Record population growth in Windsor creates Canada's highest unemployment

[Margaret's boy]

How can a city have the highest unemployment rate in the country while experiencing record population growth? Record population growth but also rise in Windsor's March joblessness | Windsor Star

[masterblaster]

What is driving the population growth?

Is it Canadian citizens moving from other parts of Canada?

Or is it immigration from other foreign countries/regions? And which regions - Asian? Latino? Middle Eastern?

[Danny]

Windsor pop 230,000 people. It's growing slowly but the economy is causing Windsor to become a metropolis that will compete with Detroit. I can see it now The Skyline of Windsor that looks like Chicago by the year 2100. And Detroit is still struggling to get out of the bedroom 'bedrock' style ages.

[Danny]

What is driving the population growth?

Is it Canadian citizens moving from other parts of Canada?

Or is it immigration from other foreign countries/regions? And which regions - Asian? Latino? Middle Eastern?

Well Windsor does have Little Italy and A Middle Eastern Community.

[DetBill]

What is driving the population growth?

Is it Canadian citizens moving from other parts of Canada?

Or is it immigration from other foreign countries/regions? And which regions - Asian? Latino? Middle Eastern?

I am from there originally, all of my family is still there, it’s both , you’ve got a ton of people moving in from the Toronto area due to the high cost of real estate,retirees, as well as the better climate, as well as a large amount of immigration. It’s expanding quite rapidly. And the cost of real estate has increased materially in the last 3 to 4 years.

[Lowell]

Why not Windsor? Just a mile away you have legendary hockey team and the only four major league town in [almost] Canada along with major celebrity events.

The real answer?

For decades Windsor sat across from a blighted, decaying and dying Downtown Detroit, rife with crime and dangerous. Suddenly all that has all changed. Every fabulous ruin of downtown has been gloriously restored, is being, or has a plan to be. The once bleak hulk of the Michigan Central that stared you in the face at customs on the bridge is the crown jewel of that transformation. New skyscrapers are rising, shops and restaurants abound, a fabulous river walk, and new parks continue to come on line. All that, and much more, just a short ride away from housing prices you can’t beat in Canada.

[GPCharles]

Except for Americans, who can no longer purchase residential property in Canada, although there are exceptions for recreational properties.

[Canadian Visitor]

How can a city have the highest unemployment rate in the country while experiencing record population growth? Record population growth but also rise in Windsor's March joblessness | Windsor Star

The article actually answers your question.

Windsor added 2,700 people to its labour force [[working age adults looking for work) while adding a whopping 2,400 jobs. That's outstanding for a community Windsor's size.

The upward move in unemployment of 0.1% is temporary and cause by 300 more workers arriving that jobs.

But Windsor currently have 5,000 open, vacant jobs, so those people won't be waiting long for employment.

[Canadian Visitor]

What is driving the population growth?

Is it Canadian citizens moving from other parts of Canada?

Or is it immigration from other foreign countries/regions? And which regions - Asian? Latino? Middle Eastern?

The first part of the equation is overall immigration. Canada is experiencing record population growth [[not a good thing) as its happening much faster than we can build new homes, resulting in spiraling real estate prices and rents.

Canada grew by 3.2% in 2023, or 1.27M.

This would be the same, proportionately as the U.S. growing by 10.7M people in a single year.

For contrast, the U.S. grew by about 1.7M last year or 0.5%

***

The second part of the story in Windsor specific.

Its a story of high, but much lower than Toronto real estate prices.

Its also a story of major new employers. The Next Star Battery Plant and its supply chain among them.

[Henry Whalley]

Well Windsor does have Little Italy and A Middle Eastern Community.

IIRC it had more than a few Dim Sum restaurants owned by immigrants from Hong Kong. Also, I imagine that Ontario might build a bullet-train circuit between Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, etc.

[Canadian Visitor]

Also, I imagine that Ontario might build a bullet-train circuit between Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, etc.

While more frequent, higher speed rail is likely, full HSR is a very long way off.

If the project for the Toronto-Quebec City segment gets off the ground [[RFP submissions are due this fall) then something in the direction of Windsor would likely follow, probably Toronto-London first.

But we could be talking 20 years from now, and that's still an 'If'.