Alberta sets highest gain of new residents in a single quarter
Posted Dec 22, 2022 3:32 pm.
Jackie Thomas was one of many people of that come to Alberta recently. Looking for cheap housing and a vibrant social life, she found the first but not the second. She left just six weeks after buying a home in a south Edmonton suburb.
“Alberta is a wonderful place if you’re a guy with a toolbox or you’ve been asked to specially relocate,” said Thomas. “There was nothing happening in that city.”
Thomas made headlines earlier in December after she, published her story in Toronto Life, expanding on her decision to move to Alberta in the summer.
Shortly after the story was published, Cactus Club, Mississauga and Edmonton became trending topics on Twitter. Many were wondering why Thomas would decide to move in the first place to a suburb so far away from the city of Edmonton.
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While Thomas didn’t like the move, tens of thousands have.
During the third quarter alone, Alberta welcomed over 33,000 new residents, which is the single highest net gain in a quarter since the data began in 1971.
According to data, provinces like B.C. saw net interprovincial migration turn negative for the first time since 2013.
“A big part of what is behind these numbers is some significant affordability challenges in Vancouver and Toronto,” explained Professor Trevor Tombe / Economics, University of Calgary.
The economics professor says it’s not all roses for Alberta. It may be cheaper for housing, but not every job pays better.
“Every place is gonna have its strengths and weaknesses, Alberta is no different. If one wishes to pursue a career in finance, it’s uncontroversial to say Toronto might be a better place to be located,” said Tombe.
