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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses5 p/ N) z3 U- {" l/ h v$ x k8 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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! \: N" v8 X6 |From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta.
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( t2 n6 p5 p8 G& o0 m( i: ~That means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta.
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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. ) }2 B# f- J( r) _$ ~ V+ m i
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Between 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.
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" m1 ?/ |5 u: L2 r( h7 KIt followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived. 5 b2 K2 o+ H! l7 G
) d. ]- t, `! Y/ n: i$ F, x( RATB Financial economist Dan Sumner said interprovincial migration is one of the best measures of the relative economic and social health of a region. $ M% t3 H' e# i7 Z2 @: x, ?8 |/ G, [8 R
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“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
+ ]- F4 Q8 n! S3 `" N6 p' [“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects.
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“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.” * Y+ C7 X; [' \ l9 L% c" ?
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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. ) X/ ^5 G8 D3 T' D1 K4 g
' a3 ~1 ^0 D! U2 Q% AStatistics 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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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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“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. 4 y9 r' M; [% {, ^) d% e1 e
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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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