N.W.T. only Canadian jurisdiction to shrink last year, as people move to elsewhere in Canada
CBC
Dharam Jajal said he really enjoyed his life in Yellowknife but that long winters, distance from family and few options for a Hindu diet all contributed to his decision to return to B.C. after a year in the North.
Statistics Canada data released last week suggests Jajal isn't alone.
Between January 2022 and January 2023, the N.W.T.'s population decreased by 217 — about 0.5 per cent — making it the only Canadian jurisdiction to see its population shrink last year.
Nationally, Canada's population grew by 2.7 per cent over that period.
Elsewhere in the North, Nunavut's population grew by 689 people, or about 1.7 per cent, while Yukon's grew by 997 people, or 2.3 per cent.
In the N.W.T., there were 278 more births than deaths in 2022, but a net loss of 900 interprovincial migrants — compared to the 405 people who migrated to the territory from other parts of the country.
"Yellowknife is a really friendly community," Jajal said. "It's really welcoming as well, it's just difficult to be established over there unless you are from there."
Blair McBride likewise left Yellowknife in September 2021 to return to Ontario after nearly two years in the North.
The biggest factor in his move was a better paying job.
"The cost of living, well, it's a problem everywhere but it's also a big problem in the far north," McBride said.
He acknowledged that reducing costs becomes complicated when most goods need to be trucked north, or shipped north in the case of the northernmost communities.
Still, he said he thinks government and maybe the business sector could do more to help with the cost of living.
"I'm not a policymaker, but I think there should be some more creative solutions for that."
Last year, Caitlin Cleveland, MLA for Kam Lake, put forward a motion calling for an N.W.T. strategy to match Canada's population growth.
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