International immigration to Canada is slowing but newcomers still helped six Atlantic cities grow more than the national average last year.
A new report says there was an average of 1.7 per cent population growth between July 2024 and July 2025 in Moncton, N.B., Fredericton, Saint John, N.B., Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John’s, N.L.
The report by the Atlantic Economic Council says the average is smaller than the previous year but still almost double the Canadian average of 0.9 per cent growth over the same period.
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Moncton saw a three per cent increase to its population, among the highest in the country.
Saint John recorded the smallest increase of the six cities, at 1.1 per cent.
The report says immigration drove the growth, but at a slower rate than prior years, as the federal government in 2025 scaled back the number of newcomers admitted to the country.
© 2026 The Canadian Press