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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses1 {2 T' n' t2 k# M( C# b
From Today's Edmonton Journal
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Migration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.
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" I6 y1 t9 t0 ~9 N E1 hFrom April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. , f. q; k F% s3 f2 u7 x; a
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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. ' `, d4 X/ u* [5 x
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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. + v% q8 Z/ I/ @
7 Y8 J3 z3 E& j& dIt was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95. / ~& \# ^- p: V' O L) v
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It 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. - B: q7 R U' i: m
“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects.
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) G& ?- x- J; N! A( V; 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.”
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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. + ?( T6 v, i. L' i4 x; _) n, N0 b
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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. " g I3 e) [% ^( e# l3 V7 G }
+ S5 w3 q" M4 L( _& h5 sThat was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births. # k e+ E5 P! Y: k
# N$ Y) C/ w P$ E9 S: P“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. M v- p) C) \6 Z* J: k) e1 t
5 T! J/ V$ @/ Q, k# ^" L# C( A X/ d“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. 6 p& X/ C9 r u1 \4 _/ G1 A
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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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