HALIFAX : An economic think-tank says there are signs people are choosing to stay home or return to Atlantic Canada to work on a fresh generation of mega projects after a decade of depopulation for the region.
The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council says in an analysis that the region has lost population because of out-migration, with an estimated 340,000 people—or 14% of the population—moving to another part of Canada since 1997.
That represents a net loss of 72,500 people to other parts of Canada, enough to reduce the region's population by 2%, says the study, which uses Statistics Canada data.
However, it also sees some hope in the data from the last six months of 2007, when Newfoundland and Labrador had a net inflow of 1,739 people.
New Brunswick had a net gain in the same period of about 1,100 people; Nova Scotia saw a slight gain of 271 people; and Prince Edward Island continued to lose population, with a net loss of 279 people.
Elizabeth Beale, the chief executive of the council, argues in her analysis that the overall gains are driven, in part, because so many residents have left, which has led to labour shortages. As a result, there have been more job openings and wages have increased—particularly in urban areas.
"Average weekly wages in Atlantic Canada rose faster than the national average in 2007," she writes.
"In Newfoundland and Labrador, wages increased at more than double the national rate in the first four months of 2008. These conditions may increase the flow of population into Atlantic Canada, particularly if Ontario's economic situation continues to soften."
Beale says it remains unclear if the gains will continue, but if they do, "this would represent the most significant change in inter-provincial migration trends since the early 1980s."
Economists at the Halifax-based research institute say they remain worried about the exodus from rural Atlantic Canada, which they believe has shown little sign of a turnaround.
In addition, Newfoundland and Labrador's small gain represents only a small fraction of the net loss of 42,000 people, mostly from small communities, over the past decade.

© 2008 The Canadian Press