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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses3 ~" x0 I: }2 t
From Today's Edmonton Journal) B x. y0 X* f3 K q
/ `3 j" a7 ` ] Z- fMigration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. # L1 Q2 U$ L* t' @
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From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta.
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* o( v. K+ g' N2 f2 G, LThat means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. 4 Y+ |4 e+ v3 F
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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. 0 C0 F4 D3 t- \4 h' i
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Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. 6 g: @. _+ e& q7 N8 i
- [2 j& w6 c( c4 KIt was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95.
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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. . r( `/ Q j* D* y& s6 H
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“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said. / }( V+ E4 O# K- K4 i
“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects. 0 n6 h+ g, ^& d5 _6 \. K# n1 r
8 n9 `! k. d2 f, {; ?4 `: I2 q“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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/ r1 l6 Z6 v7 e) kBut 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.
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' Z- C6 F$ c# yThat was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births. 0 h; d; `5 L8 L0 K: q' E
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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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6 {# m/ s( H @; p+ ? I# CSumner 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 @* y) N: P }/ G, ?# Q2 v" |
( @6 ]: {' A" u) F' `* I“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. % P# J! |2 K6 e# s5 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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