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Gain of 2,820 from other provinces follows losses
: t9 q# L1 S8 ?, v9 u4 y3 {From Today's Edmonton Journal0 |8 {0 L" e) E1 `8 b+ Z' L
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Migration to Alberta from other provinces jumped in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. 9 \- [/ \" @" I; A; L" z) K
# q2 c8 J7 r% QFrom April 1 to July 1, a net total of 2,820 Canadians moved to Alberta. : h( `+ E% \& j+ f+ X
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That means people from other provinces are being drawn by Alberta’s economy after months of dwindling or negative interprovin-cial migration to Alberta.
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Only 312 Canadians moved to Alberta in the first three months of the year and Alberta posted net losses in the two quarters before that. ' G( l( E( O6 a: i" r) s# d
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Between 2009 and this year, Alberta lost 2,200 people to other provinces. " B2 ?2 k; o, h [+ t
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It was the first time Alberta had lost more people than it gained since 1994-95.
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It followed a peak during 200506 when 45,800 interprovincial migrants arrived.
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, Q8 V- u+ t& Q2 \ATB Financial economist Dan Sumner said interprovincial migration is one of the best measures of the relative economic and social health of a region. / G2 {* z, P( E1 v' K* @
' ?5 d0 U+ d* U- h“Alberta just experienced its most solid quarter of interprovincial migration in a year,” Sumner said.
6 a5 d4 g9 y; m" ^2 l“The main factor driving Canadians to move between provinces is jobs and job prospects.
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“During the mid-decade, unsustainably strong job prospects drove migrants to Alberta from all corners of the country, although this trend reversed course quickly during the recession.”
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But he said a still-recovering job market in Alberta means a quick return to the pace of migration seen during the boom is unlikely. ; ~# ?, }* r" [; e
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Statistics Canada said Alberta’s population in the second quarter climbed by 18,538, or 0.5 per cent, to 3.72 million.
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$ S; l, _# I p. lThat was the highest increase rate among provinces and includes arrivals from other provinces and countries, as well as births.
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“Almost half the growth in Alberta came from natural increase, the highest proportion among the provinces,” said the federal agency. 9 V7 u% s! `/ ?9 ^! p
# H3 V3 V9 ~: ~' OSumner said the province’s strong natural increase was partly due to its population having the lowest median age at 35.8, compared to the national average of 39.7. 7 t7 U- H" V( N9 G6 Z+ I
! k* C3 B8 l/ g“More young people means more babies,” Sumner said. 2 F' h: e0 N/ ?: U" ~! U
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As of July 1, Canada’s population was estimated at 34.1 million, up 120,800 or 0.36 per cent from April 1. |
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