Nearly 40% of Ontarians considering moving due to housing costs

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While Canada grapples with high housing prices countrywide, Ontario residents are most likely to leave their home province due to the prohibitive costs.

That’s one of the take-aways from a new Angus Reid Institute poll, which surveyed more than 4,000 Canadians online last month.

According to those results, nearly four out of 10 Ontarians are considering moving elsewhere in hopes of finding more affordable housing.

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Across Canada, 28 per cent of all respondents were considering leaving their province but the highest concentration was in Ontario, where 39 per cent of respondents were considering such a move.

British Columbia residents were second mostly likely to make a move, with 36 per cent of respondents considering leaving, followed by Nova Scotia at 25 per cent.

As for where they are headed, 26 per cent of Ontario respondents who indicated they would make a move cited “abroad” as their most likely destination. Alberta and U.S. were tied as the second most-considered destination at 17 per cent, while 14 per cent were also eyeing Atlantic Canada.

New Canadians, those who have been in the country for less than a decade, were also likely to seek a new location, with 39 per cent of recent immigrants considering a move.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, respondents in Canada’s two most expensive cities, Toronto and Vancouver, are also contemplating a move. In Toronto, 44 per cent of respondents are considering a move, with similar sentiments in Vancouver.

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Along generational lines, younger Canadians, those aged 18 to 24, were more likely to consider relocation, with two-in-five contemplating a move due to housing affordability.

The majority of respondents, however, were optimistic that housing affordability will improve in the future, with 53 per cent remaining hopeful, though opinions are divided by age and home ownership status.

“Canada has been viewed as a ‘role model’ by the (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) for labour migration and has outperformed most OECD countries when it comes to economically integrating immigrants,” the survey notes. “But many recent immigrants are departing the country because of the high cost of living, and especially housing, perhaps harming Canada’s reputation as a welcoming country for newcomers.”

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