Of the many conversations Yellowknifer had with seniors ahead of Wednesday's special edition, one topic kept coming up: shifting trends for migrating seniors.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou went up North to make money so you could afford to retire in a place where the environment was something you were more used to, where family and friends were,SA国际影视传媒� said John Soderberg, Yellowknife Seniors' Society president.

But not anymore, said Soderberg, who's observed fewer seniors flocking to south post-retirement. Leaving the North after making your money, he said, was common practice for those who came to Yellowknife in the late '60s and '70s.

SA国际影视传媒淚n the 1990s there was a large exodus of people who all reached that retirement age at about the same time. Most of them left town,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淏ut as time went on, government employees who came up when they were a little bit younger, they met people here. They had families. (Yellowknife) ended up being there home,SA国际影视传媒� said Soderberg.

With strong family ties today that didn't exist decades ago, Soderberg says more and more seniors are calling the city their home SA国际影视传媒� for good.

Patrick Scott, senior and owner of Birchwood Coffee Ko, echoed Soderberg's observations.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I first came here, the more common practice was SA国际影视传媒� make your money and check out to some warmer place,SA国际影视传媒� Scott said, calling the developing an SA国际影视传媒渋nteresting change.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淧eople of my time are more inclined to stay here than go somewhere else,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

But are these prevalent anecdotal reports backed by statistics? NWT Bureau of Statistics statistician Vishni Peeris said recent numbers suggests it is.

When looking at just SA国际影视传媒渢he straight population, so as a population of the total, seniors in Yellowknife have a higher proportion of the total,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

While Peeris couldn't say for sure if the spike in seniors' is directly related more older adults opting to make Yellowknife their home base, she said the data suggests it could be a factor.

Former Yellowknife mayor Gordon Van Tighem said SA国际影视传媒渆xcellentSA国际影视传媒� services for seniors in the city could could be keeping seniors in the city, while bucking a decades-old trend in the process.

SA国际影视传媒淐ome up here to Yellowknife SA国际影视传媒� there's one hospital and they can look after most things. Parking is free if you're over a certain age. All facilities and transit are half priced if you're a senior,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淲e're well looked after,SA国际影视传媒� said Van Tighem.

Even without definitive numbers on the influx of retired seniors' staying in Yellowknife, one thing is for sure SA国际影视传媒� Yellowknife's senior population is set to swell in the coming years. By a lot.

According to a recent report from the NWT Bureau of Statistics, the territory is on pace to see more than an 80 per cent upswing the number of residents aged 60 and over by 2035.

In Yellowknife in 2016, 1,981 residents were aged 60 or over, while there were 1,055 adults over the age of 65. By 2021, it's estimated that the number of residents over 60, and over 65 will jump to 2898 and 1,705 respectively.