Canada’s pace of population growth continues to set records as the country brings in a historic number of temporary residents, largely through international student and temporary foreign worker programs.
The country’s population grew by more than 430,000 during the third quarter, marking the fastest pace of population growth in any quarter since 1957.
Statistics Canada released its Oct. 1 population estimates on Tuesday, putting the number at more than 40.5 million.
The agency says the population growth over the first nine months of 2023 has already surpassed the total growth in any other full year, including the record set in 2022.
That has been fuelled by international migration, including about 313,000 non-permanent residents who came to the country over the three months.
StatCan says those non-permanent residents were mostly work and study permit-holders, and to a lesser extent, refugee claimants.
Experts have been warning that the strong pace of population growth in Canada is eroding housing affordability, given the country has struggled to ramp up home construction.
The strong population growth is also posing a political risk for the Liberals, who have seen their popularity tank amid affordability concerns.
Earlier this month, Bank of Canada deputy governor Toni Gravelle gave a speech on the effect of immigration on the economy and inflation in particular.
Gravelle acknowledged there are many benefits from this rise in immigration, noting it has helped grow the economy, expand the workforce and counteract an aging population.
But he warned it’s also adding pressure to a housing market riddled with challenges, including zoning restrictions and a shortage of construction workers.
“This jump in demographic demand coupled with the existing structural supply issues could explain why rent inflation continues to climb in Canada. It also helps explain, in part, why housing prices have not fallen as much as we had expected,” Gravelle told the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Polling suggests Canadians are quite concerned about the impact immigration is having on infrastructure and services in the country.
In a Leger poll last month, about three-quarters of respondents agreed the increase in immigrants is adding strain to both the housing market and health-care system.
And compared to March 2022, the percentage of Canadians who said they want the country to welcome more immigrants than it has in the past had fallen to nine per cent from 17 per cent.
The Liberal government has taken some steps in recent months to address the influx of international students.
In October, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced new rules to curb fraud in the international student program. He also warned the federal government is prepared to crack down on dubious post-secondary institutions that recruit international students if provinces aren’t up to the task.
More recently, Miller doubled the financial requirement for applicants, meaning they have to show they have more than $20,000, on top of funds for tuition and travel costs.
While Canada does have caps on the number of people granted permanent residency each year, there are no limits placed on international student and temporary foreign worker programs.
Mikal Skuterud, an economics professor at the University of Waterloo who specializes in immigration policy, says the temporary resident streams are attracting migrants who are desperate for a chance to live in Canada.
“Migrants all over the world are seeing what’s happening in Canadian immigration policy. They’re seeing that the permanent residency allocation system has become a bit of a lottery, and that there’s an increasing chance that if they just get here, get onto some kind of a permit, they might get lucky and get PR status,” he said.
Skuterud, who wants to see the government temper the strong flow of temporary residents, says allowing international students to work up to 20 hours a week risks luring more students here.
The federal government should also make more data available on the outcomes experienced by international students to give prospective applicants a clearer idea of what they’re signing up for, he added.
The surge in temporary residents has also been driven by businesses’ demand for migrant workers.
Skuterud has harshly criticized the Liberal government for making it easier for businesses to bring in migrant workers during its tenure — particularly through the low-wage stream of the program.
He says the government needs to bring back 2014 reforms that made it harder for businesses to access temporary foreign workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
