Living in a Small Canadian City: Benefits and Challenges

Important numbers about Canada

Historically, newly arrived immigrants have chosen to move to big cities, I myself am a good example of this, as I chose to live in Montreal, Canada’s second largest city by population.

According to Statistics Canada, almost three-quarters (73%) of immigrants who came in the 1990s lived in just three metropolitan areas: Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. The trend is still true after the 2016 census, with more than half of all permanent resident immigrants (61.4%) and newly arrived immigrants (56%) residing in these three cities.

Some of the main factors that influence our decision to move to a particular Canadian city or province are things like job opportunities, presence of family and friends, cost of living, or the educational opportunities that may be available. In my case, employment and the presence of friends were fundamental.

Settling in some of the larger, more popular cities, such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary, often means you’re more likely to find meaningful employment and have better access to public transportation and newcomer settlement services. On the other hand, you may have to face problems typical of large centers such as the high cost of living due to housing costs, this is the right price to pay for this choice.

If you are moving to Montreal soon and are looking for low-cost housing, this article How to find cheaper rents in Montreal can help you

Newcomers move to Canada from different parts of the world, and life in big cities won’t necessarily appeal to everyone. The Government of Canada suggests that even if you have friends and family living in a specific Canadian city, you may be thinking about factors such as:

• What do you want your new life to be like?
• Do you really want to live in a big city?
• Can you be happier in a small town?
• What type of schooling do you and your family want?

To help you look beyond big cities and make informed decisions, in this article, I will list some of Canada’s small and medium-sized cities, providing information about the advantages and challenges of living in them.

I know now you must be wondering, but isn’t this blog about Quebec? Why talk about Canada in general? As I usually say in my videos, my role here is to do public service work, I’m not here to sell Canada or Quebec, but to tell readers things they need to know before packing their bags in pursuit of a dream that can often frustrate them at some point in their project.

Settling in a smaller city in Canada

Many newcomers are unfamiliar with the landscape of small towns in Canada. Typically, cities with a population of 100,000 to 1 million are considered medium-sized, while those with fewer than 100,000 are considered small. To put this into perspective, the population in large cities like Toronto is around 3 million. Montreal has over 1.7 million residents, making it Canada’s second largest city, Calgary has 1.2 million and Vancouver has over 630,000 people living in it.

List of some medium-sized Canadian cities

• St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador *Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Quebec City, Quebec
• Ottawa, Ontario
• Oshawa, Ontario *Hamilton, Ontario
• St. Catharines, Ontario
• Kitchener, Ontario London, Ontario Sudbury, Ontario
• Mississauga, Ontario *Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Regina, Saskatchewan *Edmonton, Alberta *Victoria, British Columbia *Thunder Bay, Ontario *Windsor, Ontario

List of some small Canadian cities

*Sydney, Nova Scotia  *Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

• Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island  *Moncton, New Brunswick
• Trois-Rivières, Quebec 

*Brandon, Manitoba 

• Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan  *Red Deer, Alberta 
• Kelowna, British Columbia

From time to time, the federal government launches immigration programs dedicated to promoting the economic strengthening of these cities, such as the Provincial Names Program (PNP), o Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP) and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). In this way, smaller cities and less popular provinces can attract immigrants to support their population growth, given that Canada has one of the lowest demographic densities in the world in relation to its territory (4.2 / km2).

3 advantages of settling in a smaller city in Canada

Living in a small or medium-sized city may not be the ideal option for everyone, but there are some advantages to settling there.

1. Low cost of living and affordable housing

Big cities are known for their high cost of living. No matter where you live, the cost of housing is a significant part of monthly expenses for most individuals and families.

According to data from the website Rentseeker.ca (2023 survey), renting a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto, ON costs less than $1,996 CAD. In cities like Vancouver, BC this same property has an average cost of $2,489 CAD. When compared to mid-sized or smaller cities like Hamilton, ON, we see this cost could drop by more than 50%.

READ ALSO: “10 Cities in Quebec are among the cheapest to live in Canada”

Small and medium-sized cities offer most of the same public and private facilities and services found in larger cities, but with a lower cost of living. With the advantage of competing for fewer people to use these services. A good example of this is the healthcare system in Montreal, where you have to wait long months for a medical appointment with specialists.

2. Better quality of life

Smaller cities have less traffic, which means shorter commute times. They also offer the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Canadian outdoors with easy access to activities like hiking or skiing. Overall, there is better scope to find work-life balance in these cities. Small towns offer open spaces and lots of fresh air. Whether or not you can find public and private facilities in these areas depends on your proximity to the nearest large city.

A recent survey revealed by the local Quebec press states that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of Montreal residents moved to smaller interior cities in search of a better quality of life and larger homes. One of the factors that promoted this migratory movement was the possibility of working remotely.

3. Lower unemployment and less competition for jobs

Finding a job is a top priority for most newcomers. Comparatively, although job prospects have always been better in big cities, it is important to recognize that smaller cities also offer good job opportunities. Many medium and small cities have an aging population that is retiring soon and need to fill these vacancies. This means that compared to large cities like Toronto, smaller cities have a low unemployment rate.

Consider this:

Average unemployment rate in Canada by city type (2019 data)

The absolute values have changed since then, but the proportion between city types, which is the point of the argument, has remained the same: small cities continue to have less diversified job markets and are more dependent on one or two sectors.

