39 Percent of New Immigrants Considering Leaving Their Province Due to Housing Costs: Survey

People enjoy the view of the CN Tower and the Toronto skyline from the Toronto Islands on Lake Ontario, on Sept. 14, 2023. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Nearly 40 percent of new immigrants to Canada are considering moving out of their province of residence due to high housing costs, according to a new survey.

“Canadians who have come to the country in the past 10 years are much more likely to agree they are thinking of leaving the province they currently live in because of the cost of housing than others,” said the Angus Reid survey released on July 3.

While 28 percent of respondents born in Canada said they are “seriously thinking” of leaving their province due to housing affordability, this number rose to 39 percent for immigrants who have lived in the country for less than a decade. Thirty percent of immigrants who have lived in the country longer than 11 years said they were considering leaving.

The sentiment was found to be the highest among Ontarians (39 percent) and British Columbians (36 percent), which corresponds to the provinces that currently have the highest housing costs. The sentiment was lowest among those living in Manitoba (17 percent), Quebec (16 percent), and Saskatchewan (15 percent).

Broken down by city, respondents from Toronto and the surrounding suburban areas were most likely to be considering moving (44 percent), followed by those from Vancouver (33 percent), Halifax (26 percent), and Calgary (25 percent).

When asked about the factors that were causing them to consider moving provinces, 76 percent said housing was the only reason, while eight percent said they wanted to find a better quality of life, four percent listed a high cost of living, another four percent said access to health care, and three percent wanted to be closer to family.

Many Eyeing Other Countries

Just 45 percent of Canadians considering moving due to the cost of housing said they are thinking of staying in Canada. A total of 42 percent said they are considering moving to another country, with 15 percent choosing the United States and 27 percent considering another country.

For interprovincial migration, Alberta was considered to be the most popular destination (18 percent), while Atlantic Canada was considered by 10 percent, followed by B. C. (6 percent), and Ontario (4 percent).

For British Columbians, the province of Alberta is the most popular potential moving destination (35 percent), followed by a country other than the U.S. (27 percent). Twelve percent would consider moving to the U.S., and 7 percent to Ontario.

For Ontarians, moving abroad was the most popular potential option (26 percent), followed by Alberta (17 percent), the U.S. (17 percent), and Atlantic Canada (14 percent).

With federal and provincial governments putting more emphasis on building housing, a majority  of Canadians (53 percent) surveyed said they are “hopeful that housing affordability will improve over the next few years,” while a total of 40 percent disagreed with that statement.

Just over half of renters (51 percent) and homeowners that have a mortgage (52 percent) said there is hope for a solution to the housing affordability crisis. Meanwhile, 43 percent of renters and 41 percent of owners with mortgages express doubt that the problem would be solved.