Canada’s population has surpassed 35 million according to the most recent census, and with that population increase has come some major shifts in population balance. Cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver still hold the lion’s share of residents, but there are some newcomers that are becoming major moving destinations.
While immigration and natural birth rate explain a lot of the expansion in our biggest cities, there’s another major factor that has changed how and where Canadians live: domestic relocation. Long-distance moves explain the growth of key areas of our country, and moving companies are busy as we speak carrying people across the country looking for work, education, and opportunity.
Here are some interesting statistics we’ve found on where Canadians are moving.
The urban-rural divide is growingCanada is a big country, and, like most big countries, has a lot of wide open spaces. If you thought major cities dominated the population spectrum decades ago, now it’s even more in the city’s favour. Urban agglomerations like Calgary and Vancouver continue to boom, and traditional titans like Montreal and Toronto are still attracting new residents domestically and from abroad. A few interesting takeaways are:
- The Atlantic provinces saw their four major cities increase modestly, but overall population in rural areas decrease or remain stable.
- Quebec’s population increased below the national average, but Montreal was still strong. Half of all provincial residents are living in the city now.
- One-third of all Canadians live in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver!
Immigrants normally choose large cities, more births occur in large cities, and more people move between or into them for work and education, and the numbers reflect exactly that.
The Western Provinces are booming!
If you’ve been thinking about making the move from east to west, you are not alone. More and more Canadians are heading west to escape the crowded and expensive eastern cities of tradition. The dynamic and open areas on the prairie are relatively untouched and open to those who choose to make the journey. One-third of all Canadians now live in Western Canada. Check out these numbers:
- Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are the three fastest growing provinces, with Saskatchewan growing at nearly 12% since 2011.
- Calgary is Canada’s fastest growing urban agglomeration (14.6%).
- Edmonton is Canada’s second fastest growing urban agglomeration (13.9%).
Traditional centres are slowing but growing
Even though the rate of growth in more rural Western Canada was larger than the east, traditional populations centres of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are still growing, albeit at a slower rate than in the past. So while many are packing up and heading west, plenty are still moving into the city. Toronto grew at a modest (for its size) 6%, while Montreal and Vancouver now have roughly four million and two-and-a-half million residents respectfully.
The population of Canada keeps growing and shifting, and people are moving around the country in large numbers to new and exciting places. So whether you are thinking of joining the trend and heading west or moving into Toronto or Montreal, King’s Transfer Van Lines can help you relocate anywhere in the country!
SOURCES:
- https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/census-2016-statscan/article33931243/
- http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-still-canadas-fastest-growing-city-new-census-data-reveals