Canada’s Fastest Growing Cities

In this first video of a two-part series, we explore the fastest growing country in the G7 group of nations-Canada-and delve into the factors driving the rapid expansion of its cities. We also take a closer look at its 10 largest and 10 fastest growing cities. Whether you're a potential resident seeking a new place to call home, an entrepreneur looking for emerging markets, or simply curious about the ever-evolving Canadian urban landscape, join us as we examine the rise of Canada's fastest growing cities.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:11 - Fastest Growing Country in the G7
03:27 - 10 Largest Metropolitan Areas
05:29 - 10 Fastest Growing Metropolitan Areas
07:41 - Final Takeaways
Research Source:
2021 Census Data Tables - Statistics Canada
www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/...

[@samueldenis4609]

Excellent video my friend and thank you for using metropolitan area population not municipal when creating these rankings.

[@samueldenis4609]

I’ve only just come across your channel, but these are great videos. Keep it up!

[@raggedurbanism]

Much appreciated! We'll keep trying to improve on our approach with every video but its comments like this that keep us motivated to keep going. :)

[@philpaine3068]

I've noticed that a lot of Canada's "lesser" cities have been acquiring all sorts of amenities that would have been unthinkable just two decades ago. These places are now sprouting quality restaurants, stores catering to international tastes, bakeries, sidewalk cafes, hip boutiques, new cultural facilities and other things that used to be only available in the biggest cities. Old Victorian era buildings are being lovingly fixed up. Most of these towns now have interesting local festivals. It's a long way from the time when these places had nothing to offer but a curling rink next to the Rotary Park and a single dusty old "Chinese and Canadian" restaurant selling chicken balls in pink sauce and chop suey. [Don't get me wrong, though, I love those old fashioned Chinese restaurants, and hope some of them survive the changes. In Toronto, I can get any exotic dish i want from Sichuan or Shandong, but I actually can't find those yummy chicken balls.]

[@raggedurbanism]

Thanks for sharing that - we appreciate the anecdotal evidence on these trends! It can be tricky to get the sort of local economic or other data that reflects some of the qualitative or "vibrancy"-oriented changes that can come with demographic shifts, particularly for smaller cities.

[@sookendestroy1]

The one thing pretty much none of them will get though is fast transit.

[@semiramis47]

I hear ya about the disappearance of chicken balls - totally miss the probably not good-for-you gooy red dyed sweet sauce with pineapple bits -

[@daves6384]

Raised in Calgary, lived in Victoria, settled in Comox, BC, I’d agree with this comment. Lots of choice here and many immigrants (like myself) that bring richness and diversity to businesses, cuisine, stores, etc.

[@agentm83]

yup, even in mid-sized cities like Saskatoon (which has a really good restaurant scene), you can find restaurants offering cuisine from practically anywhere in the world. It's great!

[@maryrafuse2297]

Seeing strong growth in Halifax NS is wonderful. Also the stated desire by Nova Scotia for growth in Halifax to one million people in the next 25 years. Halifax has incredible nightlife and the population is getting younger all the time. Five Universities have fueled innovation. Construction everywhere! Keep growing Halifax and keep growing ( India North) Sydney NS. One of these times RU will catch up with the new growth in this area which would be even faster with more investment in housing. Looking deeper both Halifax and Sydney have some fascinating new businesses.

[@raggedurbanism]

It’s nice to see Atlantic Canada seeing growth after some decades of relative stagnation. Halifax has a great history, culture, and built form - it’s nice to see it get an injection of investment. Just hope it’s able to absorb the growth more sustainably than some of Canada’s other major cities, where the housing market, infrastructure, and services appear to be buckling under the pressure.

[@rocknrollunicorn8914]

omg we need this almost no one makes videos like this

[@raggedurbanism]

That's a very generous assessment but appreciate the kind words! We'll definitely be making more like this in the future.

[@rebeccawinter472]

Nice. Basic census data, but well put together and nicely presented visually. Clicked subscribe

[@raggedurbanism]

Much appreciated, Rebecca! Hope to do some deeper dives on more topics in the future.

