Alberta a migration magnet for Canadians as population swells

A pedestrian walks through downtown Calgary on Dec. 9, 2020. Statistics Canada data suggests more people are moving to Alberta from other Canadian provinces than ever before, leading the UCP government to say their 'Alberta is Calling' campaign is working out. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

As almost 40,000 people uprooted themselves from Ontario and moved to Alberta last year, the provincial government suggests the new population data is proof the 'Alberta is Calling' advertising campaign is working.

According to the data released Wednesday, the agency said 39,451 people from Ontario moved to Alberta in 2022, about the same number of people currently living in the city of Spruce Grove.

Statistics Canada said 16,530 Albertans went the other way, but that means that 22,921 more people now call Alberta home.

A year earlier, 4,926 Ontarians relocated here while in 2020, there was a net decrease of 1,588 people.

The Alberta government says the population estimates suggest that the province continues to be an attractive place for people to live and work.

"Alberta's allure is not hard to see," said Alberta's Minister of Finance Travis Toews in a statement.

"Our lower cost of living, affordable housing, abundant jobs, higher earnings and lower taxes are attracting newcomers from all over the country and abroad."

Last August, the UCP government launched its 'Alberta is Calling' campaign, taking aim at skilled workers in Ontario and British Columbia to encourage them to make the move here.

The campaign included print ads on bus shelters, transit vehicles and even radio spots and social media posts.

Brian Jean, the minister of jobs, economy and northern development, says more than half of Alberta's net interprovincial migration occurred after the 'Alberta is Calling' campaign.

"More than 4.6 million people now call Alberta home. Thanks to Alberta's growing population, employers are making progress towards filling vacant full-time positions as workers migrate to Alberta to find good-paying jobs with higher wages than the rest of the country."

During his address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Jean said the population growth is "amazing."

"We're going to see even more this year. We've seen so many records hit here in Alberta while the rest of the country is being left behind."

The Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB) released their take on Statistics Canada's population estimates, saying that Alberta's interprovincial migration was high, but off from a recent near-record.

"On a net basis, Alberta gained 11,534 residents from other parts of Canada in the fourth quarter compared to 19,285 in the third quarter," ATB Economics' Rob Roach said in a statement.

Five provinces posted gains from interprovincial migration in the fourth quarter of 2022, Roach says, with Alberta leading the pack.

"This was the sixth quarter in a row that Alberta gained population from other parts of the country for a total increase of 52,479 residents over this period from interprovincial migration."

While the government suggests 'Alberta is Calling' seems to have paid off in Ontario, the same likely can't be said about B.C.

Statistics Canada's estimates on migration from B.C. resulted in a net increase of 3,329 people in 2022 – 38,709 people moved here while 35,380 left for our western neighbour.

In 2021, there was a net decrease of 10,492 residents leaving for B.C. from Alberta. The year earlier, the decrease was 8,548 people.