Where people in Ottawa are moving to the most

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March 23, 2023
Firefighter Montreal // Shutterstock

Where people in Ottawa are moving to the most

Canadians moved out of Ontario—and specifically urban Toronto—in droves following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, young Canadians in their 20s and 30s have been moving into the province of Alberta, according to data from Statistics Canada. With broad inflation and housing prices on the rise, the trend of seeking out more affordable living conditions is only likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Stacker compiled a list of places that people in Ottawa are moving to the most using data from Statistics Canada.

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John Fader // Shutterstock

#30. Peterborough, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Peterborough in 2020-21: 165
- Moved from Peterborough to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 108
- Total population as of 2021: 128,624

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Virgil Grecian // Shutterstock

#29. Moncton, New Brunswick

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Moncton in 2020-21: 168
- Moved from Moncton to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 176
- Total population as of 2021: 157,717

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Canva

#28. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to St. John's in 2020-21: 192
- Moved from St. John's to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 123
- Total population as of 2021: 212,579

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Richard Cavalleri // Shutterstock

#27. Regina, Saskatchewan

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Regina in 2020-21: 197
- Moved from Regina to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 66
- Total population as of 2021: 249,217

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#26. North Bay, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to North Bay in 2020-21: 199
- Moved from North Bay to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 125
- Total population as of 2021: 71,736

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Scott Prokop // Shutterstock

#25. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Saskatoon in 2020-21: 200
- Moved from Saskatoon to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 57
- Total population as of 2021: 317,480

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Bob Hilscher // Shutterstock

#24. Petawawa, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Petawawa in 2020-21: 228
- Moved from Petawawa to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 188
- Total population as of 2021: 18,160

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G_r_B // Shutterstock

#23. Brockville, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Brockville in 2020-21: 231
- Moved from Brockville to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 340
- Total population as of 2021: 31,661

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Marc Bruxelle // Shutterstock

#22. Victoria, British Columbia

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Victoria in 2020-21: 244
- Moved from Victoria to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 390
- Total population as of 2021: 397,237

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#21. Arnprior, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Arnprior in 2020-21: 251
- Moved from Arnprior to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 579
- Total population as of 2021: nan

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Mark Evers Photography // Shutterstock

#20. Barrie, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Barrie in 2020-21: 254
- Moved from Barrie to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 104
- Total population as of 2021: 212,856

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f11photo // Shutterstock

#19. St. Catharines - Niagara, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to St. Catharines–Niagara in 2020-21: 255
- Moved from St. Catharines–Niagara to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 221
- Total population as of 2021: 839,311

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Ravi Kanani // Shutterstock

#18. Greater Sudbury, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Greater Sudbury in 2020-21: 298
- Moved from Greater Sudbury to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 171
- Total population as of 2021: 170,605

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#17. Windsor, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Windsor in 2020-21: 312
- Moved from Windsor to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 162
- Total population as of 2021: 422,630

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Lester Balajadia // Shutterstock

#16. Belleville, Ontario (tie)

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Belleville–Quinte West in 2020-21: 342
- Moved from Belleville–Quinte West to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 182
- Total population as of 2021: 111,184

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TAlonziphoto // Shutterstock

#15. Carleton Place, Ontario (tie)

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Carleton Place in 2020-21: 342
- Moved from Carleton Place to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 1,524
- Total population as of 2021: nan

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Gilberto Mesquita // Shutterstock

#14. London, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to London in 2020-21: 409
- Moved from London to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 326
- Total population as of 2021: 543,551

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JHVEPhoto // Shutterstock

#13. Oshawa, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Oshawa in 2020-21: 416
- Moved from Oshawa to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 157
- Total population as of 2021: 415,311

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Nataliia Reshetnikova // Shutterstock

#12. Cornwall, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Cornwall in 2020-21: 422
- Moved from Cornwall to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 419
- Total population as of 2021: 61,415

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SF photo // Shutterstock

#11. Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo in 2020-21: 525
- Moved from Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 320
- Total population as of 2021: 575,847

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#10. Halifax, Nova Scotia

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Halifax in 2020-21: 606
- Moved from Halifax to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 752
- Total population as of 2021: 465,703

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Creative bee Maja // Shutterstock

#9. Winnipeg, Manitoba

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Winnipeg in 2020-21: 631
- Moved from Winnipeg to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 228
- Total population as of 2021: 834,678

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#8. Hamilton, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Hamilton in 2020-21: 661
- Moved from Hamilton to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 366
- Total population as of 2021: 785,184

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f11photo // Shutterstock

#7. Québec, Quebec

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Quebec City in 2020-21: 678
- Moved from Quebec City to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 760
- Total population as of 2021: 839,311

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Tomas Kulaja // Shutterstock

#6. Calgary, Alberta

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Calgary in 2020-21: 692
- Moved from Calgary to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 489
- Total population as of 2021: 1,481,806

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EB Adventure Photography // Shutterstock

#5. Vancouver, British Columbia

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Vancouver in 2020-21: 708
- Moved from Vancouver to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 997
- Total population as of 2021: 2,642,825

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milosk50 // Shutterstock

#4. Kingston, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Kingston in 2020-21: 739
- Moved from Kingston to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 660
- Total population as of 2021: 172,546

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#3. Edmonton, Alberta

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Edmonton in 2020-21: 742
- Moved from Edmonton to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 446
- Total population as of 2021: 1,418,118

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Firefighter Montreal // Shutterstock

#2. Montréal, Quebec

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Montreal in 2020-21: 4,692
- Moved from Montreal to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 3,153
- Total population as of 2021: 4,291,732

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Kiev.Victor // Shutterstock

#1. Toronto, Ontario

- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Toronto in 2020-21: 6,859
- Moved from Toronto to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 3,350
- Total population as of 2021: 6,202,225

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