Almost 70,000 people left B.C. last year — most to Alberta
CBC
For the first time in more than a decade, more people left B.C. than those who moved to the province, according to new data released by Statistics Canada.
In 2023, the agency said, net interprovincial migration was negative for the first time since 2012, at -8,624 people.
Over the last year, 67,944 Canadians left B.C.
Statistics Canada says the majority of them — about 37,650 people — packed up their belongings and moved to Alberta.
"In general, the largest migration flows for British Columbia and Alberta are with each other," it said in a release.
Kolten Willick understands why some may have felt the urge to move. He left Kelowna, B.C., for Edmonton in 2021.
"The biggest thing was the cost of living," he said.
Willick says he is a fourth-generation British Columbian. As a member of the Cree Nation, he says he has strong connections to the land. But, he says, B.C. simply became too unaffordable.
He now pays $700 less a month in rent for a home that is almost twice the size.
"It was kind of a no-brainer," said Willick.
He says he also makes more money working a similar job and pays less for groceries.
Looking back, Willick says he's confident it was the right decision.
"B.C. will always be home, but I'm almost 30 and I had to make some hard decisions like do I ever want to own a house?" he said.
Alberta saw the biggest surge in interprovincial migration in 2023, with more than 55,000 people moving to the province.