[@patbrennan6572]

My favorite place is St Johns, thank goodness we're surrounded by water, not immigrants.

[@daltonmooring2573]

Great vid, youve earned a sub good sir!

[@raggedurbanism]

Much appreciated, Dalton - thanks for taking the time to give us a peek!

[@johnmorrison9758]

I am sure Mississauga should be on this list somewhere !!

[@raggedurbanism]

Hi John - great point! Mississauga is part of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) and so is included within Toronto’s figures. Surprisingly, Mississauga itself saw a very slight population decline over the last census period, but given the rapid nationwide uptick in immigration the last few years I’m sure that has since reversed.

[@glaframb]

@@raggedurbanism It's the same for Laval and Longueuil Québec two Suburbs of Montréal with a population over 300K for Longueuil and 400 K for Laval but they are considered as part of the Montréal Méga Région

[@markdanaroth6178]

I'm from Oshawa, known locally as The Shwa, and can attest to the expantion of the city in the last decades. Around and north of Durham college has gone from pastures to a fully developed neibourhood with shopping malls and is home to the three tallest appartment buildings in the city. These new, rapid developements aren't limited to Oshawa but are occuring in Pickering, Ajax and Whitby at the same rate. Where once these cities were separated by farms now there is almost uniterrupted developement between them. About the quoted population of 400000 this doesn't surprise me even though city signs state the population as 183000. City hall has a long history of undereporting it's population to reduce the transfer of taxes to the federal and provincial levels.

[@raggedurbanism]

Nice to get the inside scoop on The Shwa! For your reference, according to Statistics Canada the City of Oshawa was at 175,383 as of the 2021 Census but the wider Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) hit 415,311, which extends from Whitby east past Newcastle and north past Brooklin. So the City itself probably is closer to 183,000 a few years on.

[@AdamEgret]

Correction. The Dirty Shwa

[@dez7800]

Nice video! One thing though, the music is a bit too loud in the 2nd part (after the intro)...

[@raggedurbanism]

Appreciate the feedback! We'll definitely look at adjusting that for future videos.

[@michaeldowson6988]

Now that the US is pulling out of China, a lot of investment will be coming our way for resources. Congress has its' hands tied, but the Pentagon can and has put some cash up for resource extraction in Canada recently. Aluminum, nickel, rare earths and more will need to be developed.

[@keithwollenberg5237]

If you were here living it, you wouldn't be using words like "healthy" and "thriving" to describe it.

[@raggedurbanism]

Appreciate the feedback, Keith. Would love to hear more about the current challenges to inform future video research.

[@keithwollenberg5237]

@@raggedurbanism Essentially, people in these cities are experiencing the worst of both worlds: decreased standards of living (more crowding and fewer natural amenities per resident) at the same time that they experience decreased affordability, i.e. paying for more, and getting less. If anything else isn't clear, I would be happy to elaborate.

[@Peeta-wn4hh]

Is this a dog whistle for anti-immigrant, anti-Trudeau, anti-Canada trolls?

[@keithwollenberg5237]

@@Peeta-wn4hh I hope not.

[@jamesb3239]

I was born and raised in Edmonton and the place is booming. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

[@petervickers5846]

Kamloops is a beautiful city. Nanaimo transit could improve.

[@raggedurbanism]

Kamloops has a relatively dry and barren landscape by Canadian standards - not everyone is a fan but it has a certain rugged beauty.

[@Jesusholmes64]

Too many young immigrant men in toronto dont work, if they cant find an easy tech job, they give up and just loaf off their parents. They were kinda sold a lie about a prosperous Canada, but this is a country where nothing is attainable for people under 40. All those high rises being built are being built for Baby Boomers who can afford them and are looking to downsize. Ive been renting the same place for 8 years, if i were to move, it would be to a place half the size for double the rent. This is the reality in Toronto, the people who keep the city running live outside it commute through the worst traffic in North America, it makes our productivity rates at the same as Alabama.

[@dangrather1280]

If it’s a fast growing city it means I don’t want to live there.

