In November, the average weekly Canadian earnings of all payroll employees ( full and part-time) increased $7.65 from October to $784.83. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 4.0 percent.

In Canada’s largest industrial sectors in November, earnings were up 6.2 percent in health and social assistance, 4.5 percent in manufacturing, 3.0 percent in retail trade, and 2.8 percent in educational services compared with a year earlier.

Saskatchewan (+6.9 percent) and Alberta (+5.6 percent) posted the strongest year-over-year earnings growth among the provinces.

The number of occupied payroll jobs edged down 11,600 in November to 14,408,500. Among the provinces, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan had the largest month-to-month movements.

The industrial sector showing the strongest employment growth in November was utilities.

Overall, payroll employment has grown by 190,800, or 1.3 percent, since the beginning of 2007.

Employment in the construction sector continues to have the highest year-to-date growth (+7.1 percent), followed by mining, oil and gas extraction (+4.5 percent).

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
November 2007

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
November 2007

30 Jan 2008

Details from Statistics Canada have revealed that more than one million immigrants arrived in Canada in the last five years, settling in a country that is now home to 150 languages and people from more than 200 countries.

The 2006 Census enumerated 6,186,950 foreign-born people in Canada. They accounted for virtually one in five (19.8%) of the total population, the highest proportion in 75 years.

Between 2001 and 2006, Canada’s foreign-born population increased by 13.6%. This was four times higher than the growth rate of 3.3% for the Canadian-born population during the same period.

The census estimated that 1,110,000 immigrants came to Canada between January 1, 2001 and May 16, 2006. These newcomers made up 17.9% of the total foreign-born population, or 3.6% of Canada’s total population of 31.2 million.

Recent immigrants born in Asia (including the Middle East) made up the largest proportion (58.3%) of newcomers to Canada.

Newcomers born in Europe made up the second largest group (16.1%) of recent immigrants. Europe used to be the main source region of immigrants. In 1971, they accounted for 61.6% of newcomers to Canada.

In addition, an estimated 10.8% of recent immigrants were born in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Another 10.6% of newcomers to Canada in 2006 were born in Africa.

A majority (70.2%) of the foreign-born population in 2006 reported a mother tongue other than English or French. Among the foreign-born who had a non-English, non-French mother tongue, the largest proportion reported Chinese languages (18.6%), followed by Italian (6.6%), Punjabi (5.9%), Spanish (5.8%), German (5.4%), Tagalog (4.8%) and Arabic (4.7%).

The Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver areas were home to 68.9% of the recent immigrants in 2006. In contrast, slightly more than one-quarter (27.1%) of Canada’s total population lived in these three areas.

Within Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, newcomers tended to live in the central municipalities, but an increasing share of newcomers chose the surrounding municipalities.

In the Toronto, 59.8% of its newcomers resided in the city of Toronto. Its surrounding municipalities, such as Mississauga, Brampton and Vaughan, had an increased share of newcomers; 28.8% of recent immigrants in 2006 lived in these surrounding municipalities, up from 21.4% in 2001.

In the Montreal, a majority of newcomers (76.3%) lived in the city of Montreal. Its surrounding municipalities, such as Laval, Longueuil, Brossard, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Côte-Saint-Luc, saw an increased share of new immigrants; 15.0% of newcomers in 2006 lived in these surrounding municipalities.

In the Vancouver, nearly three-quarters (74.7%) of recent immigrants lived in just four municipalities: the cities of Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby and Surrey.

The majority (85.1%) of the foreign-born who were eligible for Canadian citizenship in 2006 had become naturalised. The census enumerated 863,100 individuals, or 2.8% of the population, who reported a Canadian citizenship in addition to at least one other citizenship. Four out of every five of these individuals were foreign-born.

9 Jan 2008

Canada’s population has exceeded 33 million, according to demographic estimates from Statistics Canada, which also show that Saskatchewan has more than 1 million people for the first time since 2001. The estimates also show that Saskatchewan has supplanted Alberta as Canada’s fastest-growing province.

As of October 1, 2007, Canada’s population was estimated at 33,091,200, up 115,200 from July 1, 2007. Canada’spopulation increased 0.35 percent during the third quarter, the strongest growth rate since the third quarter of 2001.

It has taken Canada three years to boost its population by 1 million people. The nation’s estimated population slipped over the 32 million mark during the third quarter of 2004.

Four provinces—Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta—had population growth rates above that of the country during the third quarter.

Immigration remained strong during the third quarter, when Canada received an estimated 71,600 newcomers, the second highest quarterly level since 1971. Net international migration accounted for two-thirds of the country’s increase.

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan’s population rebounded thanks to interprovincial migration. As of October 1, 2007, Saskatchewan’s population was estimated at 1,003,300, up by 6,400, or 0.65 percent, from July 1, 2007. These gains were record highs, and the province’s rate of demographic growth was the fastest in the country. Interprovincial migration accounted for two-thirds of this increase.

Saskatchewan’s population has been on the rebound since the fourth quarter of 2006. At that time, its population reached 986,900, the lowest estimates since July 1982. This new growth is mainly caused by an increase in net inflows from interprovincial migration, mainly people returning to Saskatchewan from neighbouring Alberta.

Saskatchewan’s population was over the 1-million mark between 1983 and 2001.

Alberta
On the other hand, the main engine of Alberta’s demographic growth—interprovincial migration—has lost some of its importance. Alberta, which has led the provinces in population growth for the last few years, has started to lose more people to other regions than it has received.

