With economy on the rise, Alberta leads country in interprovincial migration ...

‘The Alberta Advantage is not only back, it’s booming,’ boasted the Premier

Stephanie Babych
Published Mar 22, 2023 • Last updated Mar 22, 2023
an excerpt from the Calgary Herald

Alberta saw the highest net interprovincial migration of any Canadian province at the end of 2022, as the country reports record population growth.

Statistics Canada says the country’s population grew by over one million people in 2022 — the most recorded in a 12-month period in Canadian history. International migration accounted for 95.9 percent of that growth.

According to Statistics Canada, Alberta’s population grew by just over 160,000 people last year.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, Alberta logged a net growth of nearly 29,680 international migrants and 11,534 interprovincial migrants. The overall population growth of 45,864 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 represents a quarterly growth of one percent, the highest among the provinces and territories, said Anupam Das, an economics professor at Mount Royal University.

“Seventy-two percent is international migration, whereas 28 percent is interprovincial migration to Alberta,” Das said Wednesday. “The majority of this population growth is driven by international migrants.”

Alberta leads country in net interprovincial migration growth

The number of net interprovincial migrants to the province also led the country.

Alberta saw a net growth of more than 11,000 interprovincial migrants in the fourth quarter of 2022 — with 20,514 people moving to Alberta and 8,980 leaving. The closest province or territory with a net increase was Nova Scotia with 1,025.

Das said the price of oil and Alberta’s cost of living are factors in many Canadians’ decision to move to Alberta. He said historically, people move to the province when the oil industry does well, and Alberta has seen an upward trend since the third quarter of 2021.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Alberta has welcomed more than 26,000 Ukrainian newcomers, with thousands more expected to arrive in the coming months.

Several thousand Afghan refugees have also settled in Alberta since the summer of 2021, Das said.