Population estimates released by Statistics Canada on January 16th reveal that British Columbia’s population is growing at an astronomical rate. An analysis by CBC broke down the raw figures provided by Stats Can, and generated rates of growth from 2021-2024 for municipalities with over 90,000 residents:
- Surrey: 17.3%
- Township of Langley: 17.22%
- Burnaby: 14.2%
- Coquitlam: 12.02%
- Maple Ridge: 11.97%
- Delta: 10.68%
- Richmond: 9.85%
- Kelowna: 9.03%
- Abbotsford: 8.91%
- Vancouver: 8.62%
- District of North Vancouver: 8.15%
- Kamloops: 7.2%
- Victoria: 6.83%
- Nanaimo: 6.43%
- Chilliwack: 5.23%
- Saanich: 2.07%
As I have written before, B.C.’s population growth is not driven by interprovincial migration or natural increase – this province’s growth is entirely from international migration. As a result of the pace and scale of B.C.’s growth, headlines like the following are becoming the norm: “Surrey buses ‘absolutely packed’ — and so is everything else, says [Surrey Mayor] Brenda Locke”.
The Vancouver Sun piece begins by describing Mayor Brenda Locke’s concern over constantly seeing “Sorry, this bus is full” signs as Surrey – the second-fastest growing large city in Canada after Brampton, Ontario – continues to add more and more people every year. From 2014-2024, Surrey’s population soared by 34% – 192,000 newcomers in just 10 years. Mayor Locke wonders if the official population of 700,000 captures the full picture: “often times people don’t disclose the secondary suites in their house. So often times they don’t say (to Statistics Canada) there’s people living in them.”
Locke goes on to describe how Surrey Memorial Hospital, which has the busiest emergency room in Canada, is overloaded: “If you’re under eight hours waiting time, that’s usually an OK day”. Education is faring little better, with the Surrey school district forced to use 400 portables and require some students to attend in shifts as classrooms overflow. On the housing front, Locke paints a picture of a city in a state of constant construction: “I’m looking out my window and I can tell you there was a day 20 years ago when I wouldn’t have counted any highrises. And now they’re popping up like flowers in the spring”.
The data backs up her observation. A recent article in the Daily Hive compares the current Surrey skyline to what it could look like in the future:
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- Riley Donovan, editor