2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shelburne had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Environmental hazards In the 1940s, the Morvan Road Landfill was established in direct proximity to the African Nova Scotian community living in the south-end of town. The roots of these communities were established after the 1776 American Revolutionary War which forced the relocation and settlement of Black Loyalists to Canadian lands. The placement of this landfill in direct proximity to minority communities represents an issue of environmental racism, especially when these communities face disproportionate effects to these hazards and have less political power to fight against the issue. The landfill was used for various types of waste including: industrial, medical, and residential. The burning of waste over decades created ample amounts of air pollution which were breathed in by surrounding communities, raising major health concerns. This directly affected the quality of life for these communities as the burning of the waste gave off wretched smells causing the inability to breathe, unable to go outside, needing to change their clothes multiple times, and unable to perform daily acts. Considering the waste dump was uphill of residential homes, run-off from waste would contaminate water resources used by the community. This again raised concerns regarding the health of citizens, questions surrounding increased carcinogens, and cancerous death rates within the community. The Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (the ENRICH Project), conducted research within the community to display that waste dumps are disproportionately located in African Nova Scotian and Miꞌkmaq communities throughout Nova Scotia. They found evidence that these communities suffer from increased rates of cancer, respiratory illnesses, and other chronic diseases. The collaboration of the ENRICH Project with local communities sparked ideas of creating a grassroots movement amongst community members. They founded the South End Environmental Injustice Society (SEED), a nonprofit community initiative that represents a response to establishment of the landfill near the African Nova Scotian and low-income community in Shelburne. SEED allowed members of the community to express their concerns regarding the Morvan Road Landfill, forming partnerships to address these issues. Further raising awareness about health concerns, they conducted research to determine the link between cancer rates within the African Nova Scotian communities in the south