Global and Local Population Change

The 2006 Census mobility release provides an estimate of the number of people 5 years of age and older who moved between Census Divisions in Canada (Regional Districts in BC) between 2001 and 2006 (20% sample). The Nanaimo Regional District (RDN), on the east coast of Vancouver Island, is attractive to people in Canada for many reasons including it's relatively warm climate.

Nanaimo also attracts people who commute to Victoria and to Vancouver for work and also people who are no longer in need of living in close proximity to place of work. While losing more young adults than it gains, the area is particularly attractive to retirees coming from all across the country. Along with other smaller centers on the urban fringe, Nanaimo is attractive for it's lower density, lower housing prices, and quality of life characteristics.

Most people moving to the RDN came from Vancouver (5,850 people) and Victoria (2,505 people), between 2001 and 2006 simply because these metropolitan areas have large populations; however, other surrounding census divisions (cd) also provide migrants along with cds across the country. Again, it is the high population centers that provide the majority of the migrants, such as Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.