 鲜花( 13)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses: w9 T/ ~# V# E9 W+ e5 f' D
From Today's Edmonton Journal
0 @1 b1 h x( R0 u$ h6 d' i* `1 ]9 y5 |8 m. x; N5 X3 |
Migration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.
- H2 T+ d2 @1 H1 g; h9 z9 D' q8 |- o2 J7 Q+ X& [6 @' ]
From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. . K7 G% x, x9 W* G$ M" q
4 D. e. w" h9 k+ Y$ XThat means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. 5 m) t# e6 r a( ?% c! l, g
! O: H. {3 ] @: Q* m. c& e. ~
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.
5 H5 S3 p* {" |8 \+ s: C4 R. V0 Y% k
Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. ; c& ~% w- E- |- \
' T F1 E& b, ^! Z$ I+ _$ ?
It was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95. 9 a' G' V( o- D' b) m
: {! f; Z4 ]" gIt followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived. 0 M& L4 }( Y: w+ f1 U* a' t0 ~
& S- `6 W" b# M3 a! ]4 @ATB Financial economist Dan Sumner said interprovincial migration is one of the best measures of the relative economic and social health of a region.
: U) ^# ]9 n, {$ K% c; d6 g1 D2 B( D+ v! T8 h3 T/ P
“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
, { n4 s5 I9 |% ]4 h- A" D“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects. 1 k; |4 ~; S) [+ m1 Z9 {, L0 I
! u- P5 f+ S" H/ X6 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.”
W( s# L9 r% u5 f' n5 e9 P' C( E. q3 o& H3 s7 t, C
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. - E7 \% C h% ^0 Z8 u
3 m, o) @' @9 X
Statistics Canada said Alberta’s population in the second quarter climbed by 18,538, or 0.5 per cent, to 3.72 million.
* j. h, U/ n0 _' ~
' Y) }' t7 C5 iThat was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births. ' q* r: u; u$ O5 I9 _6 ~
1 n, X" ~* R6 v8 [
“Almost half the growth in Alberta came from natural increase, the highest proportion among the provinces,” said the federal agency. L5 E7 `0 M- {' F! q7 W1 n' H
# C, N. k8 E2 ]6 v/ l9 ^, f! G9 J7 k
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.
" y. Z0 U0 j7 ^- q% H. N& e7 ?
; a2 Y! d' m. x% { y5 u" P' E“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. ' e* r6 p, p0 I0 s
9 j$ `$ u b( ?
As of July 1, Canada’s population was estimated at 34.1 million, up 120,800 or 0.36 per cent from April 1. |
|