New census figures show the Maritime provinces are growing at a rapid rate

HALIFAX — New census figures from Statistics Canada are confirming what many residents of the Maritimes already knew: the region’s population has been growing at a rapid rate.

For the first time since the 1940s, the Maritimes grew at a faster pace than the Prairie provinces, mainly due to rising immigration levels and an influx of Canadians moving from other parts of the country.

By contrast, the population Newfoundland and Labrador declined by 1.8 per cent between 2016 and 2021, mainly because of slumping oil prices and the winding down of some megaprojects.

Patrick Brannon, senior researcher at the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, says the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 coincided with a big jump in new people arriving in the Maritimes from other parts of Canada. 

And in the last five years, the population of Prince Edward Island grew by eight per cent, a blistering growth rate second only to Yukon at 12.1 per cent.

Between 2016 and 2021, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia grew at their fastest paces since the early 1970s, with P.E.I. posting its highest population growth rate on record.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2022. 

The Canadian Press