Figure 15; Shrinking Population Relative to Our Neighbours - source: Statistic Canada

The Adjacent Municipalities Population Trends UP ... while ours trends DOWN
Take a look at figure 15 on the next page. It demonstrates the relative change in growth during this period. The trend lines (dashed lines) that extend to the next two census periods show where things are headed in the future. You can visually see that the plots for both Georgian Bluffs and Meaford are heading upwards. It is difficult to assess which way Owen Sound’s growth is headed. So we need to look at the slope of the trend line which is given in the first part of the equation for the straight line which is:
 y = -2.36x + 26,318.  We see that the slope is negative which means that the Trend line is headed down.  Theoretically there will be a time when both Georgian Bluffs and Meaford have greater populations than Owen Sound.  Just think about that for a minute – Owen Sound will be smaller than Meaford at some time in the future if things continue on the same path.