In-Migration and Return Migration to Cities in Northern Ontario, Canada: Benefits by City Size in the Context of Today’s Knowledge Economy
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Abstract
By examining the geography of in-migrants and return migrants to Canada’s Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and Census Agglomerations (CAs), this paper compares and contrasts migration patterns of Northern Ontario’s large, medium, and small cities. Results are examined within the foundations of ‘brain circulation’ and ‘institutionalism’ theories about migration. Findings show that large cities in Northern Ontario, though historically dependent upon raw resources, are in a more advantageous position moving forward in today’s knowledge economy. Large cities attracted a higher percentage of inter-regional migrants with higher skills and education in the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially when compared to small cities. Less expected were results regarding medium cities, especially North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. The study reveals how these cities rival large cities in their appeal to inter-regional migrants with high skills and education, so significant in today’s knowledge economy.
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