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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses8 K; A: u2 Z: Z+ V" S0 |- O
From Today's Edmonton Journal( o2 |+ m6 k; q. O5 Y
4 _" w6 g% v' J! KMigration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. 6 `/ Y+ o6 E/ x J
& _1 W0 W# E8 M$ ]) F' WFrom April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. 4 R, `+ t) y; E; R3 M! a# g
- W2 e' M: o% o2 B" N7 a/ s HThat means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. 6 p n8 ]$ P5 E
- m" M/ ~4 F3 F E% i7 g. o* yOnly 312 Canadians moved to Alberta in the first three months of the year and Alberta posted net losses in the two quarters before that. 4 A# g- y3 {3 X
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Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. + j+ h% P" e+ C
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It was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95.
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1 m) e$ g) s9 S( f5 O$ fIt followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived.
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ATB Financial economist Dan Sumner said interprovincial migration is one of the best measures of the relative economic and social health of a region.
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- _" ^: ^' F" H5 W+ |9 Z1 }“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
/ M! g h; e. J/ r“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects. , X' j+ @0 ~7 \. X7 v
6 W7 k8 `2 `7 v“During the mid-decade, unsustainably strong job prospects drove migrants to Alberta from all corners of the country, although this trend reversed course quickly during the recession.” 7 w$ V& z* N7 _3 S: `, ^
& |# V! B1 _( k# e1 HBut he said a still-recovering job market in Alberta means a quick return to the pace of migration seen during the boom is unlikely. 9 v h* [- W) Y& e* A
# Q: w/ d+ ^; a$ Z5 u- UStatistics Canada said Alberta’s population in the second quarter climbed by 18,538, or 0.5 per cent, to 3.72 million. . L$ @- _" o+ T& x- I
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That was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births.
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“Almost half the growth in Alberta came from natural increase, the highest proportion among the provinces,” said the federal agency.
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Sumner said the province’s strong natural increase was partly due to its population having the lowest median age at 35.8, compared to the national average of 39.7.
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& G$ W' H q8 X2 j: t) p“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said.
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As of July 1, Canada’s population was estimated at 34.1 million, up 120,800 or 0.36 per cent from April 1. |
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