Moving out: BC residents leaving has helped Alberta set a big record

Alberta has been calling, and many Canadians seem to have been answering the phone, especially in BC, where a huge exodus of residents is helping the province see a big record in 2023.

According to data released by Statistics Canada, Alberta saw the largest net gain in interprovincial migration in 2023, adding 55,107 people.

“This was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data became available in 1972,” Canada’s national statistical agency said in a news release.

“Alberta has been recording gains in population from interprovincial migration since 2022, a reverse of the trend seen from 2016 to 2021 when more people left the province than arrived from other parts of Canada,” it added.

It was a different story for neighbouring BC, which saw more people move out than in, with a net interprovincial migration of -8,624, going negative for the first time since 2012.

The largest migration flows for British Columbia and Alberta are with each other, and most of the net loss from British Columbia in 2023 was to Alberta.

Statistics Canada estimates that 37,650 British Columbians moved to Alberta, compared to 22,400 Albertans who moved to BC, for a net gain of 15,250.

It was a similar case for our pals out in the East, with an estimated 38,236 Ontarians moving to Alberta last year versus 14,860 Albertans who moved to Ontario, for a net gain of 23,376 people.

The Prprovinceays in the 12 months preceding January 1, 2024, Alberta’s population expanded by 202,324 people, or 4.4%.

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“This represents a significant increase from the previous year (3% in 2022-2023) and the highest January 1st annual growth rate since 1981. Alberta’s population expanded by 44,360 residents over the fourth quarter of 2023 or 0.93%,” it added.

If you were looking into moving to Alberta, it recently just launched a new “Alberta is Calling Attraction Bonus,” a one-time bonus that will give a $5,000 refundable tax credit to people working in eligible occupations who move to Alberta after the program starts in April 2024 and meet additional eligibility criteria.