canada migration

This is where Canadians are moving when they can't afford Toronto or Vancouver anymore

If you've ever wondered where you and others might end up after being priced out of the housing market in your big city, a new report may be able to give you some idea.

Popular moving truck rental company U-Haul has used its own data to create a list of the top cities and towns that Canadians internally migrate to when they can no longer afford to live in urban centres where the cost of housing is untenable for many renters and would-be homebuyers.

The report surveyed millions of U-Haul transactions from more than 22,000 centres across Canada last year.

U-Haul spokespeople say in a release that the current pressures of urban growth — such as increased cost of living — have driven many residents to the growing cities around top-rated regions like Vancouver and Toronto.

North Vancouver, B.C. topped the list "Canadian growth cities" for 2019, while Ontario locales like Belleville, Brockville and Hunstville comprised 19 of the list's 25 spots.

The list, in full, is as follows:

  1. North Vancouver, B.C.
  2. Trenton, Ontario
  3. Saint Thomas, Ontario
  4. Brockville, Ontario
  5. North Bay, Ontario
  6. Sherbrooke, Quebec
  7. Stratford, Ontario
  8. Collingwood, Ontario
  9. Levis, Quebec
  10. Chatham, Ontario
  11. Salmon Arm, B.C.
  12. Hanover, Ontario
  13. Nepean, Ontario
  14. Hunstville, Ontario
  15. Sarnia, Ontario
  16. North Perth, Ontario
  17. Lindsay, Ontario
  18. Peterborough, Ontario
  19. Elliot Lake, Ontario
  20. Merritt, B.C.
  21. Gravenhurst, Ontario
  22. Victoria, B.C.
  23. Strathroy, Ontario
  24. Wasaga Beach, Ontario
  25. Belleville, Ontario
Lead photo by

abdallah in Sherbrooke


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