Calgary saw a large number of people migrating from all over the world this year in search of a better life.
The city estimates the population will grow by 62 new residents a day for the next several years, which could mean 110,000 more people arriving by 2027.
“Alberta’s strong interprovincial migration flows continue,” read a tweet Trevor Tombe, a University of Calgary economist. “Nearly 14K net inflows within the second quarter of 2023 alone.
Last year, the federal Liberal government announced a new immigration plan that would see Canada welcome 500,000 immigrants per year by 2025.
Tombe noted that the inflow was dominated by young people in their 20s and 30s.
Despite its high costs, students continue consider Calgary to be a better option than other North American cities.
The price for rent in Calgary, according to CBC, in September was $2,149 — up by more than 11 per cent compared with a year ago.
“In my opinion, Calgary is the best option to live even though it’s becoming crowded,” said SAIT student Usama Javed, who migrated from Pakistan last year. “It is still way affordable than other Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver, which is the reason people are still migrating immensely.
According to Statistics Canada, approximately 74,000 B.C. and Ontario residents moved to Alberta last year.
One of the Saitsa board of directors and civil engineering technology student, Gurnoor Singh Brar, shared his views.
“My brother recommended me about SAIT and told that Calgary would be what you are looking for to have a bright future with all the job opportunities and peaceful environment,” said Brar.
According to the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board, the average home price in Greater Vancouver in August was $1,208,400, while the average home price in Toronto was $1,082,496.
“I migrated from Toronto after completing my school for three years because of the traffic and commotion,” said Arman Randhawa. “Also the taxes are insane in Ontario.”
Meanwhile, the Calgary Real Estate Board reported an average home price of $570,700 in August, a new high for the city but still far lower than prices in Toronto and Vancouver.
“My father was a retired Major in the Indian army and then left for Toronto in 1987 to reunite with our whole family living in Canada,” said Dilnoor Singh Baasi, a Calgary local. “Later on, moved to Calgary in 1998 because of affordable housing and bearable taxes.”
According to recent Statistics Canada data, Alberta had 4.7 million residents as of July 1, up 4.1 per cent over the same period previous year due to an increase of 184,400 persons.
CTV Calgary said that Alberta’s population grew faster than the national average, outpacing the national average by 1.1 percentage points, though Canada experienced a significant gain in population, three per cent, the fastest since 1957 and stronger than any of the G7 countries, according to Parsons.
Because of the federal government’s revised immigration targets, more people have come to Canada, and many of them have ended up in Calgary searching for a cheap place to live.
“I moved to Calgary to find a better life,” said Cyrille Ondoua, a SAIT student who has lived in Calgary for four years. “Due to less job opportunities I had to leave my country [Nigeria].”
Some people comprehend the causes and numerous duties that drive people to leave their hometowns and relocate to a distant location.
“My parents immigrated from Italy in 1920s with their families to New York as there was no way out due to severe poverty,” said Nick, a Calgarian moved from U.S. in the year 1999 . “I believe it is the same situation for people coming to Calgary because of the reputation the city has built in terms of low interest-rates, affordable housing, and more job opportunities.
“Well Calgary is a nice city to live, relatively clean as compared to others, fairly peaceful, particularly than New York City for sure,” he said.
Others believe that migration from all over the world reduces affordability and leads to housing difficulties.
“At the rate at which people are migrating to Calgary from everywhere else, I am afraid that Calgarians will face severe housing crises soon,” said Joyce, a Calgarian who migrated to the city from Manitoba 40 years ago.
Blake Shaffer, an assistant economics professor at the University of Calgary, provided an analysis of Alberta’s population change since 1971.
“At the rate at which people are migrating to Calgary from everywhere else, I am afraid that Calgarians will face severe housing crises soon,” he said.
Calgary’s opportunities for employment and equality attracts people from all over the world. SAIT student Deniel Boachie Manu — originally from Ghana — moved from Montreal to Calgary to start fresh.
“Development and equal opportunity are what I love about Calgary,” said Boachie Manu. “If you are here [in Calgary], you’ll still make it even though you are not smart.”
Some people prefer the environment and lifestyle of a city.
“I think people of Calgary are very friendly and make others feel welcomed,” said SAIT student Teresa Lian. “I went all across from Toronto to Vancouver but finally chose to stay in Calgary.”
Everybody has their own reasons to move to a new place. In this case the factors are affordable housing, low interest rates, more job opportunities, less crime rate, and tourist destination places.
