Manitoba continues to have record-level population growth, Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade Minister Peter Bjornson announced.
Statistics Canada figures show, as of April 1, Manitoba’s population reached 1,246,396, representing a growth of 16,121 people in the last 12 months.
“This population increase is the province’s best growth in at least the last 40 years,” said Bjornson.
The increase of 16,121 people represents 1.31 per cent. This was the third-highest growth rate among the provinces and well above the national growth of 1.06 per cent. Manitoba has now exceeded the national population performance two years in a row, Bjornson noted.
In the last 10 years, Manitoba’s population has risen by 96,700 people.
“This is equivalent to welcoming another Brandon, Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Steinbach and Winkler to our province. It’s also 130 per cent higher than the growth of some 41,900 people we experienced in the previous 10-year period,” said Bjornson.
Statistics Canada has estimated that 15,705 new Manitobans arrived from other countries between April 2010 and April 2011. This is the highest 12-month level recorded since 1946.
“In the last 24 months, our province has grown by over 21,100 people. We know this means more people are realizing that Manitoba is an attractive and affordable place to work, live and raise a family. We can also credit the Provincial Nominee Program for much of this success, as it continues to account for more than three-quarters of all immigration to Manitoba,” said Bjornson.
Other information released showed, during the last 12 months, there were 16,214 newborns in Manitoba. This is the highest number of births in the last 16 years and represents the sixth straight year of increasing births.
