1 million people will be calling Winnipeg and the surrounding communities home by 2035, according to an official report released on Wednesday (August 17).
The 2016 City of Winnipeg Population, Housing, and Economic Forecast stated that the area will grow by approximately 8,200 people annually, CBC reported.
Data from Statistics Canada, the Conference Board of Canada, and CMHC noted that this rate places the Winnipeg census metropolitan area—which covers 10 municipalities and one First Nation, collectively accounting for over half of the city’s workforce—on track to exceed 1,055,000 by 2040.
Interprovincial immigration is expected to play a key role in this growth, the report added.
Mayor Brian Bowman called for more thoughtful planning that would allow the city to accommodate the resultant demand, projected to clock in at 4,000 new homes annually and 100,000 more households over the next 25 years.
“We need to be thinking and planning for the future,” Bowman said.
