Sicamous’ population is in decline, but by how much it is unclear.
Recently released figures from the 2011 Statistics Canada census show Sicamous bucked the provincial trend of population growth. Instead, Sicamous’ population dropped by 8.8 per cent since the 2006 census, from 2,676 to 2,441.
BCStats, a provincial government website, estimates the community had a population of 2,913 in 2011, down from 2,962 in 2010.
Sicamous financial services director Ruth Walper suggests the provincial figure is more accurate, adding that district grants are based on the provincial figure.
The population of Electoral Area E, Sicamous-Malakwa also dropped. From 2006 to 2011, the numbers declined by 12.6 per cent, from 1,528 to 1,335.
Nationally, according to the census, the population has risen by 5.9 per cent since 2006. In British Columbia, however, the population rose by seven per cent, to about 4.4 million.