3rd phase of ‘Alberta is Calling’ is underway, but is province moving too fast?

The Alberta government has launched Phase 3 of its “Alberta is Calling” campaign, which is aimed at attracting skilled workers to the province from other parts of the country. But at a time when Alberta is seeing record-breaking population growth, some worry the province is moving too fast.

Phase 3 of the Alberta is Calling campaign launched on May 1 and is now running ads in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. This phase of the campaign offers skilled tradespeople a one-time, $5,000 refundable tax credit to entice skilled tradesworkers to come to Alberta to help build housing and infrastructure.

“It’s laser-focused on attracting skilled trades that we need to build Alberta’s houses, schools, hospitals and job-creating infrastructure,” said Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, in an interview with Global News.

According to Statistics Canada, Alberta’s population surged by 202,324 residents in 2023. That’s the largest annual increase in the province’s history, the equivalent of 550 people moving to Alberta every day.

While the bulk of the growth came from international migration, Alberta also shattered a national record last year for interprovincial migration, with a net gain of 55,107 people.

Most of the interprovincial migrants came from Ontario and B.C. Statistics Canada estimates that 38,236 Ontarians moved to Alberta last year.

The influx of people has seen Alberta’s relative affordability begin to wane. Realtor Brent Wilcox said his out-of-province clients are having a tough time finding housing. Soaring demand has driven up home prices at a time when there isn’t a lot of housing available.

“It is very challenging because most homes that you are coming across — condos, townhouses, houses — you’re having to compete against many other buyers,” Wilcox said.

1:53Is Alberta ready for population growth?

Jones said the majority of the newcomers to Alberta is from immigration, which is a federal responsibility.

“We’ve communicated to the federal government that we believe Canada and Alberta are very desirable places to live and we have to be more intentional as Alberta is being with this program in attracting the people we need to solve the challenges that our residents are experiencing,” Jones said.

The province estimates there are about 80,000 job vacancies across Alberta, with about 20,000 of those in the skilled trades and construction industries.

“Talent is essential,” said David Finch, a marketing professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. “It’s the driving economic force for any community or any region, but you have to ensure that you balance supply and demand.”

The province also points to projects such as the Dow Chemical Path2Zero facility near Fort Saskatchewan, which will create construction jobs.

Alberta’s 2024 budget allocates $10 million for the $5,000 moving bonus. Alberta is Calling ads are running at post-secondary campuses, restaurants, bars, gyms, and on streaming and social media platforms in B.C., Ontario and Quebec.

Phase 3 of the Alberta is Calling campaign is expected to cost the Alberta government $2.5 million.

Phase 1 of the campaign targeted workers from the health, trades and technology sectors from Toronto and Vancouver. Phase 2 was aimed at attracting workers from Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

— with files from Heather Yourex-West, Global News.

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