Key Takeaways:
- For the first time, the province’s population surpassed 800,000, with more than 40,000 people added in the last five years alone.
- The most recent estimate, according to Higgs, points to a strong provincial economy that has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Statistics Canada data shows that New Brunswick is experiencing a population boom.
According to the federal agency, the province’s population recently surpassed 800,000 for the first time, with more than 40,000 people added in the last five years alone.
Premier Blaine Higgs said in a statement that the province is seeing higher levels of immigration and positive interprovincial migration.
As a result, the province has seen its highest population growth rate since 1976, with 15,000 new residents added in the last year.
And New Brunswick’s expansion is part of a larger trend.
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According to Statistics Canada, the three Maritime provinces have largely reversed a decades-long population decline in the last 5 years, thanks in portion to a steady influx of immigrants as well as Canadians from other provinces, particularly Ontario and Alberta.
The agency reported on Feb. 9 that more people moved to the Maritimes from other areas of Canada (134,841) than moved (98,086) for the first time since the 1981-86 census. It was also the very 1st time since the 1940s that the Maritime provinces outpaced the Prairie provinces in terms of growth.
Statistics Canada reported that New Brunswick had a population of 775,610 people, but that was an official census tally based on data collected in the second quarter of 2021.
According to Higgs, the latest estimate points to a strong provincial economy that has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
“This is a watershed moment for our province,” Higgs said late Friday in a statement. “Our population-growth strategy is succeeding beyond our wildest dreams… New Brunswick is being viewed in a new light.”
According to census data released last month, Prince Edward Island was the fastest-growing province in Canada among the Maritime provinces. In addition, Nova Scotia experienced its fastest growth rate since the early 1970s.
The census data also revealed that the region has successfully attracted more immigrants from other countries.
Between 2016 and 2021, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island welcomed a record number of immigrants, with the vast majority coming before the pandemic.
Source: CTV News
