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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses! z2 v3 G) L6 q1 Y( M
From Today's Edmonton Journal7 N' s$ K" M2 k/ Y0 Z
8 b8 i% D0 y" n& n) p5 v& gMigration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.
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From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. & @: @# f) _( L; w
2 A4 c8 i0 y V' nThat means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. - y* O% z% z/ Z h
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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. : W- l; R. \/ s/ [, ~; @
3 A; _" s/ {1 m* A% bIt was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95. - l' K! O8 q5 l+ L
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It followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived. 2 K$ u5 ^4 x0 I M/ V! s" d4 C
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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. , N1 V0 y: E2 B7 L3 H c
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“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
* X( b3 |+ X B W! D& X' T0 ^9 _“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects. 8 X+ z: _" J; l
' U, o+ F6 A: U& G8 r- f S“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.” 8 N1 ^6 H0 n D' K! R4 d4 }2 B
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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.
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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. % d+ S' x" G3 o) m* R' m- R) m9 W9 g
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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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7 o7 |+ d: U& I“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. 4 }, K7 k4 c% F6 }7 A+ V
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“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said.
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* ]& a& n5 S* c# I1 gAs 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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