Why are British Columbians looking to leave the province?

A clear picture of what’s driving people out of the province is developing, and no surprise, a lack of affordability tops the list.

A new report from the Business Council of British Columbia (BCBC) finds people are angry, fearful and feeling resigned by not being able to control what’s happening around them.

Courtesy of the BCBC, the following are the top for concerns of British Columbians:

• Housing and affordability (36 per cent)
  The cost of living is soaring, and a lack of supply combined with high construction costs is putting homeownership out of reach.
• Taxes and regulation (28 per cent)
  Layers of red tape and rising taxes are making it harder to run a business, save for retirement or get ahead.
• Jobs and wages (23 per cent)
  Job creation is low, and salaries aren’t keeping up. Many people say they’re working harder than ever but still falling further behind.
• Public services – including health care and transportation (18 per cent)
  Aging infrastructure, long wait times, and thousands of British Columbians without a family doctor are leaving critical needs unmet.

Braden McMillan, senior director of communications and public affairs at BCBC, tells 1130 NewsRadio people are tired of a struggling economy.

“Things have not been great in the last six months, they haven’t been great in the last couple of years. Actually, in the last two years, on a per capita basis, B.C. has been in a recession,” said McMillan.

The council heard from thousands of people in more than 100 communities province-wide, with McMillan fielding calls himself.

“Some of the conversations were heartbreaking. I got every single message to my phone personally and the busiest day for me… was Christmas Day. There were that many people sitting around and thinking about how they can’t get ahead. It’s depressing. And these aren’t short little snippets, people are writing us full essays… about the challenges they’re facing. We heard from young, old and retirees. I heard a lady from Surrey who, well into her 70s, wanted to retire but just couldn’t afford to retire with her rent prices being so high.”

He explains people who had already left B.C. also reached out.

“Folks who had just moved to Alberta and said, ‘I own a house now and I really wish I could have stayed. And I hope one day I’ll be able to move back.’ But it’s just really tough to stay right now.”

“In the last two years, on a per capita basis, B.C. has been in a recession.”

McMillan says the health-care system is not in great shape across the country, so the affordability crisis may be even harder on frontline health-care workers.

“Looking at how long does it take to accredit someone in B.C.? And how long does it take to accredit someone in Canada? The health-care system ties into the overall economy, and so you’re going to go to where the grass is greener and if you’re going to get paid a bit more or housing is more affordable somewhere else, then maybe nurses will follow that. It’s not just health care, it’s the greater economy that’s feeding into the health-care crisis.”

He explains that although housing affordability tops the list, a lack of general affordability is included like expensive gas prices and groceries.

“I think some of the stats that we’ve seen too in recent years, like food bank usage being up 81 per cent in B.C., like these are stats that really speak to what’s happening on the ground and there is just a general sense that people are working really hard in this province and are not able to get ahead and getting further behind, so they’re looking elsewhere.”

The council says one key solution is to ensure B.C. increases its investment portfolio, especially in the face of a trade war started by the U.S.

“What we’re hearing from people is we haven’t always been open for business, so why are businesses wanting to invest in this province? We need to really tell them why and how if we want to grow the economy. It’s not going to fix all the problems that we’ve heard and listened to, but it can certainly help.”

McMillan says this report and people’s stories will be shared with government to help come up with some solutions.

The idea of British Columbians flocking to Alberta is not new. Late last year, Statistics Canada figures showed a big quarterly interprovincial shift with nearly 13,000 British Columbians migrating to other provinces or territories from July through September 2024. Of those, 9,589 chose Alberta.