Greetings! Beginning in January 2011, the first of Canada's almost 9 million Baby Boomers (those born between 1946* and 1964) will start to turn 65, approximately 344,000 of them this year.This will mark a significant turning point for the largest demographic group of Canadians ever. More than 1000 of them will turn 65 each and every day for the next 20 years. The last
baby boomers will have turned 65 by 2031.
*Canada actually marks the beginning of the baby boom from 1947
Retirement Predictions
Back in 1966, when the boomers were young and "Good Vibrations", by the Beach Boys was at the top of the music charts, 42 per cent of the population was under 20 and the median age was 25. In 2011, Canadians under the age of 20 will decrease to only 23 per cent of the population, while the median age will increase to 40!
You can see more about this here: You can't Argue With The Numbers! .As Boomers retire from various key municipal jobs, the impact on your community could be enormous. Who will you find to replace them? You will need to know a reliable and successful recruiter in order to meet the demand for new talent.
According to new Investors Group research, the retiring Boomer's main concern is not about becoming older. 64% of them see retirement as more time for hobbies and recreation. What pressure will this begin to put on your town's resources (for instance the recreation department)? And that's just for those who live in your community now.
There is actually a very interesting convergence between retirement and real estate and what this may mean for you and your municipality...
Real Estate Predictions
Will real estate prices in your community be going up, going down or staying the same in 2011? What do the experts predict?
Like the stock market, the real estate market has a huge impact on how people feel. When prices are up people are optimistic ...they feel good and they spend money more freely. When they trend downward, lower prices can spread fear and panic faster than a report of bed bugs at a local hotel!
What are the forecasts and predictions for the Canadian real estate market in 2011? The experts say there will be an overall decline of 0.9% in home prices. Simply put, a house worth $300,000 in 2010 will drop by $2700.00 in 2011. Be careful though, because you can make averages do tricks. Some areas may actually see an increase. The Canadian Real Estate Association expects a 7.3% decline in home sales. You can read more here: Predicting Canadian Real Estate Prices
Real Estate and Retirement Predictions: A Convergence
Many Boomers will decide to retire to a smaller town. According to The Life Options Institute, 59% of Boomers plan to relocate when they retire. What are you doing to make your municipality attractive to retiring Boomers?
I read an article recently, written by David Foot* in 2008, entitled Get Ready For the Small-Town Boom. Calling it "good news for Canada's small town mayors", he said "many (retiring Boomers) will increasingly prefer peace and quiet rather than noise and action."
Anticipating these changes with your staff and your city resources and understanding why they are taking place will give you the edge as the phenomenon grows.
As far as staffing is concerned, you'll be o.k. if you take the necessary steps to Become An Employer of Choice. We wrote about this in our November 2010 Municipal Recruiting Report
The exciting possibility that boomers will retire to smaller centres is great news for those communities, since these new residents will be bringing with them their unique experience, skills, and considerable financial resources.
However, before you call a town meeting and announce a celebration, be aware that they will also bring new pressures to your community, with an increase to the cost of living, demands on infrastructure and healthcare and will in all likelihood (here's the convergence) cause real estate prices to go up.
Most of this should come as welcome news to municipalities whose tax base has been shrinking in recent years. The key to becoming a community of choice for retiring boomers demands that you anticipate their needs before they happen. You can do this by planning for and investing in additional services, by making land available to developers and by encouraging building of the type of housing retiring Boomers will want - condos and bungalows are the order of the day in the places where the idea has already caught on. Elliot Lake, Ontario is a great example of a community that saw a need and did something about it. Since the early 1990s, the community of Elliot Lake has been successfully marketing itself as a destination for retirees. The community is enjoying a virtually full capacity (2or 3% vacancy rate) on homes and rental units.
From all of us at Ravenhill Group, to all of you: we look forward to working with you to help ensure a very happy and prosperous 2011!
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We Are Looking For 
CAO Western Canada
CAO Central
CAO Northern
Director Engineering
Director of Finance
Manger Water Treatment
Roads Foreman Central |
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What Our Clients Say:
" (Ravenhill Group) is set apart from other executive search firms...Thank you Ravenhill for your stellar results."
Curtis Herzberg County Manager, Red Deer County, AB
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What Sets Us Apart
During the past five years, our principals have attended Conferences held by AUMA, AMO, LGAA, AMDC, ROMA - Good Roads, CAMA, as well as SUMA and ICMA. Most oftenwe have been the only Canadian Executive Search Group in attendance.
Through these conferences, we have met with hundreds of elected officials, municipal administrators and public works managers from across Canada and around the world. We have developed an extensive network of contacts throughout Canada including municipal professionals at every level. |
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D. Bruce Malcolm Managing Partner |
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Past Newsletters You Are Sure To Appreciate
May 2010  |
 JAY LENO
Here's To Us... Baby Boomers Everwhere!
First, we arrived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered
with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads..
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight.. .why?....because we were always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
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