A new Conference Board of Canada study has revealed that there is need for Ontario to come up with new methods of ensuring the number of immigrants who settle outside the Greater Toronto Area increases. This will ensure that the population growth is balanced across the province and also the residents will enjoy a “high-quality life” in the future.
Today, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) welcomes 106000 newcomers to the GTA, which translates to about seventy-seven percent, new immigrants. The remaining percentage of immigrants usually takes refuge in other areas of the province. It should be noted that 20.5 percent of the immigrants go to 15 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) which are outside the GTA.
The GTA is the most multicultural and populous metropolitan area in Canada, with more than 6.4 million residents, where 46 percent of this population are immigrants. The GTA holds 25 municipalities as well as the city of Toronto within and it is considered the leading center for business and finances in Canada since it produces about 20 percent of Canada’s GDP.
According to the study, this reality puts all the other CMAs in Ontario at a disadvantage in attracting immigrants. This is because most immigrants seek settlements areas that have reliable job opportunities as well as tight bonds in the community and the families.
If the other CMAs in Ontario fails to acquire a more significant share of immigrants in the next few years and also to grow their labor force, there will be critical economic consequences due to the disparity mentioned above. According to the Conference Board, for a municipality to spur economic growth and maintain a high quality of life, there must be a high number of immigrants.
“If they fail to draw the attention of more immigrants, the CMAs in Ontario will have a slow output in their economy. There are also high chances of fiscal resources being channeled to the GTA to fund the high demand for infrastructure and other services” the report reads.
