Moncton’s strong population growth continues

Moncton’s population growth continues to be among the highest in the country. According to Statistics Canada data, it ranks 2nd among the 10 metropolitan regions in Canada with the highest annual population growth rates.

Between July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024, Greater Moncton’s population increased by 5.1%, behind top-ranked Calgary at 5.8%.

In 2019, this rate was 2% in Moncton.

A census metropolitan area (CMA) is made up of one or more adjacent municipalities located around a population center, also called the core. A RMR must have a total population of at least 100,000 inhabitants.

This strong growth is not unique to this year. Since 2021, Moncton has been one of the fastest growing cities in Canada every year.

In 10 years, the city of Moncton alone has welcomed 25,000 new residents, to now approach 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 34% in its population.

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This is without counting Dieppe which has seen its population increase by nearly 10,000 people in 10 years and to a lesser extent that of Riverview which has increased by 2,500 residents since 2014.

A growth vitale

The Mayor of Moncton, Dawn Arnoldis delighted with this growth.

It’s amazing actually, but it’s not a surpriseshe says. For her, new arrivals are absolutely necessary to meet labor challenges.

She also points out that the province will lose 130,000 workers within five years. Currently, in Moncton, one in six workers is a newcomer.

It’s 17% of our workforce, so it’s very important for the communitysupports Dawn Arnold. Growth is vital to our sustainability.

Its share of challenges

Obviously, a large flow of new arrivals also comes with its share of difficulties which mainly relate to housing and transportation.

However, Dawn Arnold affirms that the city is working hard to encourage the construction of housing, single-family houses, but also the development of basements or units to already existing houses.

Growth brings many worries and challenges, but as I have always said, we would much rather face the challenges of growth than those of decline.

She expects that growth to continue, but hopes it does so at a somewhat slower pace.

Never seen before

This is unprecedented growth!says the economist David Campbell.

He also believes that the City of Moncton is in a good position and that it is better to manage the effects of growth than of decline. However, he says the city will need to increase housing construction initiatives if it wants to meet demand and continue to grow exponentially.

The economist points out that the Greater Moncton region stands out by having competitive prices on the real estate market, compared to other regions in the country.

This is very good news for the province that people are coming not only to the big cities, but also to many other small towns in the province.

According to him, immigration is essential for the province, which still experiences a higher number of deaths than births.

A qualified workforce always in demand

Growing a city is always good newssays the president and CEO of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce, Kim Wilson.

It is a source of good business, she believes, but we must be able to meet demand. The challenge is finding the workforce to support growth, it’s not easy and it’s one of the challenges we often hear from our members.

There is also the question of language. Moncton is made up of approximately 33% Francophones, according to Statistics Canada data from 2021. The mayor is not worried about seeing this rate decrease due to immigration.

We know that 39% of immigrants who arrive here are French-speaking, which is higher than the national averageshe says, indicating that 89% of new arrivals in the city speak one of the two official languages.

With information from CBC’s Allie Chouinard, Frédéric Cammarano and Shayne Magee