Calgarians still feeling immigration pressures despite federal slowdown, new poll finds

A new CityNews poll conducted by Canada Pulse Insights reveals that many Calgarians continue to feel the strain of immigration on local services, housing, and employment—even as Ottawa slows the pace of newcomers.

According to the survey, only 25 per cent of respondents believe the federal government is doing a better job of managing immigration than last year. Nearly half say there’s been no change, while 27 per cent feel the situation has worsened.

The poll highlights growing frustration around housing availability, with two-thirds of Calgarians attributing the crisis more to population pressures than to landlord practices. Additionally, 52 per cent blame hospital overcrowding on immigration levels rather than a shortage of medical professionals.

John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights, noted that while many Calgarians support keeping Canada open to immigrants, a significant portion—35 per cent—would prefer to halt immigration entirely.

“This is a bit higher than some of the other cities that we looked at,” Wright said.

Alberta’s Immigration Minister Joseph Schow echoed concerns about the pace of population growth, which hit 4.4 per cent last year.

“That’s just too high for us, too high for any sub-national jurisdiction,” he said. “It’s very difficult to keep up with housing, health care and education.”

Schow urged the federal government to prioritize economic migration and better coordinate with provinces—a stance also supported by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

The poll also found that many Calgarians link youth unemployment to foreign worker permits rather than broader economic issues. Still, others emphasized the benefits of immigration.

While 51 per cent of Calgarians view immigration’s impact as positive, nearly half disagree. Sally Zhao, President and CEO of The Immigrant Education Society, urged residents to focus on facts over perceptions.

“Immigrants are not taking jobs from local people,” Zhao said. “Immigrants are taking the jobs local people don’t want to take. We need to provide resources and empower the people.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney said “Canada’s new immigration plan” will be in the federal budget next week, but immigration department officials don’t know if that includes the annual levels plan outlining how many newcomers Canada intends to admit for the next year.