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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses. q: v: O& C7 V* q! I# m, A
From Today's Edmonton Journal
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Migration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. $ I% V/ |/ _- F, s
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From April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta.
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, J& m ]5 P# Z4 A" S/ `That means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta. " b# |* |9 ]* _' u7 W% D
; w5 p! H3 N: }. I1 w. @( nOnly 312 Canadians moved to Alberta in the first three months of the year and Alberta posted net losses in the two quarters before that. 1 u$ @1 u# w( S; v9 r9 `
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Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. 8 v2 Z; ?# x3 p4 e
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It was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95. . K$ ~6 w. f# }% s
: W% |6 W& b- Q$ C6 T: A; e- fIt 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. 2 Z& Q4 a* D" F: j
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“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said. ; p) `6 t0 l' S* _! `
“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects.
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“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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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. - k9 `/ f* n& W
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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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That was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births. 7 {# T0 m, }' u; [" ?$ K& ?
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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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- w8 N) v% {( B# y8 D9 y% aSumner 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.
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/ L2 Y4 J* u1 o% a* E4 j- {# G8 j: ]“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said.
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& a# g" V3 W S, v% O) T" S& ?5 H! PAs 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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