Over the third quarter, Alberta recorded a net interprovincial migration outflow estimated at 3,300 people. The last time the province recorded a net outflow to other jurisdictions occurred in the fourth quarter of 1994.

Thanks to strong natural growth and net international migration, Alberta’s population is still increasing. However, its increase of 0.37 percent was the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2004.

Atlantic Region
The population of all four Atlantic provinces rose during the third quarter, but at a slower pace than that of the country.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s population was estimated at 507,500, up by 1,200, the highest increase since the fourth quarter of 1992. This halted a streak of 15 consecutive quarters of population losses.

Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Saskatchewan, is one of the jurisdictions benefiting the most from the shift in trends observed in Alberta’s interprovincial migration.

For the first time since the second quarter of 1991, Newfoundland and Labrador posted a net inflow from interprovincial migration, estimated at 1,100. More than a third of these gains (+400) are coming from the province’s exchanges with Alberta.

Prince Edward Island was the fastest-growing province in the Atlantic region, with a rate just below the national level. The province received more immigrants than ever before during the third quarter. Immigrants entered the province at an annualized rate of 12.1 for every 1,000 population, surpassing the national level of 8.7 for every 1,000.

New Brunswick posted a population increase for the fourth consecutive quarter and a net interprovincial migration inflow for a third quarter in a row. Its population gain of 1,100 between July 1 and October 1 was the highest since the second quarter of 1991.

Nova Scotia had the slowest population growth among provinces, a gain of 0.1 percent, or just below 1,000 people. However, a year earlier at the same period, the province’s population had been declining. The main factor in this new increase was lower net outflows from interprovincial migration.

Central Canada
Ontario’s population increased 0.37 percent to an estimated 12,850,600, which represented about 39 percent of Canada’s population. This growth rate, faster than that of the country for the first time since the second quarter of 2006, was mainly due to smaller net interprovincial migration outflows.

Ontario posted a net interprovincial migration loss of 3,100 people in the third quarter, far below the net outflow of 14,700 during the same quarter in 2006. While still recording net losses to Alberta, Ontario has been recording net interprovincial migration gains with the rest of the country.

Ontario’s attraction for international immigrants, while still strong, is not what it used to be. During the third quarter, the province welcomed close to 47 percent of newcomers to Canada, compared with 60 percent between 2000 and 2002.

The population of Quebec, the second most populous province, increased 0.25 percent, still slower than the national rate. But the pace was still slightly faster than that of the third quarter of 2006.

The number of births in Quebec is still on the rise, as is its rate of natural increase (the excess of births over deaths). The rate of natural increase in Quebec is second only to that of Alberta among the provinces. The province’s rate of natural growth has been higher than Canada’s since the beginning of 2006, a phenomenon not seen since the beginning of the 1980s.

The West
British Columbia’s population hit an estimated 4,402,900 in the third quarter, an increase of 0.52 percent, the second fastest among the provinces. This was the province’s second strongest rate of growth since the third quarter of 1996. This is due mainly to an increase in net interprovincial migration inflows and a continuing strong immigration. International migration accounted for close to 60 percent of British Columbia’s growth.

Manitoba recorded a demographic increase of 0.31%, slightly below the national rate. It is, however, the province’s strongest growth since the third quarter of 1983. This was due to a strong immigration rate, one of the highest in the country, and to lower net interprovincial migration outflows.

Manitoba had a net interprovincial migration loss of 100 people during the third quarter, compared with 3,200 in the same period in 2006. This was the smallest loss since the third quarter of 1984.

Territories
In the territories, the situation was varied. The only territory to post a faster demographic growth rate than that of the country was Yukon, where the population rose 0.41% to reach 31,100. This was due to an increase in net inflows from interprovincial migration.

The Northwest Territories was the only jurisdiction to record a demographic decline. Its population fell 0.5% during the third quarter, largely the result of larger net losses in interprovincial migration.

Interprovincial migration was also the main factor explaining why Nunavut posted one of the smallest population increases in its brief history. Over the third quarter, the population of the territory edged up 0.04%. Without its strong birth rate, Nunavut’s population would have declined.

3 Jan 2008

Canadian housing activity in the first eleven months of 2007 has already surpassed all previous annual totals, according to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Some 496,890 homes traded hands for the year-to-date in November 2007, up 2.7 percent from the previous annual record set last year. New annual records have already been reached in every province except British Columbia and Alberta.

Seasonally adjusted sales activity climbed 1.6 per cent compared to the previous month to 42,576 units in November 2007. The increase reflected a month-over-month rise in activity in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In the lattermost region, transactions reached the highest monthly level ever.

Actual (unadjusted) sales activity was up 6.1 per cent in November from the same month last year. This is the highest number of transactions ever for the month of November, surpassing the previous record from November 2005.

The Canadian residential average price rose 11.7 per cent year-over-year in November to $313,645. This was the seventh consecutive month in which the increase in average price has exceeded ten percent and the largest increase since July. Average prices broke all previous monthly records in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec, and stood just slightly below record levels on a national basis in Ontario.

“2007 has been a tremendous year for Canada’s housing market, and we expect overall sales activity to edge slightly lower in 2008,” CREAPresident Ann Bosley said. “Prices are also forecast to set new records, but the increase in average price will be smaller in 2008.”

Average House Price In Canada November 2007

1 Jan 2008