By: Mason Mattu, News Writer
Launched in 2022 by the Albertan provincial government, the “Alberta is Calling” campaign was seen nationwide on newspaper covers, radio stations, and other advertisements. The goal of the campaign? To convince Canadians, especially those with “high-skilled jobs,” that the province’s “affordability, lifestyle, and careers” are worth the move from their current province. High-skilled labour involves “specialized know-how, training, and experience to carry out more complex physical or mental tasks than routine job functions.” According to Global News, Alberta is “laser-focused” on recruiting high-skilled labour to build “Alberta’s houses, schools, hospitals, and job-creating infrastructure.”
Canadians seem to be answering Alberta’s call. In 2024, Alberta’s interprovincial migration was the largest among Canadian provinces. In 2023, 67,944 Canadians left BC, with 37,650 of them moving to Alberta. Statistics Canada also estimates that in 2024, “7,693 people moved from BC” to Alberta from July to September — a number just behind Ontario’s fleet to Alberta. “For the first time in more than a decade,” BC lost more people than it gained to interprovincial migration.
To counteract this, the Business Council of BC (BCBC) launched the “Stay with BC” campaign on December 18. They aim to convince British Columbians to stay despite “rising costs, limited job opportunities, and strained public services.” Ads take the form of billboards, transit banners, and online ads which direct viewers to a letter from BCBC that presents a “hopeful vision for the future.” Some ads mimic the appearance of dating apps, asking viewers if they are “thinking of swiping right” on Alberta.
50% of young British Columbians thought of leaving the province in 2024. BC is also currently facing a shortage of skilled workers in certain industries as Alberta has targeted them with financial incentives for moving.
“Housing and commercial real estate translate into high costs for all local goods and services which, in turn, makes life even less affordable.” — Andrey Pavlov, professor of finance, Beedie School of Business
The Peak reached out to Andrey Pavlov, professor of finance at the Beedie School of Business and expert on “implications of policy announcements for the [BC and Canada] economy.”
Pavlov said BC is facing a “stagnant economy in which it is exceedingly difficult for small businesses to operate.” A shortage of skilled workers also often causes added costs for businesses, like raising salaries — passing on the price burden to the consumer. Pavlov expressed that if the result of almost 70,000 people leaving BC in 2023 continues in future years, BC’s economy will “only get worse” and make “life even less affordable than it already is.
“Marketing only works if the product/service is good,” said Pavlov in reaction to Stay with BC’s messaging. “As it stands, BC does not offer particularly attractive opportunities for young people and it would take a comprehensive change in our economic policies, not a marketing campaign, to retain young high-skilled people.” According to Pavlov, the highest priority for BC to attract skilled workers and support the province’s small businesses is “reverse the highly misguided economic policies based on high taxes [and] excessive regulation.”
Pavlov said one way the provincial government can attract more skilled workers and maintain the current population is through better housing policies. “Housing and commercial real estate translate into high costs for all local goods and services which, in turn, makes life even less affordable,” said Pavlov. This includes high operational costs such as paying rent for commercial spaces. “We need to entirely reverse course and eliminate the heavy-handed and costly regulation of the last few years in order to see sufficient supply and eventual resolution of our housing shortage.”
The Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU), an organization representing over 2,500 members, called for more government intervention “to be concerned with providing and preserving affordable, safe, and secure rental housing.” The VTU seeks to “establish political power to create change.” For one, the VTU supports vacancy control — a “form of rent control” that limits “rent increases to once every twelve months.” They stated vacancy control will “disincentivize evictions issued for a profit motive.”
They also advocate for tenant’s rights to “put in a first offer when buildings go up for sale” and turn them into co-ops. Co-ops are housing units “controlled by members who have a vote in decisions.” They “operate on a break-even basis,” meaning they “charge their members only enough to cover costs, repairs, and reserves.” This makes co-ops “much more affordable than average private sector rental costs.” The BC Green Party also proposed more government intervention “to address the housing affordability crisis,” such as limiting “between-tenant rent increases to 3.5%.”
