British Columbians leaving for other provinces at decade-high, many going to Alberta: StatsCan

More people moved out of British Columbia than moved in between July and September, according to new data from Statistics Canada, and many outgoing residents went next door to Alberta.

More people moved out of British Columbia than moved in between July and September, according to new data from Statistics Canada, and many outgoing residents went next door to Alberta.

It was the fifth quarter in a row that B.C. saw a net decrease in interprovincial migration—the longest stretch during which B.C. has lost more people to other provinces than it gained in a decade.

In the third quarter of 2023, 17,186 people left B.C. for another province or territory and 12,552 moved here, making for a net loss of 4,634.

Since interprovincial migration went into the negative in July 2022, a total of 89,405 people have moved away. During that same period, 75,913 people from other provinces came to B.C.—making for an overall net loss of just under 13,000.

B.C. is not alone in net losses to elsewhere in Canada. Every province and territory saw more people going out than coming in between July and September—except for Alberta and New Brunswick.

New Brunswick’s net gain was marginal at 21, but Alberta’s gain from provincial exchanges was 17,094 in those three months, with September marking the 15th consecutive month it has had a net gain of more than 10,000 people.

“Most of Alberta's population gains through interprovincial migration were due to its exchanges with Ontario and British Columbia,” StatsCan wrote in a release accompanying the data.