Canadians moved out of Ontario—and specifically urban Toronto—in droves following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, young Canadians in their 20s and 30s have been moving into the province of Alberta, according to data from Statistics Canada. With broad inflation and housing prices on the rise, the trend of seeking out more affordable living conditions is only likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Variable rate mortgages are prevalent in Canada, and a significant number of homeowners with them have signaled they could be priced out of their own homes before the end of 2023.
Stacker compiled a list of metros sending the most people to Hamilton using data from Statistics Canada.
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Tom Worsley // Shutterstock
#30. Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
- Moved from Kawartha Lakes to Hamilton in 2020-21: 37 - Moved from Hamilton to Kawartha Lakes in 2020-21: 64 - Total population as of 2021: 79,247
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Canva
#29. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Moved from St. John's to Hamilton in 2020-21: 42 - Moved from Hamilton to St. John's in 2020-21: 41 - Total population as of 2021: 212,579
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Randy Gauthier // Shutterstock
#28. Chatham-Kent, Ontario
- Moved from Chatham-Kent to Hamilton in 2020-21: 44 - Moved from Hamilton to Chatham-Kent in 2020-21: 100 - Total population as of 2021: 104,316
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PQK // Shutterstock
#27. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (tie)
- Moved from Sault Ste. Marie to Hamilton in 2020-21: 48 - Moved from Hamilton to Sault Ste. Marie in 2020-21: 40 - Total population as of 2021: 76,731
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Darryl Brooks // Shutterstock
#27. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (tie)
- Moved from Charlottetown to Hamilton in 2020-21: 48 - Moved from Hamilton to Charlottetown in 2020-21: 72 - Total population as of 2021: 78,858
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lastdjedai // Shutterstock
#25. Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Moved from Thunder Bay to Hamilton in 2020-21: 62 - Moved from Hamilton to Thunder Bay in 2020-21: 48 - Total population as of 2021: 123,258
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Wally Stemberger // Shutterstock
#24. Sarnia, Ontario
- Moved from Sarnia to Hamilton in 2020-21: 63 - Moved from Hamilton to Sarnia in 2020-21: 100 - Total population as of 2021: 97,592
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John Fader // Shutterstock
#23. Peterborough, Ontario
- Moved from Peterborough to Hamilton in 2020-21: 74 - Moved from Hamilton to Peterborough in 2020-21: 109 - Total population as of 2021: 128,624
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milosk50 // Shutterstock
#22. Kingston, Ontario (tie)
- Moved from Kingston to Hamilton in 2020-21: 76 - Moved from Hamilton to Kingston in 2020-21: 144 - Total population as of 2021: 172,546
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#22. Halifax, Nova Scotia (tie)
- Moved from Halifax to Hamilton in 2020-21: 76 - Moved from Hamilton to Halifax in 2020-21: 287 - Total population as of 2021: 465,703
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Ravi Kanani // Shutterstock
#20. Greater Sudbury, Ontario
- Moved from Greater Sudbury to Hamilton in 2020-21: 77 - Moved from Hamilton to Greater Sudbury in 2020-21: 93 - Total population as of 2021: 170,605
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Richard Cavalleri // Shutterstock
#19. Regina, Saskatchewan
- Moved from Regina to Hamilton in 2020-21: 82 - Moved from Hamilton to Regina in 2020-21: 25 - Total population as of 2021: 249,217
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Scott Prokop // Shutterstock
#18. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Moved from Saskatoon to Hamilton in 2020-21: 85 - Moved from Hamilton to Saskatoon in 2020-21: 29 - Total population as of 2021: 317,480
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Mark Evers Photography // Shutterstock
#17. Barrie, Ontario
- Moved from Barrie to Hamilton in 2020-21: 158 - Moved from Hamilton to Barrie in 2020-21: 176 - Total population as of 2021: 212,856
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Creative bee Maja // Shutterstock
#16. Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Moved from Winnipeg to Hamilton in 2020-21: 167 - Moved from Hamilton to Winnipeg in 2020-21: 132 - Total population as of 2021: 834,678
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94Mark // Shutterstock
#15. Norfolk, Ontario
- Moved from Norfolk to Hamilton in 2020-21: 182 - Moved from Hamilton to Norfolk in 2020-21: 534 - Total population as of 2021: 67,490
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#14. Windsor, Ontario
- Moved from Windsor to Hamilton in 2020-21: 204 - Moved from Hamilton to Windsor in 2020-21: 193 - Total population as of 2021: 422,630
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JHVEPhoto // Shutterstock
#13. Oshawa, Ontario
- Moved from Oshawa to Hamilton in 2020-21: 216 - Moved from Hamilton to Oshawa in 2020-21: 193 - Total population as of 2021: 415,311
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Tomas Kulaja // Shutterstock
#12. Calgary, Alberta
- Moved from Calgary to Hamilton in 2020-21: 217 - Moved from Hamilton to Calgary in 2020-21: 279 - Total population as of 2021: 1,481,806
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#11. Edmonton, Alberta
- Moved from Edmonton to Hamilton in 2020-21: 228 - Moved from Hamilton to Edmonton in 2020-21: 231 - Total population as of 2021: 1,418,118
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EB Adventure Photography // Shutterstock
#10. Vancouver, British Columbia
- Moved from Vancouver to Hamilton in 2020-21: 240 - Moved from Hamilton to Vancouver in 2020-21: 416 - Total population as of 2021: 2,642,825
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RonTech3000 // Shutterstock
#9. Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario part, Ontario
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Hamilton in 2020-21: 340 - Moved from Hamilton to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 627 - Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307
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Harold Stiver // Shutterstock
#8. Guelph, Ontario
- Moved from Guelph to Hamilton in 2020-21: 346 - Moved from Hamilton to Guelph in 2020-21: 434 - Total population as of 2021: 165,588
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Firefighter Montreal // Shutterstock
#7. Montréal, Quebec
- Moved from Montreal to Hamilton in 2020-21: 350 - Moved from Hamilton to Montreal in 2020-21: 233 - Total population as of 2021: 4,291,732
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RonTech3000 // Shutterstock
#6. Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Hamilton in 2020-21: 366 - Moved from Hamilton to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 661 - Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307
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Gilberto Mesquita // Shutterstock
#5. London, Ontario
- Moved from London to Hamilton in 2020-21: 433 - Moved from Hamilton to London in 2020-21: 661 - Total population as of 2021: 543,551
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SF photo // Shutterstock
#4. Brantford, Ontario
- Moved from Brantford to Hamilton in 2020-21: 740 - Moved from Hamilton to Brantford in 2020-21: 1,756 - Total population as of 2021: 144,162
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SF photo // Shutterstock
#3. Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo, Ontario
- Moved from Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo to Hamilton in 2020-21: 841 - Moved from Hamilton to Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo in 2020-21: 992 - Total population as of 2021: 575,847
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f11photo // Shutterstock
#2. St. Catharines - Niagara, Ontario
- Moved from St. Catharines–Niagara to Hamilton in 2020-21: 1,297 - Moved from Hamilton to St. Catharines–Niagara in 2020-21: 3,158 - Total population as of 2021: 839,311
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Kiev.Victor // Shutterstock
#1. Toronto, Ontario
- Moved from Toronto to Hamilton in 2020-21: 17,373 - Moved from Hamilton to Toronto in 2020-21: 6,460 - Total population as of 2021: 6,202,225
