New surge of British Columbians moving to Alberta: statistics

Vancouver (Stephanie La Porta/Shutterstock | Calgary (mikecphoto/Shutterstock)

British Columbia has recorded its biggest net loss of residents to other parts of Canada for any quarter of a year since 2000.

Based on Statistics Canada’s latest population estimates released this week, BC shed 17,186 people to other provinces and territories, but 12,552 people moved to the westernmost province, representing a net loss of 4,634 residents for the third quarter of 2023 between July and September.

This was also the fifth consecutive quarter BC saw interprovincial migration losses since the first quarter of 2013. BC was previously the leader of interprovincial migration flows into its jurisdiction over much of the first two years after the pandemic’s onset.

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Conversely, Alberta has seen five consecutive quarters of strong interprovincial net gains, and it also marks the first time the province has seen a net gain of 10,000 or more interprovincial migrants for five consecutive quarters since comparable records began in 1971. For the third quarter of 2023, it saw 17,094 net interprovincial migrants, with 29,129 moving into the province from elsewhere in the country and 12,035 leaving.

According to the statistics breakdown, roughly 75% of BC’s interprovincial migrant attrition went to Alberta in the latest quarter. Ontario was also another major contributor to Alberta’s inflows.

Ontario has not seen a single quarter with a net gain in interprovincial migration since the fourth quarter of 2019. In the third quarter of 2023, Canada’s most populated province saw a net loss of 5,952 people to other provinces and territories, with interprovincial inflows of 20,345 and outflows of 26,297.

Quebec has seen only a handful of net gains in interprovincial migration since the early 2000s, with the latest quarter continuing the longstanding trend of net attrition to other parts of Canada.

Statistics Canada did not provide any potential factors leading to Alberta’s strong interprovincial inflows, but the upward trend coincides with when oil prices saw a resurgence in 2022, reaching levels not seen in about eight years. For BC’s interprovincial outflows, housing and living costs have continued to deteriorate.

While BC saw losses in interprovincial migration, it saw massive gains in the third quarter of 2023 in international immigration, resulting in a net population gain. BC recorded 66,190 net international migrants, including 13,755 immigrants and 54,298 net non-permanent residents, with an outflow of only 1,863.

In comparison, over the same quarter, Alberta saw 39,212 international migrants, including 11,881 immigrants and 28,434 net non-permanent residents, with only 1,103 leaving.

Ontario recorded 191,418 net international migrants, with 47,140 immigrants, 146,744 net non-permanent residents, and 2,466 leaving, while Quebec recorded 72,349 net international migrants, with 16,509 immigrants, 57,058 net non-permanent residents, and 1,218 net emigration.

More broadly, propelled by international migration, Canada saw staggering population growth in the third quarter of 2023, breaking a 66-year record.

As of October 1, the country’s population topped 40.5 million, which is an increase of over 430,000 people from July 1.

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