Chinese Immigration and Community in Greater Vancouver
Here are some numbers on Chinese immigration and the rapidly expanding Chinese community in Greater Vancouver, especially from mainland over recent years (most figures for Richmond are only available to 2006):
In 1991, Metro Vancouver already had a substantial Chinese community. But immigration from Hong Kong in advance of the colony’s 1997 return to Chinese control was picking up, peaking in 1994 when 15,384 immigrants arrived. In the decade leading up to the handover, more than 96,000 people left Hong Kong and came to Vancouver.
While immigration from Hong Kong has slowed, immigration from Mainland China and Taiwan remains strong. Since 1997, more than 121,300 Mainland Chinese have arrived and nearly 35,700 people have come from Taiwan. They mainly speak Mandarin, which is why Fairchild TV also has news and current affairs programs in that language. They compete for viewers with eight Chinese-government television stations broadcast on cable, three Taiwanese cable stations as well as Global TV’s national news in Mandarin, available on Shaw cable.
. In 2006, 65.1 per cent of Richmond residents identified themselves as members of an ethnic minority – the highest percentage in Canada after Markham, Ont.
. Nearly four of every 10 Richmond residents speaks a Chinese language as their mother tongue, the highest percentage in Metro Vancouver.
. In Metro Vancouver, Richmond also has the lowest percentage (38.6 per cent) of residents who speak English as a first language.
. Ten per cent of Richmond’s workforce spoke a Chinese language most often at work, according to the 2006 census.
. In 2006, 28,545 Richmond residents identified Cantonese as their mother tongue and 26,235 said it was the language spoken most often at home.
. Richmond residents who spoke Mandarin as a first language rose by 41.6 per cent between 2001 and 2006 to 13,400.
. In 1971, Richmond’s workforce was comprised of slightly more than 24,188 people. By 2006, it reached 108,095, a jump of more than 400 per cent.
. Richmond’s population is 190,473, according to the 2011 census.
Sources: Fairchild TV; Metro Vancouver; Statistics Canada
For the entire article see: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/face+community/6830424/story.html#ixzz1yh9noF25