Greater Victoria posted Feb 17, 2023 @ 06:00pm by Steve MacNaull

Metro Victoria's population has ballooned to an impressive 423K

Victoria is on a tear.

With 2.19% growth from 2021 to 2022, the Victoria census metropolitan area (the City of Victoria and 12 surrounding municipalities) has burgeoned to a population of 423,136.

The latest update makes Victoria the 15th largest census metropolitan area in Canada.

In 2021, when metro Victoria had a population of 413,859, the city was ranked No. 16 behind No. 15 Windsor.

The bump up in placement for Victoria puts Windsor in No. 16.

The numbers come from Statistics Canada estimates as of July 1, 2022 and based on the full census of 2021.

</who>Bruce Williams is the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

"Greater Victoria has always been an attractive place for people who come here as a visitor and then make up their minds they want to stay," said Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

"What we're seeing is our region transition from a series of smaller communities to a much more interconnected metropolitan area."

Metro Victoria's growth has been rapid -- one of the fastest in the country -- considering the population was 330,088 in 2006, 344,580 in 2011 and 367,779 in 2016.

Metro Victoria is made up of the City of Victoria and 12 surrounding municipalities -- Sannich, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Royal View, Colwood, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, Sooke and Sidney.

Ironically, considering the metro area is named after it, the City of Victoria (essentially the downtown that hugs the Inner Harbour) accounts for only about 90,000 of the population.

Saanich is actually the most populous municipality at around 130,000.

</who>In 2006 the population of metro Victoria was 330,088. By last year it was 423,136.

While metro Victoria's 2021-22 growth of 2.19% was brisk, it wasn't as fast as Moncton's 5.12% growth to 171,608, Halifax with 4.31% to 480,582 and Kitchener, Calgary, Barrie, London and Oshawa posting increases between 3.64% and 2.77%.

Victoria's rapid growth is a testament to it being a desirable city in which to live, work, play and and invest.

The economy is healthy, the weather is good, the quality of life and standard of living second to none.

"That helps us support world-class attractions and amenities," said Williams.

That's true.

Victoria is a wealthy provincial capital, tourist destination, high-tech, transportation, healthcare, business and cultural hub.

However, with growth and popularity come with problems.

Housing is unaffordable for many in Victoria and that actually slows growth because some people who want to move here aren't because they know they can afford to.

That in turn creates a labour shortage, which can be a drag on the economy.

The labour shortage isn't unique to Victoria because it's a worldwide problem.

However, it seems more acute in Victoria because past expansion contributed to the current unaffordability and worker shortage.

</who>The Victoria census metropolitan area includes the City of Victoria and 12 surrounding municipalities.

"It also means we need to actively plan for things like efficient regional transportation and ensure we have resources for our internationally renowned downtown, which is the focal point for many businesses, visitors and commuters," said Williams.

"It also means our fastest-growing areas on the West Shore have a much stronger voice on regional issues. Fortunately, there is a strong spirit of collaboration between emerging communities and our traditional population centres in Saanich and Victoria proper, so we're excited to take on the challenges we face together."

The 30 biggest census metropolitan areas in Canada with 2022 population and percentage growth from 2021:

1. Toronto: 6,685,621, up 2.07%

2. Montreal: 4,378,796, up 0.87%

3. Vancouver: 2,842,730, up 2.74%

4. Calgary: 1,608,342, up 3.09%

5. Edmonton: 1,516,719, up 2.41%

6. Ottawa-Gatineau: 1,498,610, up 1.64%

7. Winnipeg: 871,778, up 1.48%

8. Quebec City: 848,776, up 1.43%

9. Hamilton: 821,839, up 1.27%

10. Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge: 622,497, up 3.64%

11. London: 574,238, up 2.93%