[@pacman3556]

Top 10 Canadian cities......so all of them. Anything below this is a small town or village lol.

[@jongaming9334]

More people should move to Lloydminister the housing market is affordable

[@StefanG5]

That’s fine but are there jobs for people. Even affordable homes require incomes to pay rent or mortgages.

[@jongaming9334]

Yes there are some jobs here for the oilfield restaurants retail stores and mechanics and other and rent here is more affordable than in Vancouver Toronto and Montreal

[@StefanG5]

@@jongaming9334 Okay, good to know. Let’s see if people now start making the move, and not just there but anywhere similar to Lloydminster where housing is affordable and job prospects decent or better.

[@erge-px8up]

Because no one wants to live in a frozen plain with nothing there except boomers and bikers

[@StefanG5]

@@erge-px8up Not exactly the first choice destination for recent newcomers to Canada.

[@paulbadics3500]

Trudeau govt has brought in far too many foreign students from india (promising PR status) & temp workers post covid & has had to back track due to massive increase in rental costs

[@thomasmontgomery805]

As a Canadian it sucks here and our economy is shit don’t believe the lies

[@YTad2]

If it’s true many people haven’t heard of your second list of cities… that’s a sad commentary on our school system.

[@raggedurbanism]

Canadians would likely be more familiar but international viewers not so much.

[@semiramis47]

Canada may have the best population growth in the G7 unfortunately that's coupled with the worst productivity and lowest standard of living - immigration is set to increase and the standard of living is projected to plummet year over year for the foreseeable future.

[@raggedurbanism]

Unfortunately rapid population growth is not the quick economic fix the Feds appear to have bet on - ignoring the obvious fact it's also at odds with the current housing crisis. We'll no doubt be exploring some of these themes further in future videos.

[@Mythos131]

There are many ways to calculate standard of living rankings but Canada is not at or near the bottom of any of them. In fact Canada is at the top of some of them

[@semiramis47]

@@Mythos131 yeah, were doing well against Guatemala, since we're on par with Mississippi the poorest state in the US

[@Mythos131]

We do well against the world and our G7 peers

[@semiramis47]

@@Mythos131 stop dreaming and look at the numbers, we are dead last compared to our G7 peers - the worst productivity, our standard of living, is at the bottom of the G7 pack - has been declining for years and is set to keep going down for the foreseeable future, the worst track record in the developed world for intellectual property exports, which are the economic engine of today's world. We can't retain highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants, as well as our own citizens because they no longer see Canada as a land of opportunity - the list goes on, in fact I'm hard pressed to recall any area of economic activity where we excel.

[@redMaple_QC]

Healthy growth??? Lol

[@raggedurbanism]

May have to choose our words a little more carefully! Don’t expect that one to appear in the same context again anytime soon.

[@TimLapare]

Yeah right, the only growth is economic. Everything else is collapsing

[@redMaple_QC]

@@TimLapare GDP per capita is actually going down.

[@jer2689]

As soon as I heard that I needed the check the comments

[@thomasmontgomery805]

It’s not Canada it’s India pt 2

[@thenomadicmarketer]

That’s why they call Surrey, BC Scurry and Brampton, ON Brangladesh LOL

[@ByGenerationsFM]

Largest growing Criminals 😂

[@Germany._.Kit77]

There are only broken cities, 40% poverty 😢😢

[@douglaslandry7740]

Over 40% of the population Kitchener Waterloo belongs to Cambridge, which is growing faster than the northern part of the region. I find it embarrassing that you called it Kitchener Waterloo, where the population that your statistically giving the number for do not live in neither one of these cities and at one point until most recently had no debt of the few cities and all of North America and the world that had a 0% debt unfortunately that is not the same

[@raggedurbanism]

Thanks for that insight, Doug! According to the last census figures from Statistics Canada, Cambridge made up about 24% of the metropolitan area and 16% of its 5-year population growth. That’s definitely a good chunk of the region - we’ll be sure to include reference to it in the future!

[@Buckshot99]

This is destroying Canada.