cent.

“We’ve been neglected for years,” says Bruce Lindsay, a retiree and president of the Riverside South Community Association. 

“We have limited facilities, we should be building more infrastructure to accommodate more facilities around,” he says.

The community of Riverside South is a particular case. It’s a small suburban region, behind the airport, which shares the same census tract as Gloucester, Piperville and Ramsayville who had the highest rise in visible minorities between the 2011 and the 2016 census.

“We’re seeing significant population growth,” says Lindsay, who’s been living in Riverside South for the past nine years.

As the greater Ottawa area becomes more populated, there is an increased need for initiatives to create accessible and affordable housing. 

Louise Yazdani, another retiree and member of the Riverside South Community Association, added that “Almost 25 per cent of the community’s population identified the mother tongue as something other than English.”

The community is putting its efforts into the living situation of its diverse ageing population, advocating for more services, affordable housing and accessible housing.

In Riverside South, there are no apartment buildings and unless you want to live in someone’s basement, seniors are going to have to deal with, “buying a $500,000 bungalow.”

“The community is in need of rentals of one-or-two-thousand dollars,” says Lindsay, who acts as a consultant for community design planners. “It’s in need of high-rises and a community library.”

Along with infrastructure comes programming. Amenities aren’t keeping up with growth say Lindsay and Yazdani who are advocating that the success of the neighbourhood depends on access to health care, community drop-in services and community aid.  

With the Light Rail Confederation Line, which set to open in 2018, heading out of the city centre into eastern, western and southern communities, peripheral communities are projected to become even larger in terms of their population. There are already plans for extending the Confederation Line, further south, past Ottawa’s airport by 2021. Its final southbound stop will lead right into Riverside South, making it an attractive place for those that are looking to conveniently get downtown, but without the steep cost of downtown living.

By that time, Lindsay says he hopes that the Riverside South, which currently has a population of about 15,000 people, “will be like a downtown itself.”