City	Average unemployment rate, 2019	City size
Vancouver, B.C.	4,6%	Large
Montreal, QC	5,7%	Large
Toronto, ON	6%	Large
Calgary, AB	7,1%	Large
Victoria, B.C.	3,4%	Medium-sized
Hamilton, ON	4,4%	Medium-sized
Whitehorse, YT	3,5%	Small
Yellowknife, NWT	4,1%	Small

Source: Statistics Canada – Labor force characteristics and regional unemployment rates

The job market in small and medium-sized cities is also less competitive compared to large cities. So, as a newcomer, you may be able to find a job faster than in a big city like Toronto or Vancouver. Newer immigration programs such as PNP, AIP, and RNIP are designed to attract newcomers with specific skill sets that will be valuable to regional communities, which improves prospects for finding employment in their field.

However, it is important to highlight the need for very in-depth research into the local job market in these cities before deciding where to immigrate. Having a low unemployment rate does not necessarily mean that all sectors of the job market will be available in a given city. Canada has a very segmented distribution of sectors such as industry, technology, exploration across the country. If starting over from scratch in another area is an option for you, you may be suited for small towns.

4 challenges of settling in a small or medium-sized Canadian city

According to a Public Policy Forum report, published in July 2019, one of the problems that small centers and rural areas have initially is with the terms “small center” and “rural”, they are perceived to have negative implications. This is reinforced by the association between community size, economic growth and social vibrancy. Deciding where to live is influenced by a community’s size and proximity to a major city.

1. Less diversity in the newly arrived population

Newcomers may be the minority population in smaller and mid-sized cities, leading to less diversity. As a newcomer, this can leave you feeling isolated in the first few months or years of your transition to Canadian life. Less diversity can also lead to difficulties in finding cultural foods and groceries, typically sold in small ethnic markets or even large supermarkets like Walmart in their imported foods section. In Montreal, for example, there are at least four Portuguese markets in the city center that offer typically Brazilian products. There are also dozens of services provided by Brazilians to alleviate some of the nostalgia for our cultural roots.

According to 2016 census data, 51.5% (more than half) of Toronto’s population was made up of visible minorities (South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arabic, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean, Japanese, etc.), making it one of the most diverse cities in Canada and the world. In comparison, Victoria, B.C., has a visible minority population of just 11.1%.

2. Limited access to public transport

Big cities are generally well connected and accessible. With infrequent buses, long distances between stops and home, and inconvenient bus routes, one of the challenges of living in smaller cities is the minimal public transportation options. To get around, you may have to buy or rent a car.

READ ALSO: “How to use public transport in Montreal”

To overcome this problem of integrating minorities in small cities, the federal government has mobilized through some efforts. A good example of this was the town of Morris, Manitoba, where a manufacturing company offers English classes, a bus service to take workers to and from Winnipeg, and a welding school for job training. While workers pay for part of this, most of the financing comes from the company.

With a strong focus on immigration through the AtlanticImmigration Pilot program, employers in the Atlantic provinces are taking a more active role in settlement services, including helping to provide housing and transportation.

3. Finding Meaningful Career and Education Opportunities

Studies have shown that newcomers, particularly highly skilled immigrants, are attracted to work that is rewarding and aligns with their previous skills, education and experience. While there may be jobs available in smaller and mid-sized cities, many of the opportunities can be low-skilled positions and it can be challenging to find meaningful employment.

In cities with a smaller population, it is common to see social events are less frequent, something that limits the scope for networking and building relationships, creating a challenging environment for employment.

This was one of the reasons why I chose to live in Montreal, my Networking here helped a lot in my market relocation, even after I was 40 years old.

Important tip! O site do bank from jobs from the Canadian government offers deeper analysis and trends on each occupation and also allows you to refine results by province, city or zip code.

Popular universities and colleges that attract international students are often located in larger cities. For those considering educational opportunities, this may influence the decision to move to a small town. Again, the possibility of offering access to better training opportunities for my daughters was also a decisive factor in my choice of Montreal, a city where 2 of the best universities in the country are located, listed in the Top 10 in Canada.

4. Social isolation and climate

Lifestyle is something very personal, and I believe that for many who want to leave Brazil, the idea of escaping big cities, leaving behind the chaos of traffic, pollution and crime is generally associated with immigration to countries like Canada. Just keep in mind that, before making the decision to live in a smaller city further away from large urban centers, you will not be moving to a tropical paradise, with beautiful beaches and year-round heat.

Experiencing a severe winter for at least 6 months a year represents more than a simple environmental change. Even with the possibility of a good salary and access to quality services, the cold naturally isolates people in their homes and, in small towns, this is even more true.

READ ALSO: “Is Canada better prepared for the intense cold than the USA?”

If you are not a person who socializes easily, the challenge may be even greater during the winter. As mentioned in previous paragraphs, the choice of Montreal was strategic for me, as it took many aspects into consideration, even though the city was far from perfect.

The positive side of my choice is that I have a very intense social life, many friends who I consider a second family, in addition to the fact that I have fulfilled myself professionally.

I imagine you’re now asking yourself? But what about the cold? Doesn’t it bother you? Of course yes, but going through it with an intense social life and many cultural options that a big city offers helps a lot to minimize its effects.

Final considerations

Almost all Canadian provinces and cities have their dedicated websites. To deepen your research and obtain more relevant information about the climate, culture and job market specific to your profession, you can search city-specific websites.

Canada is a big country with so many cities to choose from. Depending on your skill set, adaptability, and desired lifestyle, you can choose the one that best suits your preferences.

My lifestyle doesn’t suit small towns, but maybe that’s yours. My advice always remains the same, research, research and research. If you can invest in a trip to personally visit the city that is the focus of your project, be sure to do so.

I hope this information helped once again. Want more tips like these? Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about life in Quebec and your first steps as a newcomer.

See you in the next post! 😉