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 Montreal using data from Statistics Canada.
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#30. Cowansville, Quebec
- Moved from Cowansville to Montreal in 2020-21: 133 - Moved from Montreal to Cowansville in 2020-21: 418 - Total population as of 2021: 15,234
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Gilberto Mesquita // Shutterstock
#29. London, Ontario
- Moved from London to Montreal in 2020-21: 164 - Moved from Montreal to London in 2020-21: 208 - Total population as of 2021: 543,551
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Miss Nephew // Shutterstock
#28. Victoriaville, Quebec
- Moved from Victoriaville to Montreal in 2020-21: 173 - Moved from Montreal to Victoriaville in 2020-21: 465 - Total population as of 2021: 52,936
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SF photo // Shutterstock
#27. Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo, Ontario
- Moved from Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo to Montreal in 2020-21: 179 - Moved from Montreal to Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo in 2020-21: 278 - Total population as of 2021: 575,847
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Paul Vance // Shutterstock
#26. Rimouski, Quebec
- Moved from Rimouski to Montreal in 2020-21: 192 - Moved from Montreal to Rimouski in 2020-21: 537 - Total population as of 2021: 53,944
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Joel.bourgoin // Shutterstock
#25. Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
- Moved from Rouyn-Noranda to Montreal in 2020-21: 201 - Moved from Montreal to Rouyn-Noranda in 2020-21: 234 - Total population as of 2021: 42,313
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#24. Shawinigan, Quebec
- Moved from Shawinigan to Montreal in 2020-21: 216 - Moved from Montreal to Shawinigan in 2020-21: 868 - Total population as of 2021: 49,620
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Awana JF // Shutterstock
#23. Val-d'Or, Quebec
- Moved from Val-d'Or to Montreal in 2020-21: 217 - Moved from Montreal to Val-d'Or in 2020-21: 207 - Total population as of 2021: 34,037
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Virgil Grecian // Shutterstock
#22. Moncton, New Brunswick
- Moved from Moncton to Montreal in 2020-21: 219 - Moved from Montreal to Moncton in 2020-21: 165 - Total population as of 2021: 157,717
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#21. Hamilton, Ontario
- Moved from Hamilton to Montreal in 2020-21: 233 - Moved from Montreal to Hamilton in 2020-21: 350 - Total population as of 2021: 785,184
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#20. Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Moved from Halifax to Montreal in 2020-21: 264 - Moved from Montreal to Halifax in 2020-21: 521 - Total population as of 2021: 465,703
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Creative bee Maja // Shutterstock
#19. Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Moved from Winnipeg to Montreal in 2020-21: 315 - Moved from Montreal to Winnipeg in 2020-21: 362 - Total population as of 2021: 834,678
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Brendan Riley // Shutterstock
#18. Lachute, Quebec
- Moved from Lachute to Montreal in 2020-21: 451 - Moved from Montreal to Lachute in 2020-21: 880 - Total population as of 2021: 14,100
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Vincent JIANG // Shutterstock
#17. Drummondville, Quebec
- Moved from Drummondville to Montreal in 2020-21: 454 - Moved from Montreal to Drummondville in 2020-21: 1,375 - Total population as of 2021: 101,610
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#16. Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
- Moved from Sorel-Tracy to Montreal in 2020-21: 463 - Moved from Montreal to Sorel-Tracy in 2020-21: 1,202 - Total population as of 2021: 41,934
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PQK // Shutterstock
#15. Saguenay, Quebec
- Moved from Saguenay to Montreal in 2020-21: 480 - Moved from Montreal to Saguenay in 2020-21: 949 - Total population as of 2021: 161,567
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#14. Edmonton, Alberta
- Moved from Edmonton to Montreal in 2020-21: 515 - Moved from Montreal to Edmonton in 2020-21: 551 - Total population as of 2021: 1,418,118
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Tomas Kulaja // Shutterstock
#13. Calgary, Alberta
- Moved from Calgary to Montreal in 2020-21: 705 - Moved from Montreal to Calgary in 2020-21: 624 - Total population as of 2021: 1,481,806
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meunierd // Shutterstock
#12. Granby, Quebec
- Moved from Granby to Montreal in 2020-21: 725 - Moved from Montreal to Granby in 2020-21: 2,692 - Total population as of 2021: 90,833
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Denis Roger // Shutterstock
#11. Trois-Rivières, Quebec
- Moved from Trois-Rivières to Montreal in 2020-21: 810 - Moved from Montreal to Trois-Rivières in 2020-21: 2,172 - Total population as of 2021: 161,489
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Francois Lariviere // Shutterstock
#10. Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
- Moved from Saint-Hyacinthe to Montreal in 2020-21: 817 - Moved from Montreal to Saint-Hyacinthe in 2020-21: 1,784 - Total population as of 2021: 59,980
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Pascal Huot // Shutterstock
#9. Joliette, Quebec
- Moved from Joliette to Montreal in 2020-21: 877 - Moved from Montreal to Joliette in 2020-21: 1,963 - Total population as of 2021: 52,706
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EB Adventure Photography // Shutterstock
#8. Vancouver, British Columbia
- Moved from Vancouver to Montreal in 2020-21: 986 - Moved from Montreal to Vancouver in 2020-21: 1,996 - Total population as of 2021: 2,642,825
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Pascal Huot // Shutterstock
#7. Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec
- Moved from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield to Montreal in 2020-21: 1,066 - Moved from Montreal to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in 2020-21: 2,277 - Total population as of 2021: 42,787
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RonTech3000 // Shutterstock
#6. Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario part, Ontario
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Montreal in 2020-21: 1,384 - Moved from Montreal to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 2,292 - Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307
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#5. Sherbrooke, Quebec
- Moved from Sherbrooke to Montreal in 2020-21: 1,533 - Moved from Montreal to Sherbrooke in 2020-21: 3,811 - Total population as of 2021: 227,398
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RonTech3000 // Shutterstock
#4. Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec part, Quebec
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Montreal in 2020-21: 1,769 - Moved from Montreal to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 2,400 - Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307
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f11photo // Shutterstock
#3. Québec, Quebec
- Moved from Quebec City to Montreal in 2020-21: 3,124 - Moved from Montreal to Quebec City in 2020-21: 5,030 - Total population as of 2021: 839,311
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RonTech3000 // Shutterstock
#2. Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Montreal in 2020-21: 3,153 - Moved from Montreal to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 4,692 - Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307
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Kiev.Victor // Shutterstock
#1. Toronto, Ontario
- Moved from Toronto to Montreal in 2020-21: 3,639 - Moved from Montreal to Toronto in 2020-21: 5,024 - Total population as of 2021: 6,202,225
