We looked at over 1450 moves in 2020 to create this report on where Canadians are moving. The overwhelming trend was people leaving densely populated cities for lesser-known and lesser-populated cities. This report looks at what provinces and cities saw the biggest growth (in recorded moves) and which saw the most moves out of their respective areas.
Provinces
Most Inbound Moves
| Province | % of Total Inbound Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. British Columbia | 31.4% |
| 2. Ontario | 25.5% |
| 3. Alberta | 14.3% |
| 4. Quebec | 5.6% |
| 5. Manitoba | 4.9% |
| 6. New Brunswick | 3.4% |
| 7. Saskatchewan | 2.5% |
| 8. PEI | 1.2% |
| 9. Northwest Territories | 0.1% |
| 10. USA | 0.1% |
Most Outbound Moves
| Province | % of Total Outbound Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. Ontario | 34.6% |
| 2. British Columbia | 28.3% |
| 3. Alberta | 15.4% |
| 4. Manitoba | 7.4% |
| 5. Quebec | 3.9% |
| 6. Saskatchewan | 2.8% |
| 7. Nova Scotia | 1.5% |
| 8. New Brunswick | 0.2% |
| 9. PEI | 0.1% |
Provinces with the Highest Gain (Moves in minus moves out)
| Province | +/- of All Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. Nova Scotia | +54 |
| 2. New Brunswick | +46 |
| 3. British Columbia | +45 |
| 4. Quebec | +25 |
| 5. PEI | +18 |
| 6 (T). Northwest Territories | +1 |
| 6 (T). Newfoundland and Labrador | +1 |
| 8. Saskatchewan | -4 |
| 9. PEI | +2 |
| 10. Alberta | -16 |
| 11. Manitoba | -37 |
| 12. Ontario | -132 |
Cities
Cities With The Most Inbound Moves
| City | % of All Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. Toronto, ON | 2.9% |
| 2. Vancouver, BC | 2.6% |
| 3. Calgary, AB | 2.0% |
| 4. Edmonton, AB | 1.8% |
| 5. Victoria, BC | 1.5% |
| 6. Ottawa, ON | 1.3% |
| 7. Winnipeg, MB | 1.2% |
| 8. Kelowna, BC | 0.9% |
| 9 (T). Montreal, QC | 0.7% |
| 9 (T). Surrey, BC | 0.7% |
| 11. Halifax, NS | .06% |
| 12 (T). Coquitlam, BC | 0.5% |
| 12 (T). Saskatoon, SK | 0.5% |
| 14 (T). Burnaby, BC | 0.4% |
| 14 (T). London, ON | 0.4% |
Cities With The Most Outbound Moves
| City | % of Outbound Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. Toronto, ON | 12.9% |
| 2. Vancouver, BC | 9.3% |
| 3. Edmonton, AB | 8.4% |
| 4. Winnipeg, MB | 7.0% |
| 5. Ottawa, ON | 5.6% |
| 6. Calgary, AB | 4.7% |
| 7. Surrey, BC | 3.8% |
| 8. Victoria, BC | 2.3% |
| 9. Montreal | 2.2% |
| 10. Burnaby, BC | 2.0% |
| 11. London, ON | 1.5% |
| 12. Regina, SK | 1.4% |
| 13(T). Oakville, ON | 1.3% |
| 13(T). Hamilton, ON | 1.3% |
| 15. Coquitlam, BC | 1.2% |
Cities With the Highest Net Gain of Moves (+/-)
| City | +/- of All Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. Kelowna, BC | +19 |
| 1. Moncton, NB | +7 |
| 3. Sooke, BC | +5 |
| 4 (T). Thunder Bay, ON | +4 |
| 4 (T). Okotoks, AB | +4 |
| 4 (T). Sault Ste. Marie, ON | +4 |
| 4 (T). Qualicum Beach, BC | +4 |
| 8(T). Fredericton, NB | +3 |
| 8(T). Montreal, QC | +3 |
| 8 (T). St. Albert, AB | +3 |
Cities with the Biggest Net Loss
| City | +/- of All Moves |
|---|---|
| 1. Toronto, ON | -426 |
| 2. Vancouver, BC | -287 |
| 3. Edmonton, AB | -280 |
| 4. Winnipeg, MB | -245 |
| 5. Ottawa, ON | -182 |
| 6. Surrey, BC | -131 |
| 7. Calgary, AB | -117 |
| 8. Burnaby, BC | -66 |
| 9. Montreal, QC | -62 |
| 10. Regina, SK | -58 |
The data shows that people were eager to get out of big cities in 2020, opting to move to much lesser populated cities.
For the full data set, head here.
