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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses) K& g2 Y0 f. q7 z) z% N
From Today's Edmonton Journal' J) ~/ k$ ?( U+ j
% w u5 Y2 B* d. @0 |' FMigration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. * U3 R) k7 s5 k% {$ {' L2 z* O9 w
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From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. 4 G, n2 x/ r+ _9 N# p. R
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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. ! y1 x; O d6 a ]% J n
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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. ! f6 j% e! b* ^$ g, Q4 }
5 L9 _% ~0 c! ^$ JBetween 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces.
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It was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95. 7 b Z0 o5 h' A6 Q( l( Q* O* M y. R8 r
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It followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived.
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/ G) u' x! S T' OATB 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. / p1 L& w2 I/ E2 V
“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects. 9 O0 U x; g, l
8 c* Z2 t& p- d“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. 4 X9 @. s6 h. G! _: Q' }! l
6 q( O0 u- i6 L* [) k/ QStatistics Canada said Alberta’s population in the second quarter climbed by 18,538, or 0.5 per cent, to 3.72 million.
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& m, W: V! L* N( qThat 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. 7 ~6 H% X+ O/ l+ o# l. A
: `: g1 I# @" x* NSumner 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. / O T# N# l' `" H2 N
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“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. " G/ ~" W+ ~% @
3 s7 {( [6 O" g! o) w* VAs 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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