January 27, 2010
Economic Snapshot
Canada’s six most magnetic metro areas for migrants
JOHN CLINKARD
consulting economist, CanaData
In a recent study of the 50 largest metro areas in Canada, the Conference Board of Canada found six that had an optimal mix of factors (or magnets) that made them particularly attractive to newcomers, regardless of their place of origin.
This study was based on the fact that a metro area’s long-term viability is dependent on its ability to attract newcomers.
•In order to determine which metro areas were the most attractive – i.e. had the most magnetism – the Conference Board ranked each one based on seven key performance categories:
•Society (which measures diversity, accessibility, social cohesion and creativity);
•Health (which measures the level of health care);
•Economy (which takes into account key indicators of economic performance, including gross domestic product per capita, employment and unemployment);
•Environment (which attempts to reflect environmental health and quality of life);
•Education (which measures the proportion of the population with either a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree, and the number of teachers);
•Innovation (which reflects how effectively new ideas are transformed into products or services that provide economic or social value);
•Housing (which gauges the affordability of housing and the quality of housing stock).
Migrants, regardless of their level of education, do not place the same emphasis on each performance category.
But the Conference Board’s analysis found that the overall economic health of a metro area (as reflected by the economy category) is the single most important factor influencing the decision to locate in a particular area.
After the economy category, migrants ranked the society category second, followed by environment, education, innovation, health and housing.
The study also found that migrants with a university degree placed the most emphasis on the education category, followed by society, innovation, economy, environment, health and housing.
Regardless of the educational background of the individual, the study found that the six most appealing metro areas in the country in terms of ability to attract newcomers were Calgary, Waterloo, Ont., Ottawa, Richmond Hill, Ont., Vancouver and St. John’s.
John Clinkard has over 30 years’ experience as an economist in international, national and regional research and analysis with leading financial institutions and media outlets in Canada.
Data source: Conference Board of Canada/Chart: Reed Construction Data – CanaData.
