BC Business
Accounting for 10 per cent of overall scores, population growth can be a good indicator of an attractive local job market—one that draws people in and keeps them around. That’s why Fort St. John and Dawson Creek are expanding faster than other northern cities. Still, it’s the urban gorilla Metro Vancouver that ultimately dominates our five-year population growth map, thanks in large part to immigration. Interestingly, the City of Vancouver itself lags far behind its suburbs, perhaps no surprise given its high real estate prices and geographical constraints. Sprawling Surrey, the biggest of those suburbs, takes B.C.’s top spot.