One in five Hamiltonians identify with a visible minority group

Hamilton’s visible minority population has topped 100,000 for the first time.

That milestone has been reached according to information gathered during the 2016 Census and released by the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton.

The numbers show that 19 per cent of Hamilton residents identify with a visible minority group, almost doubling the totals from 2001.

The highest concentrations of visible minorities, about 40 per cent, are in downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods, Riverdale West near Centennial Parkway and Queenston Road and the Ancaster Meadowlands.

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South Asian with just 22,000 residents and Black with just over 20,000 are Hamilton’s largest visible minority groups, while Filipino and Arab were the fastest growing over the past decade.

Mayo hopes the Census data will put both the public and private sector to reflect on whether “we are inclusive” and that our hiring practices and services “reflect the wide diversity of our communities.”