The latest population estimates for Metro Vancouver show that the region has exceeded three million residents — but much of that growth was driven by suburbs outside Vancouver.
Estimates released by Statistics Canada in mid-January show that Metro Vancouver’s population has grown by around 17 per cent compared to the 2021 census.
Much of that population growth was driven by Surrey and the Township of Langley, both suburbs that are located south of the Fraser River.
Based on the rate of growth between the 2021 and 2024 population estimates, Surrey — which has been one of Canada’s fastest-growing municipalities for years — could eclipse Vancouver in population by 2027, faster than previous estimates.
The new StatsCan estimates have led to calls for authorities to rethink where they build infrastructure and how to serve growing communities outside urban centres.
“I think the question will be, how well is that growth supported?” said Andy Yan, the director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program.
“How well is that supported in terms of social infrastructure, in terms of schools, in terms of medicare — but then also physical infrastructure, in terms of water, in terms of sewage, in terms of electricity?”
Yan cited a 2024 report by the Canadian Research Institute, which showed that each new housing unit built in Canada required $100,000 in infrastructure costs to support, saying growing costs were one of the “profound challenges” facing governments.
“I think this is certainly going to involve the kind of partnerships with the provincial and federal government, certainly in the realms of transit, but then also within the big physical infrastructure projects,” he said.
Much of the sharp growth in Canada’s population over the last few years has been driven by immigration, according to Statistics Canada.
Yan acknowledged that the federal government’s cutback to immigration levels — in which Ottawa is attempting to reduce temporary residents’ share of the population from 6.2 per cent to five per cent by 2027 — would affect the rate of growth of Metro Vancouver’s population going forward.
But he says that the trends of people moving to suburbs will largely continue, driven by internal migration and that it highlighted the importance of an economic development strategy that needed to occur at a regional and provincial level.
Jasroop Gosal, the spokesperson for the Surrey Board of Trade, said that even with the reduced immigration numbers, many newcomers will still choose Surrey as their first port of call.
“You’re going to see a dip in immigrants landing in these remote and rural areas before you see the dip in them landing in Surrey,” he said. “So Surrey is still going to continue to grow with the level of immigration that we’re going to experience.”
Gosal called for more arts and cultural funding in the city — such as a convention centre or more space to hold events and meetings — as well as more attention towards operating expenses.
“You can develop all of these capital projects as much as you want, but if you don’t have the workforce to make sure that they’re working efficiently and effectively … then there really may not be a point in expanding the capital [projects],” he said.