Toronto Leads with Largest Number of Immigrants; Montreal Experiences Largest Immigrant Growth
Toronto, Canada-October 22, 2008 – Pitney Bowes MapInfo, the leading global provider of location intelligence, today announced research findings relating to Canadian immigration trends. The findings appear in the company’s inaugural issue of Momentum: Demographic Insights™, a quarterly research report focusing on Canadian demographic trends and forecasts important to Canadian business leaders. Utilizing Statistics Canada’s Census 2001 and Census 2006 data as the basis for analysis, Pitney Bowes MapInfo identified Canadian cities that are attracting the most immigrants, as well as the countries the majority of immigrants are coming from. Highlights of the research include:
Montreal: Immigrant Magnet Metro – Even though more immigrants to Canada landed in Toronto between 2001 and 2006, Montreal experienced the largest share of immigrant growth compared to all other census metropolitan areas (CMA’s). Toronto gained 32,420 newcomers over these five years, a 7.8 percent increase over the previous period, while Montreal’s immigrant population grew by 51,165, representing a dramatic 44.8 percent increase in immigration. In contrast, Vancouver, Ottawa and Windsor experienced declines in the flow of recent immigrants.
Tracing Immigrant Origins – Regional economies and cultural factors exert powerful effects on migration flows for internal immigrants and immigrants from abroad. Between 2001 and 2006, India and China dominated as the primary origins of recent immigrants to Toronto, with a more than 50 percent increase in immigrants from India and a 16.8 percent increase in immigrants from China. Pakistan and the Philippines also rank high on the list of countries of origin for immigrants to Toronto in 2006. As for Montreal, the majority of immigrants originate from China and Algeria. However, between 2001 and 2006, Montreal saw the most dramatic percent increase of immigrants coming from Colombia, Romania, Mexico and Morocco.
“As Canada becomes increasingly popular as a destination for immigrants from abroad, understanding where these immigrants originate from and the Canadian metros they populate will become even more important for marketers as they broaden their customer base, expand into new markets and track the competition,” said Thomas G. Exter, chief demographer, Pitney Bowes MapInfo. “By providing valuable insight into timely demographic trends, Pitney Bowes MapInfo enables companies to make solid strategic and tactical decisions based on comprehensive data and sound research.”
For more information on Momentum: Demographic Insights and to access the full report, please visit www.mapinfo.ca/momentum.
About Pitney Bowes MapInfo
Pitney Bowes MapInfo, part of Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI), is the leading global provider of location intelligence solutions, integrating software, data and services to provide greater value from location-based information and drive more insightful decisions for businesses and government organizations around the world. The company’s solutions are available in multiple languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels in 60 countries. Visit www.mapinfo.com and www.pb.com for more information.
