D
Population
The total population of the neighbourhood of Dorset Park according to the 2006 Census is 24,365. In addition, more than half of them are between 25 – 64 years of age. In 2006, 61.4% of Dorset Park’s population consisted of immigrants and 15.4% of the population was made up of recent newcomers. The proportion of recent newcomers in Dorset Park is higher than the city average. Furthermore, the proportion of immigrants of the total population in the neighbourhood increased from 56% in 2001 to 61.4% in 2006.
Language and Ethnicity
Dorset Park is a diverse neighbourhood linguistically, ethnically, culturally and religiously. Major ethnic origins in Dorset Park: Chinese, East Indian, Sri Lankan, Canadian, English, Filipino, Scottish, Irish, Tamil, and Jamaican. Furthermore, the portion of the population with a home language that is neither English nor French is 43%. The top five non-official languages spoken at home are Tamil, Chinese, Gujarati, Tagalog and Urdu.
Youth
There are 1355 youth living there that are between 15 to 19 years of age, and 1490 youth are between 20 – 24 years of age.
Employment
The employment rate for age 15 to 19 is 30.3%, while the rate for ages 20 to 24 is 59.5%. The top occupations by youth (15-19 & 20-24) are trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations, sales and service occupations.
Income and Education
The average income for private household is $54,862. It should also be noted that 50.6% of Dorset Park residents between the ages of 25 and 64 years old obtained their post-secondary education outside of Canada which is significantly higher than the city average of 35.2
Neighbourhood Infrastructure
The neighbourhood is accessible by bus as well as Light Rapid Transit and borders on Highway 401 to the north, which accounts for heavy traffic in that area. In the north there is a large shopping plaza and a number of service providers and community resources, which makes the area appealing especially for families. Dorset Park also includes several schools, a community centre, and a library and is in close proximity to two more community centres. A community hub in the north part of the neighbourhood is in planning and will open in 2012. There is also a shopping area in the south of Dorset Park.