 鲜花( 13)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses
$ S; ^) R) \$ {9 A" tFrom Today's Edmonton Journal
9 b8 Z7 c. N2 N# r9 E* Z! z( B' x! |' ?
Migration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. 5 V* P7 Z v, |, {5 Q& ~6 l/ c# j2 k& U
4 m& l& v. U: `- H5 b2 gFrom April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. + u8 g$ j3 x: n# M% Z
6 |* h4 n$ S# D* e1 ?) w8 xThat means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. 7 y8 @ a/ i, G |
7 a/ u4 Z8 j( I4 X* }1 N/ y
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. 8 B* r: X6 C; j* y' \
/ y$ y4 i* y( u
Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. 2 f$ Z( s2 G2 Y8 D" ^) B
+ k7 Y2 t7 Q/ eIt was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95.
+ l, ?5 {) z, Q! X- M Q$ f
9 W4 z* V5 g- A0 B: ?$ T- u* E- @; w3 DIt followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived.
& `8 S: F$ m7 d0 N7 z9 o( ]+ G2 K$ H$ U
ATB Financial economist Dan Sumner said interprovincial migration is one of the best measures of the relative economic and social health of a region.
: ?$ T6 D% n: C# i, A1 W2 ?( n, B: ?2 |4 d4 W
“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
. m2 \" D) C" h“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects. + K7 K. X1 b3 L; W L7 I
, [# |# x: r3 A“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.” 3 `5 ^9 ]5 G0 D4 S2 X: H. I
M- o/ m$ |9 m5 ]. k; \1 t; k* w( r
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.
5 [& I+ X* i% I1 Q8 N( s/ k
9 Q) z# B! H7 {5 @+ E. ~ EStatistics Canada said Alberta’s population in the second quarter climbed by 18,538, or 0.5 per cent, to 3.72 million.
9 z- d) @/ o$ i7 c$ `0 |% V5 k; b1 T
7 W* ^0 I0 a4 @9 Q1 PThat was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births.
% P/ W( |" I0 [0 z( n5 q* c& H
& V: R, E1 G' |: P! Z6 Y$ P“Almost half the growth in Alberta came from natural increase, the highest proportion among the provinces,” said the federal agency.
) I! J% U& Z' k6 m; q. f
7 {$ ?1 T8 c# O5 QSumner 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. 9 B$ C! W! O4 p/ D" `- b" U
& T% a, |1 ~. f* w, Z I“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. 8 o( F: O/ s* R
- E# T7 W. v& a( c- vAs of July 1, Canada’s population was estimated at 34.1 million, up 120,800 or 0.36 per cent from April 1. |
|