Nova Scotia to have surpassed 1 million population milestone
Posted Dec 16, 2021 05:50:05 PM.
Nova Scotia has more than likely surpassed a population milestone of having more than one million people in the province.
According to Statistics Canada's The Daily, 998,832 people were calling Nova Scotia home on Oct. 1.
It also says its real-time Canada population clock — which is currently offline — indicates the province has surpassed the one million mark.
“Reaching the one million mark is a significant moment in our province's history. After years of a declining population, the world is learning how special Nova Scotia is; we have momentum and are growing,” said Premier Tim Houston in a news release. “More people make us stronger in every way. We all benefit from this growth with a greater tax base, new businesses and jobs, greater diversity and culture and improved infrastructure.”
In The Daily, which was released Friday morning, Statistics Canada said the data is based on assumptions that recent growth trends have continued past Oct. 1.
Nova Scotia credits immigration as a large part of the province's growing population.
Between Jan. 1 and April 1, 5,696 people moved to Nova Scotia from other countries and other parts of Canada. The province's population grew by 2,877 making it the largest increase in a first quarter since 1971.
In 2020, the top five source countries for all landed newcomers to Nova Scotia were India, China, the Philippines, Korea and the United Kingdom.
The province says its current immigration retention rate is 71 per cent, marking it as the highest in Atlantic Canada.
It's also planning to launch a $2.5 million marketing initiative that will support new provincial immigration and migration targets by attracting newcomers from across Canada.
According to The Daily, Canada reached a record high of immigration by welcoming 122,748 newcomers to the country between July and September. It's the highest number of any quarter since 1946.
Surpassing the one million population marks means Nova Scotia is the seventh Canadian province to have more than one million people.
The province aims to double its population to two million by 2060, hoping to attract 25,000 newcomers each year.
“Nova Scotia is steadily growing, and we want to encourage those living across the country and around the world to build a life in our beautiful province,” said Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration Jill Balser in the news release.
“Newcomers fuel our economy, fill labour gaps and enrich our communities. We look forward to welcoming new people to Nova Scotia with open arms and experiencing the benefits of newcomers in all parts of the province.”