Statistics Canada finds only the wealthiest and poorest Canadians staying in cities
A new report from Statistics Canada shows that 14 per cent of people aged 25-44, the most likely demographic to have children, moved out of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver and into their surrounding suburbs between 2001 and 2006. Far fewer went the other way—between four and five per cent depending on the city. “I think a lot of what we’re seeing in these patterns are really associated with housing costs and availability of affordable
homes,” says Clarence Lochhead, executive director of the Vanier Institute of the Family. “That also explains the exception of the high-income folks who have a smaller likelihood of moving because they’re more likely to be able to afford some of the costs associated with housing in the core of cities.” Families making $100,000 or more per year were less likely to move out of the city, as were those making $20,000 or less per year, which Statistics Canada says is probably because of the difficulty in affording a vehicle to commute from the suburbs at that lower income level.