Alberta a migration magnet for Canadians as population swells
As almost 40,000 people uprooted themselves from Ontario and moved to Alberta last year, the provincial government suggests the new population data is proof the 'Alberta is Calling' advertising campaign is working.
According to the data released Wednesday, the agency said 39,451 people from Ontario moved to Alberta in 2022, about the same number of people currently living in the city of Spruce Grove.
Statistics Canada said 16,530 Albertans went the other way, but that means that 22,921 more people now call Alberta home.
A year earlier, 4,926 Ontarians relocated here while in 2020, there was a net decrease of 1,588 people.
The Alberta government says the population estimates suggest that the province continues to be an attractive place for people to live and work.
"Alberta's allure is not hard to see," said Alberta's Minister of Finance Travis Toews in a statement.
"Our lower cost of living, affordable housing, abundant jobs, higher earnings and lower taxes are attracting newcomers from all over the country and abroad."
Last August, the UCP government launched its 'Alberta is Calling' campaign, taking aim at skilled workers in Ontario and British Columbia to encourage them to make the move here.
The campaign included print ads on bus shelters, transit vehicles and even radio spots and social media posts.
Brian Jean, the minister of jobs, economy and northern development, says more than half of Alberta's net interprovincial migration occurred after the 'Alberta is Calling' campaign.
"More than 4.6 million people now call Alberta home. Thanks to Alberta's growing population, employers are making progress towards filling vacant full-time positions as workers migrate to Alberta to find good-paying jobs with higher wages than the rest of the country."
During his address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Jean said the population growth is "amazing."
"We're going to see even more this year. We've seen so many records hit here in Alberta while the rest of the country is being left behind."
The Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB) released their take on Statistics Canada's population estimates, saying that Alberta's interprovincial migration was high, but off from a recent near-record.
"On a net basis, Alberta gained 11,534 residents from other parts of Canada in the fourth quarter compared to 19,285 in the third quarter," ATB Economics' Rob Roach said in a statement.
Five provinces posted gains from interprovincial migration in the fourth quarter of 2022, Roach says, with Alberta leading the pack.
"This was the sixth quarter in a row that Alberta gained population from other parts of the country for a total increase of 52,479 residents over this period from interprovincial migration."
While the government suggests 'Alberta is Calling' seems to have paid off in Ontario, the same likely can't be said about B.C.
Statistics Canada's estimates on migration from B.C. resulted in a net increase of 3,329 people in 2022 – 38,709 people moved here while 35,380 left for our western neighbour.
In 2021, there was a net decrease of 10,492 residents leaving for B.C. from Alberta. The year earlier, the decrease was 8,548 people.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.