New numbers from Statistics Canada show what some are calling an encouraging trend in and around Lethbridge, as the population continues to grow at a higher rate than in other areas of Alberta.
According to the Annual Demographics Estimates released Thursday, the population of the Lethbridge CMA (Census Metropolitan Area) grew by 0.9 per cent from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021.
The CMA, which includes the city, Lethbridge County and the towns within it, had a population of 130,027.
“What we have seen in most of Alberta is a net loss in population,” explained Trevor Lewington, CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge. “So many CMAs are actually down or significantly less growth than Lethbridge.”
For the second year in a row, the leading factor behind reduced population growth across CMAs in Canada was lack of international migration.
Lewington said the average population growth during the previous 10 years in Lethbridge was 1.7 per cent.
“Given all things that are going on in the world, population growth of almost one percent is actually pretty good.”
Ray Manning, who moved to Lethbridge from British Columbia in June, said there were a variety of factors that went into his family’s decision to move, including the price of housing.
“There just weren’t as many amenities in Kamloops as there was here,” he added. “It’s closer to the U.S. border and we have kids in Idaho, so it’s a shorter drive.”
With retirement already behind him, Manning sees Lethbridge as a place to settle for the long-term.
“The whole city is actually really nice, the coulees are very nice. I love the sunsets.”
The smallest growth rate cited in the StatsCan report in Alberta sat at -2.2 per cent in Lacombe, while the highest was in Calgary, also at 0.9 per cent.