[Cooool]

Is it true that Canada's population very well may shift from Central Canada (Quebec and Ontario) to Western Canada (Alberta and British Columbia)? Ontario's manufacturing industry is on the decline and the province's need for energy continues to rise. Not only that, but since Ontario is such an industrial province, the issue of smog and pollution continues to be of health concern.

Do any of these claims hold any validity? Because the gist of what I seem to understand is that British Columbia and Alberta are on the rise, and Ontario and Quebec are on the decline.

 

[afransen]

Manufacturing is only part of Ontario's economy. I think we'll be fine. We're also better positioned that Alberta or BC in other ways. Oil and gas will ensure that Alberta never develops much of an economy beyond those industries, and they are highly susceptible to boom and bust. BC is rather short on land. Alberta is rather short on water, which will be exacerbated by the rapid decrease in glacial runoff due to global warming.

 

[CDL.TO]

Seeing that between 2001 and 2006 the Toronto CMA alone grew by 430,000 people while the entire province of Alberta grew by only 316,000, I personally am not very concerned about any shifts of population for the time being.