Half a million Canadians live less than 5 metres above sea level: StatCan

Canadians are heading to the coasts for beaches and mild climates, but a new release from Statistics Canada says rising sea levels may pose a concern.

A growing number of people are heading to Canada's coasts to be near beaches, views and mild temperatures, a new report by Statistics Canada says.

In 2021, more than 3.2 million people on the West Coast and 2.2 million people on the East Coast lived within 10 kilometres of the shoreline, the report published Friday reads.

The federal statistics agency says living close to ocean and coastal ecosystems “offers many advantages."

However, there is a growing concern of how the coastal communities are shrinking in size, leaving almost half a million Canadians within less than five metres above sea level.

"Communities in many coastal areas of the country are at risk from rising sea levels, especially those living in low-lying areas," the report notes.

In 2021, more than twice as many people were living within less than five metres above sea level on the Pacific Coast compared to the Atlantic Coast.

The population of Canada's coastal communities grew 5.3 per cent from 2016 to 2021, an increase of 5.5 million people. StatCan says three-quarters of the growth happened on the Pacific Coast.