Western province favoured destination for migrants

BY CRIS CONNORS
CAPE BRETON POST

Cape Bretoners searching for work have been passing over Ontario in favour of Alberta in recent years, says a researcher studying the growing migration from Atlantic Canada.

The University of Calgary study on the Atlantic Canadian flow to Alberta shows that 15,000 Nova Scotians moved to Alberta from 1996 to 2000.

Of those, Dr. Harry Hillier of the University of Calgary sociology department figures more than 10,000 are Cape Bretoners who traditionally found jobs in Ontario.

“Now they jump over Ontario, “Hillier said in a Phone interview, noting he’s encountered Cape Bretoners and other Atlantic Canadians in every region of Alberta.

“We’re not used to having this many people from Atlantic Canada.”

The study began last year with researchers asking some 300 migrants why they moved to Alberta.

While most of the Cape Bretoners and others surveyed were men under 30 years of age looking for labour jobs, Hillier said he’s also spoken to dozens of professionals, such as teachers and nurses, who headed west to fulfill growing demands there.

There were also stories of people fleeing Cape Breton as the traditional coal and steel-fired economy bottomed out and of men who had left wives and children behind to explore their job chances in Alberta.

In other cases, entire families used their last pennies to go looking for a new beginning.

“ I’ve heard stories from Cape Breton that could make you cry,” Hillier said.

“I spoke to people who lost everything, had nothing, so they packed up in the family car and went looking for a fresh start.

Still, Hillier noted, when the migrants were asked how long they intended to stay in Alberta, most planned to eventually return to their home province.

While people from most provinces indicated they were now permanently Albertans, those from what Hillier calls the “three islands” - Cape Breton, Newfoundland and P.E.I. - tended to set deadlines.

“It was not unusual to hear them say they had to go away, but that they also have to go back,” Hillier said. “We didn’t find that with anyone we spoke to from Saskatchewan.

“They seem to close the door once they leave.”

Hillier is trying uncover the mysteries of this homing beacon as part of the second phase of his study. He has been travelling to various provinces since September, looking for people who once lived in Alberta, as well as people interested in the meaning and consequences of migration.

Volunteer participants are invited to phone toll- free at 1-866-646-6600.

“The key thing is I want input from the area,” he said. “I want to get a better sense of how people feel about so many leaving, and I want to get a better sense of what causes these people to leave and then, ultimately, come back.”

Courtesy of the Cape Breton Post