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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses% _9 `, T4 e _
From Today's Edmonton Journal. K& \2 _1 y. z; E& n, |+ N9 S
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Migration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. ; X1 @3 g' D0 E; z
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From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. 2 [9 y6 N' J6 O
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That means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. 0 ?3 n5 X" u8 ^( v2 m
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Only 312 Canadians moved to Alberta in the first three months of the year and Alberta posted net losses in the two quarters before that.
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Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. - q$ A0 z# {2 B" w `: E1 Y
2 L) b; e5 y( B- XIt was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95.
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1 j4 T% F' m, F2 u g7 ^/ kIt 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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“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
4 @, N" M% c# M( r“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects.
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5 K. k3 A1 V9 P9 M“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.”
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But he said a still-recovering job market in Alberta means a quick return to the pace of migration seen during the boom is unlikely. - b$ ~4 Z' r. s9 k8 X
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Statistics Canada said Alberta’s population in the second quarter climbed by 18,538, or 0.5 per cent, to 3.72 million. $ v0 V+ ?' E7 d" P! W0 }: b
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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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" ^0 E+ A- R% E% q' z“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. . \8 @- D) j' F- _* C
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“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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