IMBY:

New Canadians flock to better life in suburbs (Nicholas Keung and Lesley Ciarula Taylor, 3/20/09, Toronto Star)

Recent immigrants in smaller suburban communities are faring better than those setting roots in big cities when it comes to jobs, incomes and homeownership, says a new study that measures newcomers' life quality across Canada.

The report shows immigrants to the Greater Toronto Area are increasingly choosing the 905 regions as their destination over Toronto. Even those initially settling in the city are then moving on to the suburbs.

The study, conducted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, compared how newcomers who have been in the country for five years or more and living in the suburbs fared against their counterparts in the city. It found those living outside big cities were less likely to be living off social assistance, less likely to be unemployed, twice as likely to have a university degree and more likely to own homes.

Getting them to choose America is only the first step. Next we need to help them move to our neighborhoods and escape the cities we fled.

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Posted by Orrin Judd at March 20, 2009 6:18 AM